10 Early Winners For WWE Royal Rumble 2024
3. Gunther
What Gunther has done for the Intercontinental Championship over the past 400+ days is nothing short of incredible. The workhorse title, which until recently was just an ornament, is now one of the most important titles in all of WWE - and definitely the biggest prize on Monday nights, which is why 'The Ring General' needs to move to the main event scene in the near future.
The Austrian will become the longest reigning IC champ on 7 September, therefore breaking The Honky Tonk Man's record of 454 days. After breaking the record, Gunther can drop the belt whenever, freeing him up for the World title picture. He can even lose the IC championship at the Royal Rumble before later going on and winning the the big match itself, going one better than he did earlier this year.
Gunther could then dethrone whoever is the World Heavyweight Champion by then and elevate that title similarly to what he did for the Intercontinental title - and turn it into the belt it was introduced to be. Alternatively, he could go straight for Roman Reigns and the WWE Universal Championship. Gunther may be one of the only legitimate contenders to dethrone 'The Tribal Chief', and a Royal Rumble victory would set up that blockbuster showdown at WrestleMania.
Either way, 'The Ring General' is a favourite for the Rumble match come January and fans would love to see the monster win it.