10 Precise Turning Points Where WWE Did The Impossible

7. Gunther Paying Off An Accidental 25-Year Story

WWE Raw Sami Zayn Jey Uso
WWE.com

Just about every Intercontinental Champion from roughly 2003 to 2022 said they'd bring the belt back to its former glory. It became such a trope that the champions representative of the celebrated era became cliched for their legendary contributions.

Picture a Dolph Ziggler, or a Kofi Kingston, or a Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett or a Seth Rollins and imagine them with the title. They’re talking about Bret Hart, Mr Perfect, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. They’re not talking about themselves, and neither do most fans as a result. The Miz was a rule-proving exception and Chris Jericho won the thing about fifty times, but all the runs over two decades bled together in a listless chase for midcard acclaim that never really looked in sight.

Without ever talking anywhere near as big a game, Gunther simply went and actually did it.

Wrestling is a collaborative process of course. The likes of Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rey Mysterio and especially Sheamus deserve immense credit for their roles opposite the Imperium leader during his tenure with the gold, as does Triple H. As head of creative for the bulk of the run, he’s preserved and protected his Champion. But Gunther’s warranted the support through his unexpectedly awesome main roster tenure.

Few signings from WWE’s late-2010s gobbling up of the indie darlings were given less chance of succeeding than the former WALTER. That he’s done so with a chalice more poisoned than a Bray Wyatt toxic juice becomes more of a generational achievement with every passing day.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett