18 Ups & 15 Downs For WWE In 2023

7. Gunther Makes History

Drew McIntyre gunther sheamus
WWE

The Honky Tonk Man being the longest-reigning Intercontinental Championship has been a long-running gag in WWE, the irony of what is often classified as a worker’s title record held by a guy who retained the belt through underhanded means.

That 453-day reign fell by the wayside this year when Gunther blew right past it en route to topping 560 days by year’s end. The Ring General reached this milestone as a throwback of sorts, a wrestling champion who has held onto his title through sheer dominance, force and in-ring acumen. He’s had his share of difficult title defenses, but he’s always managed to persevere, often on his own merit.

In doing so, Gunther has defied the odds in modern-day WWE: a no-frills wrestler who has become one of the most popular acts in the company by going out and wrestling. True, his promos and “entertainment” stature has increased during the past year – his promos against Chad Gable and the Miz showed a range not previously detected in his NXT work. But for the Ring General, it’s his work between the ropes that has defined him.

The odds of Gunther making it through 2024 with the IC title still in his grasp are extremely slim, but losing the title should be just the next phase of an extremely successful WWE career, not the end of it.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.