5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 8)

2. Open Challenges Are For Fools

Gunther Ludwig Kaiser
WWE.com

Speaking of absolutely smashing it.

That's what Gunther has been doing lately. The new Intercontinental Champion also joined Kevin Owens' rather exclusive club by refusing to bow down before stupid heel tropes like ignoring recent history or being suckered in. Nah, the IC Champ has no time for "Open Challenges".

Gunther said he wouldn't be putting his belt on the line against anyone without some preparation. This is actually something WWE can come back to down the road if need be; Michael Cole harping on about the champ needing weeks of prep sounds about right, and it'd be a fine heat-seeking device for Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser.

Both men came out looking smart on SmackDown. They're hardly spectacular on the mic, or anything, but the presentation is watertight and they kept things simple. Perhaps Gunther could debut a new, "Open Challenges Are For Fools" t-shirt soon.

Maybe not.

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