7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Royal Rumble 2023

5. GUNTHER = Record Breaker

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 GUNTHER Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

GUNTHER just made WWE history.

The big Austrian broke Rey Mysterio's record in "traditional Royal Rumble matches" by lasting a whopping 1:11:25 in the match. That 71-minute performance beats Rey's 62-minute one back in 2006, but it still doesn't topple Daniel Bryan's colossal 1:16:05 in 2018's Greatest Royal Rumble.

"Greatest" Royal Rumble, my arse, but records are records. Michael Cole noted that GUNTHER made history anyway, and it must be said that this was a huge show of faith in the reigning Intercontinental Champion from WWE higher-ups. The Imperium leader made the most of his night too - he was involved in some big moments throughout the match.

It's impossible to imagine this would've happened under Vince McMahon's watch. Triple H knows the kind of heel he has on his hands with GUNTHER, and he wanted to show the world just what the 'Ring General' is capable of on Saturday night.

Great things. That's what he's capable of!

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.