8 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (Dec 16)

3. Braun Strowman Is Next

Ricochet GUNTHER Giovanni Vinci Ludwig Kaiser Imperium
WWE.com

Braun Strowman is next on GUNTHER's hit list.

There's more to come on a quite stunning battle between the reigning Intercontinental Champ and Ricochet, but WWE plans to quickly move on from Rico. Yeah, his 'SmackDown World Cup' win and the fact he beat Strowman to get there has already been forgotten, but at least fans got a hot match out of it.

Slotting Braun in as GUNTHER's next ICW Title hurdle will ensure the champion gets lots of TV time too. So, this fan is choosing to look on the positive side of all this. Strowman challenging the Imperium leader is fine provided Triple H doesn't make a Vince McMahon-ish hasty change by having Braun win the belt.

The 'Monster' doesn't need one, and GUNTHER is doing special things with the secondary strap. His is the kind of title reign that deserves to go on for a year minimum, and it should only end when WWE has another promising babyface to elevate.

Braun isn't that dude, but he is a fine challenger.

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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.