This was already going better than anybody could have expected before Vince McMahon resigned in disgrace, but Gunther's time on the main roster - and particularly as Intercontinental Champion - since Triple H took over has yielded WWE's best match of the year, several supremely strong television encounters, and splinter feuds with Imperium that have gotten others over as some of the biggest babyfaces on SmackDown.
It's a tremendously impressive CV made even better by what might have been had McMahon not been given the heave-ho. Rumours swirled of a rote anti-America gimmick coming the titleholder's way, which speaks to the short-terminism that had cursed the company and countless talents for years.
It's not to say Gunther couldn't have rolled with these specific new punches, but it's far more satisfying to see him not have to. The thriving SmackDown star has elevated the status of the secondary strap beyond anything it's been in years - doing the all-important show-not-tell trick about five thousand Intercontinental Champions failed to do before him.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 almost 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 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL 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
