Backstage News On WWE Title Match Taking Place On Raw Instead Of Payback
Gunther's record-setting IC title defense relegated to Raw, but for good reason.
WWE Payback is in the rearview mirror, but one lingering issue is a match that didn't take place during the PLE.
Gunther defending the Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable has been one of the better builds during the past month. However, the match was not added to the six-match Payback card this Saturday, instead main-eventing Raw Monday night, where the Ring General retained his championship and all but assured himself of a record-breaking title reign.
Fightful Select reports there were myriad reasons why this deserving title match occurred on TV instead of during the PLE.
The primary reason appears to be the runtime for Payback, keeping the show on course and not "overstay their welcome." Fightful indicated that WWE has been "very particular" during the past year about PLE runtimes, especially those that aren't taking place in larger stadiums. This has resulted in several matches being bumped from consideration for a weekend PLE and instead taking place on television.
The decision also carried two ancillary benefits, according to Fightful. Holding the IC title match on Raw allowed WWE to highlight the match much more than if it was on Payback.
Additionally, bumping the title match from Saturday to Monday moved them two days closer to Gunther breaking Honky Tonk Man's 35-year-old Intercontinental Championship reign record, which he is slated to break later this week.
Had Gunther defended the title at Payback, there was be the open question of whether another superstar would try to unseat him on Raw. By doing this match on Monday, it added extra heft to the title defense as the last opportunity to wreck history and stop Gunther's march toward the record.
As it stands now, Gunther is set to break Honky's record in four days. Barring a surprise championship match on SmackDown, the record now belongs to the Ring General.