Gunther Becomes New WWE Intercontinental Champion On SmackDown

WWE crowned Gunther the brand new IC Champ on a MITB-focused SmackDown.

by Jamie Kennedy
Ricochet Gunther
WWE.com

Gunther defeated Ricochet on Friday's episode of WWE SmackDown to become the brand new Intercontinental Champion.

The company did right by both men - the little and large pair were given a healthy enough chunk of time on the show, and Rico even got to show off some of his high-flying skills before being brutally cut down by the big Austrian for the title change.

Gunther stopped Ricochet's title run at 98 days. Rico had beaten Sami Zayn to win the belt on the 4 March edition of SmackDown, but he only defended the strap against lower-tier challengers like Los Lotharios, Jinder Mahal and Shanky before losing here.

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Nobody will complain about Gunther being the one to take that belt from Ricochet though. He's certainly a much better choice than any of those other names listed.

Fans should probably expect WWE to book a rematch at the upcoming Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Failing that, perhaps they'll realise just how much Rico could add to the titular ladder match itself. Some of the high spots he's capable of weaving in would really enhance that showpiece.

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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.