Gunther's WWE Intercontinental Title Challenger Confirmed On SmackDown

Here's who will challenge Gunther for the IC belt on WWE's Clash At The Castle.

Sheamus Ricochet
WWE.com

Sheamus will challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Title on WWE's upcoming Clash At The Castle stadium show in Cardiff, Wales.

The Irishman won a Fatal-5-Way match over Ricochet, Happy Corbin, Sami Zayn and Madcap Moss. It's worth noting that Sami worked as a babyface due to the fact that SmackDown took place in Montreal - WWE cleverly teased that Zayn might win before giving Sheamus the number one contendership slot instead.

'Ring General' Gunther wasn't on-hand for the episode, but he's now scheduled to make his first pay-per-view title defence on 3 September. This, to add even more context, will be the first time WWE's IC belt has been defended on a supershow since Apollo Crews beat Big E at WrestleMania 37.

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Yes, WWE hasn't promoted an Intercontinental Title match on one of its "Premium Live Events" since April 2021. That's a sad commentary on the strap's plight until recently, but Triple H's creative team has made a concerted effort to revive the belt's fortunes.

Better yet, Gunther vs. Sheamus should be a physical masterclass. These men are going to beat the living sh*te out of one another.

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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.