It shouldn’t be a surprise Gunther is the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion; it’s been predicted for months. His road to the title, though, has yet to follow the path most expected, and Gunther needs to win clean at the Bash at Berlin.
He is usual booking is that of a dominant force, and his Intercontinental title run set that tone. After he dropped his last tile after a historic run,
Gunther is getting a lot of help to win matches. His path has been made easier thanks to Imperium, blood rivals, The Judgment Day, and shoddy referees. Taking a shortcut or ten is a standard heel thing to do.
Roman Reigns made a career-defining reign with help from his family. That doesn’t work with the Ring General gimmick, and Gunther is no Roman Reigns. WWE needs to change their tact or risk hurting their next big heel before he even takes off.
Gunther Needs to Win Clean to Re-Establish his Dominance
WWE built Gunther up marvelously, from his initial debut to his loss to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40. Every once in a while, Imperium would assist Gunther, but usually with a beat down.
They made it evident that Gunther was not to be trifled with. That run of dominance was made all the more critical with how it ended, confirming Sami’s star status with a single gutsy win over the unbeatable champion.
Leading up to his King of The Ring win, things changed. His string of flukes and foibles, along with limited use on Raw right after his loss, has undone much of that to the detriment of the main event scene.
A clean win over Randy Orton, which Gunther still needs to achieve, is a big deal. Randy is a legendary performer and future Hall of Famer. Sure, he has lost before, but even now, that is a rarity.
The ending of their last clash set this match up, but it was that match and others like it that have put Gunther in this position of weakness as the new top guy.
What’s done is done, though, and owning Orton in the ring can still change his trajectory. If they can match the intensity of their first meeting, the match should be thrilling to watch.
If they can correct the mistake of their previous ending, then Gunther will look like a formidable champion who beat an icon into submission.
Gunther Can be a Different Kind of Heel Champion
For the past two months or so, Gunther has become a pompous heel. Sure, a character who calls himself “The Ring General” has probably always had a noticeable ego. Nevertheless, that trait has moved from an underlying feature to his most prominent attribute recently.
That is a huge mistake. That character did get Damian Priest more over than he has been online, but it did very little for Gunther.
Hanging so much of his current run center on his arrogance means what was once his greatest weakness is now his default attitude. Losing Sami Zayn shouldn’t have made him more arrogant; it should have made him less.
He lost because he underestimated his opponent. Now, he constantly does that, and others are bailing him out. It is a classic trope, but it does not work here.
— GUNTHER (@Gunther_AUT) August 13, 2024
After 666 days as an unbeatable champion, Gunther felt complacent. It cost him that title. He even admitted as much. WWE has the opportunity to build upon that loss the right way.
He should not get more or less confident; he should just get prepared. Nothing is given; everything is taken. His vignettes and segments post-SummerSlam should include studying tape or pointing out weaknesses in his opponents. It should not be about belittling their character.
Every match should be about domination, with more difficult opponents getting twice as much pain. Yes, some people may even like Gunther’s commitment, but his systematic destruction of our favorites will keep him bad until the day he isn’t anymore.
Nobody is working that gimmick at the top of WWE right now; it is a free pass for a memorable character that he alone can claim if he starts winning clean again.
To Build the Future, Gunther Needs to Win Clean
His love online and clear mastery of the mat seems to have confused a lot of fans. The fact is Gunther has never done this before, be a world champion. Top guys like Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, or Seth Rollins all have.
His new schtick, which admittedly worked well against fellow first-time challengers like Jey Uso or Damian Priest, doesn’t hold up against them. It makes him come across as somewhat delusional, and those heels are not typically very formidable.
That has further played out in the quality of wins Gunther has received. He is destroying lower-card talent and squeaking out lucky wins against the top stars.
There is a place for that guy in WWE and even in the main event. Unless already established, that superstar is never presented as a strong champion.
The great Seth Rollins himself worked that gimmick as a heel twice. It didn’t work initially because he was too good at wrestling. After saving his career and switching up his characters, he returned to his delusion, and it worked. Fans could believe he was both talented and a cheater. Gunther is enormous, athletic, and technically gifted.
That a guy that size needs to take a shortcut is ludicrous, especially this early. To avoid the Rollins trap, Gunther needs to be the heel that wins cleanly. WWE has plenty of smarmy heels already. It should be a big win for variety. Let Gunther be the machine that chops the face down, each time, without mercy.
The future main event scene needs bad guys you love to hate but also ones you hate to love. They need the occasional champion, but you don’t see how anyone can overcome them. That guy should be Gunther, and he needs to start winning emphatically again to bring him back.
Bash at Berlin can Start the Age of Imperium
Gunther is not a charismatic final boss like Roman Reigns. Likewise, Imperium is not and will never be The Bloodline. It doesn’t need to be, though. Gunther had a character that worked while holding the Intercontinental Championship. His booking with the world title needs to follow that mold. At the top of the card, promos are essential.
Luckily, his skill is improving. This is WWE’s opportunity for a non-nonsense wrestling machine at the top of the mountain. It has been a while since WWE had one of those in a full-time talent but now is the moment. He taps into all of the right buttons for their most invested fans.
With enough time and their already proven formula, the rest of the WWE Universe will come to appreciate a heel that doesn’t need help. That journey begins with a clean win over the veteran Randy Orton at Bash in Berlin.
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