Gunther will break a shocking record if he can make it through WWE SummerSlam.
Now in his second run as World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther will become the longest-reigning holder after the two-day event in August.
Seth Rollins has held the championship for the longest time with his 316-day reign.
Although Gunther’s first run ended at 266 days, if he can hold the title until August 5th he will have accumulated the most days as World Heavyweight Champion.
How Can Gunther Break Record?
Gunther is used to long title reigns. He held the NXT UK Championship for 870 and the Intercontinental Championship for 666 days before his first run with his current title.
His initial 259-day run as World Heavyweight Champion from SummerSlam 2024 to WrestleMania 41 means he is just 36 days off catching Rollins up.
As of today (July 10) Gunther has accumulated 31 more days as champion.
Odds Against Gunther Breaking Record
But the odds are certainly stacked against him. It’s the first year WWE SummerSlam has been a two-day event. Therefore, WWE will want to throw everything at it to make it a talked about success. A title change at the event seems likely.
But to walk in as champion, Gunther will first have to fend off Goldberg at Saturday Night’s Main Event. There’s an outside chance Goldberg could win to set up another dream match at WWE SummerSlam.
The winner of the King of the Ring – Cody Rhodes – has ignored Gunther and chosen to cash in his championship opportunity against John Cena at SummerSlam.
But Gunther is still a marked man. Seth Rollins reminded Gunther that he has a championship shot at anytime and anyplace on WWE Raw. This altercation also led to a significant CM Punk coming together with Gunther.
This means it could still be the “Summer of Punk” if CM Punk decides to try and jostle himself to the front of the queue for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE SummerSlam. It is impossible to imagine an outcome of Gunther vs. CM Punk that doesn’t see a new World Heavyweight Champion.
Seth Rollins
Even if Gunther can get through all that, there’s the impending case of Seth Rollins.
Rollins’ Money in the Bank briefcase means he can cash in a title shot whenever he wants.
The heavy backup he’s assembled means he can inflict a three on one assault whenever he chooses.
There’s no finer way for Rollins to back up his claim to be the future of the industry than by taking the World Heavyweight Championship at the biggest summer show. Rollins’ top ambition to prevent Punk feeling any success means his hand could be forced if Punk is gifted a title shot.
Rollins would then also remain the longest-reigning holder of that title. Something he and Paul Heyman can crow about for months, or years to come.
But perhaps Punk and Rollins – or a returning Roman Reigns – could create enough chaos to help Gunther come out on top.
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