{"id":117424,"date":"2022-12-31T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T15:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=117424"},"modified":"2022-12-30T07:54:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T12:54:34","slug":"gunther-wwe-breakout-star-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/12\/31\/gunther-wwe-breakout-star-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Gunther Is the WWE Breakout Star of 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When 2022 draws to a close, <strong>Gunther<\/strong> would have held the WWE Intercontinental Championship for 205 days. This is just one of many reasons why Gunther is the <strong>WWE<\/strong> breakout star of 2022. Sure, <strong>Sami Zayn<\/strong> has reached new heights in recent months. <strong>Logan Paul<\/strong> has had two very impressive matches. But, nobody who debuted on the WWE main roster has had the impact of Gunther. Let\u2019s take a look at his 2022.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Gunther: WWE&#8217;s Breakout Star of 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pre-SmackDown Months<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When 2022 began, Gunther was called <strong>WALTER<\/strong>. He\u2019d recently left <strong><em>NXT UK<\/em><\/strong> and was engaging in some pretty uninspiring feuds on an <strong><em>NXT 2.0<\/em><\/strong> that nobody really knew what to make of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But as we hit <strong><em>WrestleMania<\/em><\/strong> weekend, WALTER reminded us what he was all about with a decent match against<strong> LA Knight<\/strong> at <strong><em>NXT Stand &amp; Deliver<\/em><\/strong>. He then lost an NXT Championship match to <em>Bron Breakker<\/em> and many wondered if that was the end of WALTER; a performer with so much potential that many feared WWE wouldn\u2019t know how to handle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">SmackDown Debut\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WALTER debuted as Gunther on <strong><em>SmackDown<\/em><\/strong> on April 22 and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/01\/19\/walter-to-gunther-name-change-unnecessary-ignorant-and-offensive\/\" target=\"_self\">the name change was met with controversy<\/a>. At least he had <strong>Marcel Barthel<\/strong> with him, but he was now called <strong>Ludwig Kaiser<\/strong>. There was a fear that WWE was taking a good thing in WALTER and Barthel and ruining it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">These fears were slowly quashed as Gunther squashed various jobbers on SmackDown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As the Spring became the Summer, Gunther was quietly winning matches in dominant fashion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gunther_AUT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Gunther_AUT<\/a> look to send shockwaves in his <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> debut. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vTl2HV81uR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/vTl2HV81uR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1513026658902626304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 10, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Intercontinental Championship Win\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gunther was handed a shot at <strong>Ricochet<\/strong> and his Intercontinental Championship.\u00a0 <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">On the June 6 edition of<em> SmackDown<\/em>, Gunther defeated Ricochet to win his first major championship in WWE. in a decent match. Gunther and Ricochet have feuded ever since this match with the Austrian always coming out on top.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gunther also had an impressive title defense against <strong>Shinsuke Nakamura<\/strong>. Gunther\u2019s championship defenses were becoming the best in-ring action on <em>SmackDown<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Three months into Gunther\u2019s reign, it was time for a feud that truly put him on the map.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Match Of The Year\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gunther is an absolute hero in the United Kingdon. He helped put the UK scene on the map when he held the NXT UK Championship for 870 days.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So, with the <strong><em>Clash at the Castle<\/em><\/strong> event planned for Wales, UK there was a hope WWE would put Gunther in a showcase match.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Boy, did WWE deliver? Gunther and Kaiser entered into a rivalry with <strong>Sheamus<\/strong>, <strong>Butch<\/strong>, and <strong>Ridge Holland<\/strong>. This was set to culminate with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/08\/30\/gunther-sheamus-clash-at-the-castle\/\" target=\"_self\">Gunther vs. Sheamus at <em>Clash at the Castle<\/em><\/a> in front of a crowd that loved both competitors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Before the bell rang, <strong>Giovanni Vinci<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/09\/03\/imperium-reunites-at-clash-at-the-castle\/\" target=\"_self\">debuted to even the odds in the rivalry and complete the <strong>Imperium<\/strong> stable.<\/a> Vinci and Kaiser brawled with Butch and Holland to the backstage area. This cleared the arena for Gunther and Sheamus to fight uninterrupted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The two men put on a hard-hitting and evenly-weighted match that hooked the 62,296 attendees in. As the match developed, so did the support of the crowd as they longed for Sheamus to win the Intercontinental Championship on UK soil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE had the opportunity to provide a feel-good moment and satisfy the fans with a Sheamus victory. But, thankfully, WWE gave Gunther the victory. Fans at the Principality Stadium reacted well to Gunther retaining the championship as it reflected that WWE was committed to telling a longer, deeper story. That story is about Gunther as the most dominant Intercontinental Champion of all time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>WWE The Bump<\/em><\/strong> awarded the bout the 2nd best WWE Match of the Year. This writer would put it slightly higher. There is no doubt it was one of the greatest matches from the past 12 months.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"No. 2. - Gunther vs. Sheamus: WWE&#039;s The Bump&#039;s Top 10 Matches of 2022\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qHj6D7gVyAg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">200 Days And Counting\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Austrian star saw out the year with enjoyable bouts against Sheamus and his <strong>Brawling Brutes<\/strong>. This was followed by a solid program with <strong>Rey Mysterio Jr. <\/strong><\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With more than 200 days as Intercontinental Champion under his belt, Gunther is the most <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/11\/15\/longest-wwe-title-reigns-championship\/\" target=\"_self\">dominant holder of that title in over a decade.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Cody Rhodes<\/strong> held the title for 236 days between 2011 &#8211; 12. You\u2019d have to go back to <strong>Shelton Benjamin\u2019s<\/strong> 244-day reign (2004\/2005) or <strong>The Rock\u2019s<\/strong> 265-day reign (1997\/1998) to find anyone that has hit the 200-day streak of Gunther.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WrestleMania<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With <strong><em>WrestleMania<\/em><\/strong> more than three months away, it\u2019s likely Gunther will go into the show as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion since the late 1980s, an era when most title reigns lasted at least a year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A match of the year candidate. Consistent dominance in matches. A record title reign. You\u2019d be very hard-pressed to find anyone who debuted in WWE in 2022 that\u2019s had such an impact as Gunther.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Header Photo Credit: World Wrestling Entertainment<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When 2022 draws to a close, Gunther would have held the WWE Intercontinental Championship for 205 days. This is just one of many reasons why Gunther is the WWE breakout star of 2022. Sure, Sami Zayn has reached new heights in recent months. Logan Paul has had two very impressive matches. But, nobody who debuted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3852,"featured_media":117429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,2192,26,4,3],"tags":[8506,8238,1248,5042,8507],"class_list":["post-117424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-wrestling","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-giovanni-vinci","tag-gunther","tag-walter","tag-imperium","tag-ludwig-kaiser"],"modified_by":"Robbie Sutter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3852"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}