How WWE's Gunther sees Roman Reigns' title defenses: 'Should be a very special occasion'

As the WWE universe has learned with Gunther, the mat is sacred, and that mantra is what “The Ring General” wants to display at Survivor Series: War Games. 

The longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history will put his title on the line in Chicago on Saturday against someone who is quite familiar with it: eight-time champion The Miz. 

A win for The Miz would mean tying Chris Jericho’s record for most Intercontinental Championship reigns, and ending Gunther’s record reign, in a match that presents very contrasting styles. The differences in the stars — The Miz growing in WWE while Gunther did it on the independent circuit — is something the champion is excited to dig into.

“I think it's a very interesting challenge for me, especially with his résumé and what he’s done in the business,” Gunther told USA TODAY Sports. 

On screen, Gunther has made it a point to show no respect for The Miz, saying he’s just an entertainer, not a wrestler. The entertainer aspect of The Miz is something Gunther sees as a growing problem in WWE, he said, adding the roster is “full of those people.”

“I think one of the negative side effects over time was that people take themselves a little bit too serious, and that's not what it's about. It's not about the individual person,” he said. “It's about the sport itself, the sport itself being healthy. And yet, in this case, maybe I'm the only one that actually cares about that. So it's on me to defend those values a little bit against somebody like The Miz, who puts himself in the forefront.

“That's the reason why my reign was necessary; to set things straight a little bit."

Gunther, Roman Reigns comparisons

Gunther shares a distinct feature with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as the only stars in WWE or NXT to currently hold a title for more than a year, with Reigns holding the title since August 2020. 

But since Gunther became champion, there’s been a vast difference in how Gunther and Reigns have defended their titles. Gunther has defended the Intercontinental Champion 17 times, while Reigns has only defended his title eight times in that same timespan. Reigns has been criticized for how few times he defended the championship this year and the lengthy breaks in action he has, while Gunther has been praised for how often he gets in the ring.

Despite the contrast in the amount of times Reigns and Gunther get in the ring, Gunther doesn’t see an issue with the volume of the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion’s matches. 

“Especially the number one title, it's not about quantity, it's about the quality of it,” he said. “I think it should be a very special occasion when the world champion defends his title.”

Gunther added it’s also tougher to sporadically get in the ring, as “the pressure on you as a champion grows a little bit.” He also said it’s hard on the body to be out of the ring for a lengthy period of time and then trying to get back into a flow, requiring more personal work on the champion.

“It just shows me that most of our fans out there are pretty small-minded and can only really see that far and cannot objectively analyze a situation,” Gunther said. 

With the comparisons between Gunther and Reigns, the Intercontinental Champion could perhaps be a challenger for Reigns. While the focus remains on continuing to be Intercontinental Champion, Gunther said it “will be necessary along the way” to go after the top WWE title in the future. 

He had a prime opportunity at the 2023 Royal Rumble to compete for the WWE Championship, entering at the No. 1 spot and lasting over 70 minutes in the match, making it to the final two before he was eliminated by winner Cody Rhodes. Gunther revealed he wanted to be the first superstar to enter the 30-person match because it’s “a spot where you can really earn something” by outlasting every competitor, and he hopes he can be another early entrant in the 2024 edition.

Becoming a viral WWE star

Other than the physical dominance he has displayed in the ring, Gunther has become a viral star for WWE this past year. Clips of his chop move — slapping opponents in the chest — has created some loud smacks that reverberate in an arena to create a sound that can make anyone cringe. It’s even become a meme WWE has embraced. 

Gunther said the move became a part of his skillset because he realized he had big hands and long arms, and felt like he should use them in the most effective way possible. It described it as “pure logic.”

He’s also gone viral for his entrance with fellow Imperium mates Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Their intimidating entrance includes Gunther wearing a coat, and just before he enters the ring, he takes the coat off and Kaiser immaculately removes it.

The secret to the move? Pure chemistry.

“We literally never tried it. Like we just did it once, it looked cool, and then we stuck with it,” Gunther said. “A lot of things just fall into place flawlessly when you know each other for that long.”