Gunther’s reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion officially reached 454 days on Thursday, tying The Honk Tonk Man’s record for longest single reign with the title in company history. “The Ring General” first won the title on the June 10, 2022, episode of Friday Night SmackDown from Ricochet, and while it has been his only reign with the gold he’s just a few months away from breaking the record for most cumulative days with the title. The only men to have held the gold longer than him are Don Muraco (539 days across two reigns), The Miz (592 days across eight reigns) and Pedro Morales (617 days in two reigns). Gunther will Morales’ record on Feb. 17, 2024, a few weeks after the 2024 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
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ย “It would be, obviously, a great accomplishment and maybe the biggest accomplishment of my career, to that date,” Gunther told Cincy 3:60ย before breaking The Honky Tonk Man’s record. “But also, there’s still some time to go, and I try to focus on what’s right in front of me and make the best out of that situation. I don’t try to get caught up in the future with what ifs and what could happen, even though it’s not that far away. I think once it’s all said and done, I’ll be able to lean back and enjoy it a little bit. It would be very rewarding and a big accomplishment.”
Gunther has racked up 15 successful defenses on TV and pay-per-view since winning the title, with the latest being against Chad Gable on the latest episode of Raw. Will anyone be able to beat Gunther before he breaks Morales’ record? Tell us your prediction in the comments!
Gunther on His WrestleMania XL Plans
As Intercontinental Champion, Gunther entered the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble and lasted one hour, 11 minutes and 40 seconds, setting the new record more the most time spent in a standard 30-man Rumble match. He spoke with ComicBook over SummerSlam weekend about the possibility of winning the 2024 Royal Rumble and attempting to become a duel champion at WrestleMania XL.
“If I get the chance to be in the Royal Rumble, then I aim to win it. I think that’s a possibility,” Gunther said. “Yes, because I don’t plan on losing the Intercontinental Championship.”
WWE Payback 2023 Results
- Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus (Steel Cage Match)
- LA Knight def. The Miz (John Cena as special guest referee)
- WWE United States Championship:ย Rey Mysterio def. Austin Theory
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships:ย The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zaynย
- Women’s World Championship:ย Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez
- World Heavyweight Championship:ย Seth Rollins def.ย Shinsuke Nakamura
