Coming out of Elimination Chamber, most of the top title matches for WrestleMania 40 appear settled. Fans already knew Cody Rhodes would challenge Roman Reigns and learned Drew McIntyre would challenge Seth Rollins. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky has built nicely on SmackDown, while Becky Lynch made good on the teases that she’ll go after Rhea Ripley. Even the United States Championship picture appeared to crystallized when WWE set the wheels in motion for Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton during the men’s Elimination Chamber match.
Intercontinental Champion Gunther is all but assured to work a high-profile match at WrestleMania, if only for the combination of his talent and how well WWE has pushed him and this reign. Gunther surpassed The Honky Tonk Man for the longest single reign with the title months ago, and more recently this single reign has positioned him as the longest cumulative reigning IC champ ever.
The question remains whom Gunther will face at ‘Mania, particularly as a number of pundits have speculated the title might changes hands on this auspicious occasion.
Ahead of the Gauntlet Match on tonight’s WWE Raw to determine who will in fact battle Gunther at Wrestlemania, here are five Superstars we’d like to see in that spot:
Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn had a stare down with Gunther on Monday Night Raw and certainly is well-positioned as a prospective challenger for the Intercontinental Championship. Indeed, Zayn is on a very short list of men who don’t yet have a match for WrestleMania, is a credible threat to The Ring General, and is also a fresh opponent who hasn’t yet challenged for the belt during this reign. All that’s not to mention that Zayn vs. Gunther would all but guarantee a strong match.
There are those fans who are underwhelmed with this idea on the premise that they’re still holding out hope Zayn’s big push from 2023 could culminate in a world title reign. Besides that, he is already a four-time former Intercontinental Champion. Nonetheless, dethroning Gunther would, in and of itself be a major milestone that would have to be considered among Zayn’s biggest career accomplishments to date.
Damian Priest
The Raw after Elimination Chamber also saw WWE tease a confrontation between Damian Priest and Gunther as Judgment Day confronted the Intercontinental Champion. Explicit references to Senor Money in the Bank cashing in on Gunther arose, introducing possibilities for Priest challenging formally at WrestleMania or else stealing the title via cash-in after Gunther works someone else.
Priest vs. Gunther has potential has a clash between two big men who can go in the ring. Though some fans are lukewarm on Money in the Bank being used to challenge for secondary titles, Priest cashing in could also be seen as a way of elevating the Intercontinental Championship. That’s not to mention that if any secondary champion ever warranted a challenger taking advantage of a cash-in, it would have to be Gunther, and this would be a way to protect The Ring General while he transitions out of the IC title picture.
Andrade
Andrade has had one of the more confounding careers in American pro wrestling. He was a breakout star for CMLL, then had and up and down run in NXT before hitting his stride and arriving as NXT Champion. It looked like he’d be big deal when he moved up to the main roster, but he promptly found himself lost in the mid-card shuffle. Even more frustrating, Andrade’s run with AEW yielded similar results as he never quite seemed to find his spot. It’s telling that his most memorable accomplishment in his three years away from WWE may well have been teaming up with his father in law to headline the Ric Flair’s Last Match indie event.
If Andrade were to challenge Gunther, and especially if he were to take the Intercontinental Championship off him, it would be a nice testament that this WWE tenure really is going to be different for Andrade. His in-ring abilities are not in question. If WWE were to afford him this WrestleMania match, there’s every chance Andrade would make the most of the opportunity.
Ilja Dragunov
Gunther hasn’t suffered many losses under the WWE banner. Quite arguably the biggest loss of his WWE career to date came in developmental when Ilja Dragunov was the man to “pull the sword from the stone” and end Gunther’s 800+ day reign as NXT UK Champion.
There would be some poeticism to Dragunov—now the reigning NXT Champion—being the one to end Gunther’s next marathon title reign as well. No less important, Dragunov and Gunther have a proven track record as truly great opponents for one another. Dragunov making his main roster debut at WrestleMania in a show-stealing match in which he beats Gunther could do wonders for the Russian Superstar’s career.
John Cena
There’s no guarantee at all that John Cena will work WrestleMania 40. Indeed, between his busy acting schedule and not appearing on WWE television since his loss to Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel this fall, it looks like the odds are Cena is sitting out ‘Mania this year. If he does appear, the smart money is on a surprise promo, altercation, or impromptu match more so than a full-fledged ‘Mania program and major bout.
Cena notoriously remains in great shape, though, and he’s the kind of legend who can readily be slotted into any title picture at the drop of a dime. Moreover, there is a ready made story to be told of Cena chasing the biggest title that’s eluded him throughout his WWE career, the Intercontinental Championship. Cena also marks an ideal opponent for Gunther. If Gunther were to lose, there’s little shame in him dropping a match to the guy WWE has pushed as “the greatest of all time.” Meanwhile, if Gunther were to win, this is one of the few one-on-one victories–shy of a world title win–that would undeniably elevate him at this point.
In the end, fans will probably find out the identity of Gunther’s WrestleMania challenger in the near future. The possibilities outlined here, not to mention the prospect of a Triple Threat or a multi-man ladder match offer all manner of interesting possibilities and every opportunity for Gunther to deliver another memorable performance on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
