Sami Zayn is determined to claim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by dethroning Gunther.

At WWE Bad Blood PLE, Triple H announced the WWE Crown Jewel Championship matches for the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel PLE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and during the segment, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther made his way into the ring. He took shots at WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg during the segment. However, the segment ended in chaos as Zayn emerged and attacked Gunther.

In a WWE Bad Blood Exclusive, Sami Zayn said that the time for trash talk was over. While he admires the champ, Zayn highlighted his opponent’s ‘crazy’ self-belief that he could beat Zayn. He said:

“Gunther, you and I have talked a lot of trash by now, right? But I want you to know, I really do admire you. I admire you in so many ways. Your self-belief, it’s crazy. It’s unmatched. I mean, tonight, Triple H walks out there, and he talks about how Crown Jewel will see the WWE Champion take on the World Heavyweight Champion, and you don’t even think twice? You just stroll out there, like it’s a foregone conclusion that this Monday, you’re gonna retain your championship, you’re gonna beat me, and you’re gonna go on and take that championship at Saudi Arabia. The self-belief, it’s incredible.”

Sami Zayn had dethroned Gunther off the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 40 and he will try to repeat the outcome this time around as well. The former Intercontinental Champion said that things might not go as per the plans of Gunther and Zayn will be the reason behind it again. He added:

“The thing is, I kind of don’t know where it comes from. Because the last time, if I remember that you and I faced each other in the ring at WrestleMania, you were pretty sure of yourself that time, too. You were so sure that you flew your father halfway across the world to come see you win, but what happened? Change of plans, right? Yet you still have this self-belief. It’s amazing. But here’s the thing, the time for trash talk is over. We have the match. This Monday, it’s done. Sami Zayn versus Gunther part two happens again, this time for the World Heavyweight Championship. Gunther, I’m changing your plans again because I will become the World Heavyweight Champion.”

Gunther’s reign as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion has been incredible. However, Sami Zayn looks determined to end his title run. After weeks of rejection, Gunther finally accepted Zayn’s challenge for the title match on this week’s WWE Raw. However, that came after he assaulted his challenger.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther has stated that WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H played a pivotal role in his success.

‘The Ring General’ has tasted massive success in WWE under Triple H’s control. He has been the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time and soon became the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther has now hailed his boss for the creative direction and how he has benefitted from it.

Gunther told Metro UK that Triple H has always supported him and praised his boss for his disciplined approach while also focusing on the long-term goals. He said:

“He always supported me and saw something in me. In general, I think he is somebody that is very disciplined when it comes to his long term goals with certain people and sticking to them. I don’t know if I would be here without ever being more or less connected with Triple H in that sense.”

Gunther also talked about having creative freedom and how Triple H deals with it. He said:

“All I can do is I can do me. I can do that better than anybody else. And in my case, it’s ‘take it or leave it.'”

The current WWE World Heavyweight Champion then revealed that he didn’t share the same connection with his former boss Vince McMahon. The Austrian powerhouse made his way into the main roster for the first time in 2019 but was eliminated in minutes at WWE Survivor Series. He didn’t get much time to work under Vince but said that there was a difference in their creative ideas. He said:

“The creative ideas from his side, obviously, was never my kind of thing. But that’s subjective. It’s a taste thing. I think the success can’t be denied. But I was just under him for maybe three and a half months, and in that time, I had half a conversation with him.”

Gunther is thriving and he looks unstoppable as the World Champion. However, Sami Zayn is determined to end his title run similar to how he dethroned him off the Intercontinental title. On this week’s WWE Raw, Gunther finally accepted Zayn’s challenge and they will face each other soon. However, that happened after ‘The Ring General’ laid out Zayn with a brutal attack.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther has mocked his arch-rival Ilja Dragunov, who recently suffered a torn ACL injury at a WWE Live event over the weekend.

During the WWE SuperShow on September 28th in Columbus, Georgia, ‘The Ring General’ faced ‘The Mad Dragon’ in a title match. Gunther successfully retained his title but Dragunov sustained a major injury that will keep him on the shelf for several months. On last night’s WWE Raw, footage from their match aired and the injury was confirmed.

WWE recently shared the footage of the announcement about Dragunov’s injury on social media and Gunther mocked him in a Tweet. Check it out below:

Gunther used the same phrase that was seen on the wall at Carozza Fitness gym in Stamford, Connecticut during a video showing GUNTHER’s training for WWE Bash in Berlin where he faced Randy Orton.

The former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov will be absent from in-ring action for the remainder of the year and he is likely to miss next year’s PLEs including Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. It has been announced that he will be gone for six to nine months. A minimum of six months recovery time indicates that he will be absent for WrestleMania 41 season as well.

On the other hand, Gunther is enjoying his World title run and Sami Zayn poses a threat to his title reign. Last night on WWE Raw, ‘The Ring General’ finally accepted Zayn’s challenge and they will face each other at this weekend’s WWE Bad Blood PLE.

In recent years, WWE has embraced hosting Premium Live Events outside of North America with shows in England, Scotland, Wales, and Germany proving to be huge successes. Fans in Europe are excited to see the next stage of the promotion’s expansion, which is just getting started according to World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER.

The Austrian powerhouse has done well at WWE’s overseas events, as he boasts victories over Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Matt Riddle in Europe. Speaking to Metro, the 2024 King of the Ring teased much more to come for WWE outside North America.

“We’re just getting started. The whole European expansion, it’s not the last of it we’ve seen… I’m excited and I’m happy that I was able to position myself as one of the front runners of representing the company.”

Where Next?

WWE reportedly has plans to host a Premium Live Event in Italy in 2025, and Cody Rhodes teased an event coming to Belgium at an August 2024 live event in Brussels. The American Nightmare has also thrown his weight behind the UK hosting a future WrestleMania, an idea John Cena spoke of at Money in the Bank 2023 in London, England.

Multiple Superstars have also spoken about a WWE PLE coming to Ireland; a natural follow-up to already hosting shows in Scotland, Wales, and England. Last month, Lyra Valkyria put forward Dublin’s 3 Arena as a venue when speaking to Video Game Chronicle. Fellow Irish Superstar JD McDonagh told Irish Wrestling and Entertainment that “Any chance I get, I bring up” hosting a PLE in his home country.

NXT Europe

While WWE could soon be hosting more PLEs in Europe, plans for NXT Europe remain stagnant. The brand was announced in 2022 and coincided with the closing of NXT UK with the vast majority of names associated with the brand being released. In the two years since NXT Europe was launched, however, developments on the brand have been slow, and plans for the program were delayed indefinitely in July 2023.

Events in Ireland, Italy, Belgium, and beyond seem more likely under WWE’s new administration than ever before in the company’s history. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from WWE and its expansion into Europe and even further.

GUNTHER retained against Randy Orton, but ‘The Viper’ did something surprising to close out Bash In Berlin.

Orton lost clean to ‘The Ring General’ after he was choked out via several sleeper hold attempts. The match however, was a lot in favor to Orton as GUNTHER was actually the one to fight underneath against the future WWE Hall of Famer.

Randy was really soaking it in with the record-breaking crowd in Berlin, Germany as the main event got underway and he gave it to GUNTHER in so many ways. Orton ended up hitting a RKO on GUNTHER.

During the Bash In Berlin post-show, Cody Rhodes took a moment to thank both Orton and GUNTHER “for the house” tonight in Berlin and they did deliver for a hot crowd. Orton performed a massive spot on GUNTHER at ringside when he set up steel steps to deliver an elevated belly-to-back suplex through the commentary table.

Orton was ready to strike once again when the action got back into the ring, but GUNTHER corrected course and did cinch in his patented sleeper hold. Orton fought free briefly but GUNTHER kept in control and got Randy to pass out.

After the fight, GUNTHER took a moment to extend a hand to Orton and Randy accepted the handshake without any treachory following it.

Following Randy’s exit, GUNTHER spoke in German to the fans and while it still needs to be translated in English, he did mention Triple H in his speech.

WWE is officially on the road to their next premium live event, Bash In Berlin, which will take place on August 31 in Berlin, Germany. Ahead of the PLE, the company stopped for a live house show at the Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, on August 27.

The card featured several matchups from the Friday Night Smackdown roster as WWE prepares for a live episode on August 30 at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany. The house show also had WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, Ilja Dragunov, and Sheamus competing to represent the Monday Night RAW brand. In the main event, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes put his title on the line against AJ Styles. 

WWE Results (8/27)

Here are the results(Provided by Cagematch) for the latest WWE house show:

• WWE United States Championship Fatal Four Way Match: (C) LA Knight b. Ludwig Kaiser, Sheamus, and Shinsuke Nakamura
• DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) b. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)
• WWE Women’s Championship Match: Bayley b. (C) Nia Jax via DQ
• Bayley & Naomi b. Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: (C) Gunther b. Ilja Dragunov
• Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill b. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: (C) The Bloodline (Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) with Jacob Fatu b. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
• Undisputed WWE Championship Match: (C) Cody Rhodes b. AJ Styles

Reactions From WWE Road To Bash In Berlin Event

WWE fans who attended the show have expressed their enjoyment on social media by sharing photos and videos from the event. The company has also shared a post on X of Kaiser making his entrance in his home country, which received a huge reaction from the crowd.

Here are some of the posts from the house show:

WWE Continues To Build Momentum Ahead Of Bash In Berlin

The company will continue its road to Bash In Berlin with two more house shows before Smackdown. WWE will hold events at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, on August 28 and at the Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 29. Tickets for both shows are still on sale on Ticketmaster.

The tour through Germany has given fans a taste of what to expect at the PLE this Saturday. Based on the reactions from those attending the house shows this week, Bash In Berlin should have a great crowd to witness some of WWE’s best superstars compete live. 

Randy Orton delivered an RKO to the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther after this week’s episode of Raw from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida went off air.

The Viper faced Ludwig Kaiser in the main event of the Red Branded Show. The Ring General was not present at the ringside but he later made his way through the crowd to distract Orton. This allowed Kaiser to gain the upper hand momentarily.

Randy, however, showed why he is a 14-time world champion. In the end he dropped Ludwig Kaiser on the announce table multiple times and won the match after hitting an RKO for the pin.

Gunther entered the ring after the bout to try and take out Orton but the Legend Killer didn’t let him dominate for too long. The feed cut off right as Randy poked the World Champion in the eye.

A fan made video from the arena shows that Randy Orton successfully delivered an RKO to Gunther after the show went off air. WWE has also posted a video of Orton posing with the world title dropped by Gunther at the end of the segment, before returning the belt to its owner:

• Uncle Howdy To Make In-Ring Debut On 8/26 WWE RAW

WWE Bash In Berlin

Randy Orton will get a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at the Bash In Berlin special from Uber Arena on Saturday, August 31.

Though this won’t be the only interesting match for the show. Last week’s episode of Raw saw CM Punk brutally assaulting Drew McIntyre when he tried to confront Gunther.

McIntyre and Punk had a confrontation on this week’s episode of the show after the segment. The Straight Edge Star challenged the Scottish Psychopath to a stipulation match and the latter accepted. You can check out the details of the bout here.

This week’s episode of SmackDown came live from Kia Center in Orlando, Florida and featured the Original Tribal Chief Roman Reigns in the main event.

The main event of the Blue Branded Show saw Solo Sikoa calling out the Head of The Table and Reigns came out to confront his former enforcer.

Roman got the upper hand early on and he even retrieved the Ula Fala from Sikoa. A returning Jacob Fatu however, turned things around.

The Bloodline then assaulted Roman Reigns and delivered a triple powerbomb to him on the announce desk. The show went off air with the faction standing tall.

WWE released a video on their YouTube channel in which Roman can be seen leaving the ring after the beatdown once the broadcast had ended:

• The Rock vs Roman Reigns Prediction: When Will the Match Happen?

SmackDown Dark Matches

This wasn’t all that happened after the show as there were two dark matches that also took place. In the first match, Sami Zayn defeated Santos Escobar.

The second match saw Gunther defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso. The match ended in a DQ when Ludwig Kaiser interfered and Damian Priest came out to make the save.

The two teams then had a fun tag team match with a lot of crowd interaction. Priest paid tribute to The Undertaker during the bout by performing the Old School maneuver.

Damian won the match for his team after pinning Kaiser with a South of Heaven. Priest and Uso cut a promo after the bout ended to finally send the crowd home.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER has delivered some choice words for Randy Orton ahead of their collision in Berlin, Germany. Speaking to Jim Varsalone, GUNTHER spoke about the 14-time WWE World Champion and his wasted potential.

“Randy’s career is undeniable. But on the other hand, we’ve got to be honest here, he was destined to be the greatest of all time, and with all the bad decisions he made in his career and all the issues he had he still is one of the greatest. But he wasted a lot of potential and I’m not in the business of wasting potential.”

GUNTHER didn’t stop there, adding that he has exceeded expectations, while he believes the opposite is true of WWE’s Apex Predator. The two will collide at WWE Bash in Berlin on August 31. The match will be GUNTHER’s first PLE title defense as World Heavyweight Champion while Orton hopes to break an unfortunate 40-month streak at PLEs.

Randy Orton’s Bad Decisions

While he has mellowed out considerably in recent years, Orton did make plenty of bad decisions early into his wrestling career. Orton reportedly pushed Amy Weber over during a flight, after she took some ibuprofen from the men’s locker-room when dealing with an injury. This incident, among others, would result in Weber leaving WWE in 2005.

Weber is not the only woman to have spoken up about Orton’s conduct. Maria Kanellis-Bennett claimed during her shoot interview with Kayfabe Commentaries that Orton shot fireworks from his car at the vehicle containing Maria and others. It has been claimed online for years that Orton defecated in the bag of former WWE Diva Rochelle Loewen, though she has since clarified that he defaced her bag with tanning lotion and baby oil, seemingly payback for Loewen not knowing who he was when she joined WWE.

The Viper’s off-screen outbursts would result in him being sent to an anger management course in Atlanta in 2006. Despite the four-week course, Orton was sent home from a European tour a year later after causing $50,000 worth of damage to a hotel room.

Orton has faced multiple Wellness Policy suspensions, though was brought back early from a suspension in 2006 so he could feud with Kurt Angle. In August 2007, Orton was named among eleven Superstars caught up in the Signature Pharmacy scandal who had purchased performance-enhancing drugs. The Legend Killer was not suspended and would capture the WWE Championship on two occasions mere months later.

On a December 2023 edition of the ImPaulsive podcast, Orton said he was an “a**hole” during the formative years of his career, saying that his poor behavior was “armor” as he wanted others to respect him. Orton added on the podcast that he was given second, third, and fourth chances by Vince McMahon.

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.

An incredible statistic has put into perspective just how dominant GUNTHER has been as a champion since arriving in WWE back in 2019. At WWE SummerSlam, GUNTHER captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, his first world title on the main roster of his career.

This is GUNTHER’s latest title reign after previously holding the NXT United Kingdom Title for 870 days and the WWE Intercontinental Title for 666 days. Since arriving in WWE, GUNTHER has spent over 75% of his run with the company with a championship. It’s an accolade very few, if any, other Superstars have reached and shows the dominance of the Ring General.

H/T to @WrestleLamia for uncovering this stat. Stay tuned to SEScoops for more interesting wrestling facts and statistics.

What’s Next?

GUNTHER’s first title defense as World Heavyweight Champion will see him face Randy Orton at Bash In Berlin on August 31. The two competed earlier this year in the King of the Ring finals in a match that ended in controversy. That victory for GUNTHER earned him his World Heavyweight Title opportunity at SummerSlam.

If history is any indicator, fans should expect GUNTHER to hold the gold for a very, very long time. Taking the average based on his previous two title reigns, GUNTHER will hold the World Heavyweight Championship for 768 days before he loses the gold on September 10, 2026.

Gunther opened Monday’s WWE RAW to address the audience as World Heavyweight champion for the first time. We quickly learned that his first challenger as the new champion will be WWE legend Randy Orton. The Viper made an unannounced appearance and it was immediately clear what he was there to do. Orton and Gunther went face to face and they will clash in just three weeks in Germany.

The 14-time World Champion told Gunther that he sees greatness in him and is eager to test himself against today’s top dog on WWE Raw:

“It think these fans deserve a modern-day Flair vs Steamboat.”

Randy Orton will challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight championship at the first WWE Bash in Berlin on Saturday, August 31, 2024 from the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

WWE Bash in Berlin 2024 Card Predictions for Rhea Ripley, Ilja Dragunov & more

The new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther does not feel that his victory at SummerSlam 2024 was undeserved in any way.

The Ring General challenged Damian Priest for the title at the show in a hard-hitting match everyone expected. Finn Balor showed up at the ringside halfway through the bout to cheer up his teammate.

The ending of the bout saw Priest delivering a Razor’s Edge and South of Heaven to his opponent. As he went for the pin, however, Balor put Gunther’s foot on the rope.

Damian tried to go after the former Universal Champion after he saw the replay but Gunther didn’t allow him to do so. The challenger then took out the Judgement Day star with a sleeper hold to win his first world title in WWE.

The new champion was interviewed backstage during the SummerSlam post-show and he said that the win felt ‘deserved.’ When asked if the victory was tainted in any way due to Balor’s interferences, Gunther proclaimed that he is not ashamed of the way he won:

“Nothing’s tainted, no reservations. Nothing to be ashamed of. From this day forth, Monday Night Raw and the legacy of the World Heavyweight Championship belong to me. If anybody out there thinks I don’t deserve this, they know where to find me,”

The Dissolution of Judgement Day?

Damian Priest wasn’t the only Judgement Day member who had to face betrayal from his own teammate at tonight’s Premium Live Event.

Rhea Ripley who was challenging Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship had Dominik Mysterio on her side. Dirty Dom, however, ended up helping Morgan in the end, causing Rhea to lose the bout.

With the latest developments, it seems likely that we have seen the last of The Judgement Day as a group and the WWE stars will be pursuing individual rivalries in the coming time.

• WWE SummerSlam Results: Multiple Title Changes

Ahead of tonight’s WWE SummerSlam PLE, SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay spoke with Gunther, who will challenge Damian Priest for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. During the interview, ‘The Ring General’ discussed his past jobs, rivalries, possible matches in the future, and more.

Gunther did very odd jobs in the past. One of them was a meatpacking job. It’s quite ironic now because ‘big meaty men slap’ and meet on Monday Night Raw every single week. When asked who is the ‘meatiest man” in the locker room, other than himself, Gunther replied:

“I don’t know, Sheamus, I guess.”

‘The Ring General’ also revealed what jobs he did before he decided to lace up his boots. He said:

“Call Center, obviously. Unloading containers with Sunflower seeds… store them..jobs like that. They’re a bunch of more. Yeah, it’s hard work. It’s good to do that and have appreciation for it because a lot of people do it every day and it’s unseen.”

Winning King of The Ring against Randy Orton

‘The Ring General’ earned a World Heavyweight Title shot after winning this year’s King Of The Ring Tournament by defeating Randy Orton. It was a dream match for a lot of people and WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H said they might once again share the ring in the future. When asked if he has an interest in facing Randy Orton in the future, Gunther said: “Yeah, for sure.”

He added:

“That’s how I enjoy professional wrestling most, if that makes sense. Randy is obviously one of the best to ever do it. And I think the setting was very nice too. Saudis are always very welcoming to us and the crowd over there really good. Yeah, felt like a great moment and that will forever remember.”

Possibly rekindling feud with Ilja Dragunov

Fans have been expecting Gunther and Ilja Dragunov to reignite their iconic rivalry and he was asked how far his relationship knowing Ilja goes back. He said:

“To 2011, 2012 something around that time, I think he started and he got booked by WXW a lot when I was always there. So since then, we know each other basically.”

Sami Zayn also had a match with Gunther back in WXW. Gunther recalled those matches with Zayn when he worked under El Generico moniker:

“Oh, yeah, I remember that. I have wrestled him more often before. But that’s the wrestling business itself. Sometimes. I mean, sometimes you see someone very intensively for a while and then that is disappear for years and then it all comes back around so”

Gunther praises Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental run

Gunther’s record-breaking WWE Intercontinental title reign of 666 days came to an end when Sami Zayn dethroned him at WrestleMania XL. ‘The Ring General’ praised Sami Zayn’s run as the Intercontinental Champion as he said:

“Oh, quite objectively has stepped up obviously. Big time. I think he’s done a very good job and I think yeah, he has a lot going on anyway with the whole Judgment Day thing as well. And yeah, I think he’s done really good but yeah, till tomorrow.”

Favorite rivalry

Gunther has faced a plethora of talents since joining WWE and has been involved in memorable rivalries. When asked what has been his favorite rivalry, he named The Miz.

“I think the one that would with The Miz. That was a very, very important one for me. And yeah, I really enjoyed that. And it was so important program I had in my career.”

• Gunther Reveals The WWE Feud That Was Pivotal To His Rise

WWE SummerSlam: Cleveland is stacked with some exciting matches. While Gunther is focussed on his own title match, he said that he is looking forward to the match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre with Seth Rollins as the Special Guest Referee. He said:

“I gotta be honest, I haven’t thought about any other match yet. I know which ones are there but maybe Drew and Punk.”

SEScoops SummerSlam Hub: Final Match Card, Start Time And More

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther has revealed that his rivalry with The Miz was a significant chapter in his career. The reign that lasted an historic 666 days. During his remarkable run as the champion, ‘The Ring General’ defended the title against the likes of Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Chad Gable, Jey Uso, and many more. This helped him to transform into the top star that he is today. However, one name that deserves a special mention is The Miz.

The Austrian powerhouse acknowledged that his feud with ‘The A-Lister’ benefitted his career. Speaking on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Gunther said that his matches with The Miz hold massive importance and fans loved it.

“I would say the matches I had with Miz were something that was very important for me. Miz is the total opposite of me. It’s 100 percent the other side of professional wrestling than I am. I was really proud of the matches we had to get to those really competitive, dramatic matches. … The people ate it up. They were there for it.”

Gunther holds his rivalry with The Miz in high regard for not only the matches but also for how the veteran wrestler helped him develop his promo skills. He said:

“Miz was a fantastic counterpart because he’s one of the best in doing that ever on the microphone. He’s maybe the most versatile talent the company has. That was a big challenge for me.”

The Miz is arguably one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. A 20-year veteran of the sport, ‘The A-Lister’ has had a decorated career. He is the first two-time Grand Slam Champion in the company. ‘The Ring General’ had successfully defended his title against The Miz and it certainly elevated him to a top draw.

What’s next for Gunther?

Gunther’s record-breaking title reign came to an end when Sami Zayn dethroned him at WrestleMania XL. Now, Gunther has his sights set on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He will be heading to Cleveland for SummerSlam where he will challenge Drew McIntyre for the title. Meanwhile, it has been announced that the hometown hero, The Miz will be hosting this Saturday’s WWE Premium Live Event.

2024 King of the Ring GUNTHER is ready to walk into Bash in Berlin as World Heavyweight Champion and believes doing so will be an all-time career high. During a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri for CBS Sports, GUNTHER addressed what it’d mean to return to Germany as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

“It’d be the biggest achievement of my career. I think that’s quite obvious. It’s the world’s heavyweight championship. It’s the biggest prize there is to win in this sport. That would be a huge accomplishment but also a big responsibility and challenge.”

GUNTHER has the opportunity to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam when he takes on Damian Priest. The Ring General earned this title opportunity by winning the 2024 King of the Ring tournament and defeated Randy Orton in controversial fashion in the finals. Priest has held the gold since WrestleMania 40 where he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Drew McIntyre.

WWE Bash in Berlin will take place on August 31, from the Uber Arena in Germany’s capital, and will mark WWE’s first PLE in the European country. GUNTHER has close ties to Germany as he competed for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) from 2007 to 2020, when he would join WWE. As part of the German promotion, GUNTHER became a three-time Unified World Wrestling Champion and four-time World Tag-Team Champion, with one of those reigns being with future NXT UK rival Ilja Dragunov.

Stay tuned to SE Scoops for the latest on GUNTHER’s quest to become World Heavyweight Champion and all the latest on WWE Bash in Berlin.

Finn Balor is bruised and battered after sharing the ring with Gunther in the headlining match on last night’s Raw. It is needless to mention that ‘The Ring General’ is one of the hardest hitters inside the squared circle. He once again had his thunderous chops on display against Balor.

Following the match, WWE dropped a couple of photos of Finn Balor on social media. The photos revealed Balor’s bruised chest as a result of a series of chops from Gunther.

The highly anticipated contest featured some spectacular spots. The final moments of the match saw Balor climbing up to the top rope and attempting the Coup De Grace. However, Gunther managed to dodge the move and countered with a Sleeper hold. Balor eventually passed out and the ref awarded the win to ‘The Ring General.’

Following the match, Gunther tried to send a message to the World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest. He didn’t relinquish the hold on Balor even after the match ended. Priest rushed down to the ring to the aid of Balor. The show concluded with Priest and Gunther brawling outside the ring.

Gunther is posing to be a massive challenge to Damian Priest. ‘The Ring General’ earned a World Heavyweight Title shot after winning this year’s King Of The Ring Tournament by defeating Randy Orton.

On the other hand, Damian Priest has been a fighting champion and he has successfully defended his title against the likes of Seth Rollins, Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre. ‘The Archer of Infamy’ will now put his title on the line against Gunther at this Saturday’s SummerSlam PLE in Cleveland, Ohio.

• Watch: What Happened With Damian Priest After (7/29) Raw Went Off Air

The macabre Wyatt Sicks may not be to the taste of GUNTHER, but the 2024 King of the Ring believes the group is in safe hands given that Triple H is in control.

The group made its long-awaited debut on the June 17, edition of WWE Monday Night Raw by decimating several people at the show, including Chad Gable. During their debut segment, some fans believed that GUNTHER had been attacked backstage by the faction, though that has not been confirmed on TV. Both before and since their debut, the group has been featured in cryptic promos and segments, leaving fans to decipher clues about what’s to come.

Gunther On Vince McMahon’s WWE: ‘Not What I Enjoyed’

Speaking to Gorilla Position, GUNTHER admitted that the Wyatt Sicks is not to his taste, and that goes for much more than just pro wrestling.

“It’s not just wrestling, it’s also movies, like the genre, everything that has to do with spooky stuff or ghosts, or supernatural, that’s not my taste at all. I’m more documentary guy, I love history, and I like movies about a topic or happenings that really happened. So it’s hard to judge when it’s not your taste, but by the reactions of our audience, obviously, there’s a big interest in it.”

While the group is not GUNTHER’s proverbial cup of tea, the King of the Ring is confident that the group will do well with Triple H running creative.

“The big challenge is always getting that in the ring and keep the mysterious aura around it but also making it work. But I haven’t paid too much attention to it right now, how it’s handled, but I would think if there’s somebody that can make it work and have the right dose of the spooky stuff and then the guys still being real [people], I think Hunter will have a good handle on that.”

What’s Next?

Since arriving, the Wyatt Sicks has targeted Chad Gable which many believe is because of how Gable has treated his Alpha Academy allies. In promos, the faction have spoken about false leaders not treating the family right, which many believe is a nod to Gable.

As for GUNTHER, his future is more clear. Due to his King of the Ring win, GUNTHER has earned himself a World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. The Ring General will challenge Damian Priest at the August 3, event in Cleveland, Ohio.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has spoken about the controversial finish to the 2024 King of the Ring tournament. 

At WWE King And Queen Of The Ring, GUNTHER claimed the crown in the Men’s Tournament finals with a hard-fought win over Randy Orton. GUNTHER made it to the finals with wins over Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso before dispatching of the Viper in Jeddah. 

• GUNTHER Wins WWE King of the Ring Tournament

The match ended in controversy as Orton’s shoulder was not fully on the mat during the decisive pinfall. On Twitter, Levesque addressed the questionable result. 

“I was out there. My vantage point was very difficult to see. Coming back here and seeing it back, I saw what everybody saw. Didn’t even seem very controversial to me, just seemed like Randy Orton’s shoulder wasn’t down. But I’ll say this, referee’s decision is final and GUNTHER is your King of The Ring.”

While GUNTHER’s victory is final, the Game added that he would love to see the two face off again to ensure there is a clear winner. 

“Randy Orton deserves to have another shot at that and I think GUNTHER will want to have another shot at that to take the controversy out, to take the asterisk off the page where it says King of The Ring.”

Addressing the controversy around tonight’s King of the Ring Finals at #WWEKingAndQueen… pic.twitter.com/KRRfig4tsD

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 25, 2024

What’s To Come? 

With his (albeit controversial) victory, GUNTHER has earned himself a World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE SummerSlam on August 3. Currently, the Austrian is expected to face either current champion Damian Priest or Drew McIntyre, depending on who wins their title match at WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland. 

WWE has a new King, and he is the Ring General.

The winners of the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments were promised a title match at SummerSlam for their respective brands. Nia Jax has already secured the crown for the women, and Randy Orton and GUNTHER followed with a highly anticipated and intense match.

Orton and GUNTHER delivered a physical battle as expected. Orton took many hard hits but used his veteran ring psychology to compete against The Ring General.

The Apex Predator took a beating, but he was still able to execute his signature moves, but GUNTHER countered an RKO with a slam followed by a massive top-rope splash. Orton nailed an RKO outta nowhere after that, but GUNTHER rolled to the apron as he avoided the pinfall attempt.

Gunther se CORONA King of the Ring tras recibir el RKO de Randy Orton, pero que este no pudiese hacer el pin por la rodilla. Lo aprovecha Gunther con ese pin para llevarse la victoria.

Protegiendo a Randy Orton. Pero el resultado correcto. #WWEKINGANDQUEEN pic.twitter.com/wAkXWyR5HM

— LuigiWrestling (@LuigiWrestling) May 25, 2024

GUNTHER tried to wear Randy Orton down with some submission holds, but then he ate another RKO. After kicking out at two, GUNTHER scored a roll-up pinfall for the win.

https://twitter.com/skyblonded/status/1794444749719351377

With this victory, GUNTHER secured a main event match at the Biggest Party of the Summer. He will now face the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, currently Damian Priest, at SummerSlam. It was later announced that Priest will defend the title against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle.

GUNTHER recently concluded a historic WWE Intercontinental Championship reign, which lasted 666 days and ended at WrestleMania XL when he lost to Sami Zayn. He quickly set his sights on winning the 2024 King of the Ring tournament to become the Undisputed WWE World Champion. Long title reigns are common for GUNTHER at this point, as he held the NXT UK Title for 870 days during that brand’s era.

Randy Orton returned to WWE at Survivor Series for WarGames last year after a 10-month hiatus due to back fusion surgery. Since then, he has remained active, including teaming with Kevin Owens. Orton received a massive babyface reaction upon entering the Jeddah SuperDome.

King of the Ring Quarterfinals:

• GUNTHER defeated Kofi Kingston
• Jey Uso defeated Ilja Dragunov
• Tama Tonga defeated LA Knight
• Randy Orton defeated Carmelo Hayes

King of the Ring Semifinals:

Randy Orton defeated Tama Tonga

GUNTHER defeated Jey Uso

King of the Ring Finals:

GUNTHER defeated Randy Orton

We also invite you to join us in a comprehensive breakdown of the 2024 King & Queen of the Ring tournaments by checking out the following article.

WWE Superstar GUNTHER is somewhat surprised by how big he was following his dramatic weight loss over the past year. 

The Austrian powerhouse lost between 60 to 70 pounds after moving to WWE NXT and the main roster in 2022 and his transformation has not gone unnoticed by fans. Speaking to Aleister McGeorge of METRO, GUNTHER reflected on his weight-loss journey. 

“I was aware of how big I was, but now looking at the pictures, I’m surprised how big I was… obviously health-wise, it’s way better [now] and I feel better in the ring. It’s been a good thing doing it.”

GUNTHER was inspired to lose the weight by Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci, and his wife Jinny. Now at a lean 250lbs, GUNTHER added that keeping the weight off has been less of a challenge than losing the weight, but it’s still no easy feat. 

“That’s WAY easier, keeping if off. It really is, though. You want to get to a point physically, then you really have to stick to it for quite a long time and be very disciplined. Once you’re at a point where you’re comfortable, then it’s easier to manage to maintain that than getting there.”

GUNTHER’s dedication to fitness will no doubt be looked upon favorably by WWE’s higher-ups including Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. Many predict that GUNTHER will be entering the World Championship picture soon enough. The Ring General will compete against Randy Orton in the finals of the 2024 King of the Ring Tournament later today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

WWE will get closer to crowning a new King and Queen of the Ring on the May 20 edition of WWE RAW. Tonight’s edition of Raw from North Carolina’s historic Greensboro Coliseum will see a continuation of the men’s and women’s tournaments. If you’re in the area, tickets for the show are still available at Ticketmaster.

The King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments tournaments began on May 6 and will conclude this Saturday at at the Jeddah Dome in Saudi Arabia. This will be the first Premium Live Event to be named after the tournaments since WWE King of the Ring 2002. 

On the men’s side of things, GUNTHER will take on Jey Uso for a place in the finals in Jeddah. GUNTHER reached this spot with victories over his old rival Sheamus as well as Kofi Kingston. Jey reached the semi-finals with wins over Finn Balor and Ilja Dragunov. 

For the Queen of the Ring Tournament semi-finals, Lyra Valkyria will take on IYO SKY. The recently called-up Valkyria reached this spot in the tournament with wins over Dakota Kai and Zoey Stark. SKY has rebounded from her loss at WrestleMania 40 by advancing with wins over Natalya and Shayna Baszler. 

In non-tournament action, we’ll see Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn battle Chad Gable in a non-title match. These two and Bronson Reed will compete for Zayn’s title this weekend.

Other top feuds headed into the PLE include Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. United States Champion Logan Paul and Liv Morgan challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship.

Keep checking back to SEScoops for more coverage of tonight’s WWE Raw, including all the news coming out of the show afterwards. 

Catch up on the Top 10 moments from last week’s show:

Gunther isn’t sure if a Brock Lesnar match is in the cards for him anymore.

There were strong rumors before WrestleMania 40 that The Ring General was on his way to face The Beast Incarnate in a big showdown at the Grandest Stage of Them All. The company had planned to build this rivalry up starting at the 2024 Royal Rumble.

All plans for the former Universal Champion, however, were scrapped by the creative team when Lesnar was linked to the Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit.

The former IC Champion addressed the rumors about his planned match with Lesnar at WrestleMania in an interview with DailyMail. Gunther claimed that he also heard something about it:

The Ring General explained that he has always been presented as the final boss in different phases of his WWE career, whether it be his run as the UK Champion or the most recent IC title reign. Brock Lesnar similarly was the final boss of the whole WWE for a long time. To reach the position the former UFC champion was in, the Austrian star has to get in the ring with him.

I’m More Than Up For It: Gunther

Gunther also discussed the potential of a future showdown between the two. He noted that he is not informed about the current status of Brock with the company, but he is more than ready for something like that if it comes his way:

“We’ll see if there’s a chance for it to happen again. I’m more than up for it. How the situation is exactly right now, I’m really not that informed about it, to be honest. I think we had that one face off in the Royal Rumble, the reaction that was there and that was a confirmation for me.”

Triple H confirmed during the post-WrestleMania 40 press conference that Brock Lesnar was not done with the company and was just resting at home.

Considering the gravity of the accusations against Vince McMahon, it’s very much possible that we may never see Brock Lesnar on WWE TV again if he gets implicated in the proceedings of the case in any way.

Though the company is certainly keeping their options open by not completely cutting ties with Brock the same way they have done with the former chairman of the boards. So there is a distinct possibility that he could return to act as ‘The Final Boss’ for Gunther down the line.

In a surprising change of pace, GUNTHER momentarily broke character during his face-off with Jey Uso after WWE RAW this week. Despite his fierce reputation and focus on winning the King of the Ring tournament, the Imperium leader shared a brief light-hearted moment with Uso before swiftly returning to his serious demeanor and delivering a punishing attack.

GUNTHER, known for his no-nonsense approach, had a remarkable run as Intercontinental Champion with a 666-day reign. Currently, he is focused on winning the King of the Ring tournament, with his next opponent being Jey Uso.

Uce advanced in the tournament by defeating Ilja Dragunov, who was recently called up from NXT. Following WWE RAW this week, GUNTHER and Uso had an opportunity to face off. During their encounter, GUNTHER momentarily broke character, sharing a brief light-hearted moment with Jey.

However, GUNTHER quickly returned to his serious demeanor and proceeded to deliver a punishing attack on the former Bloodline member. The Ring General remains determined as he continues his pursuit of the King of the Ring title.

Gunther breaking character and then getting back into character after RAW went off the air 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/cyoRI1XbI6

— Wrestlelamia.com (@wrestlelamia) May 14, 2024

More Of What Happened After 5/14 WWE RAW

After Raw went off the air, Jey Uso attempted to make GUNTHER join in on the “yeet.” Even the referee and ring announcer Samantha Irvin participated in the celebration, and it seemed as if GUNTHER might give in.

However, GUNTHER chose to attack his future opponent instead. Despite this, Jey managed to gain the upper hand with a spear and celebrated with the crowd as GUNTHER retreated.

After #WWERaw  went off the air.

Jey had @SamanthaTheBomb hit the yeet😭

Gunther almost did pic.twitter.com/QsbTN05lMf

— #WeWantCody (@WeWantCody_) May 14, 2024

Gunther almost gave in to the temptation of the Yeet after this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw from Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC went off air.

The episode featured 4 quarterfinal matches for King and Queen of The Ring tournaments with both male and female competitors getting two matches each. Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, and Gunther picked up the victories in the first three bouts.

The fourth match between Jey Uso and Ilja Dragunov was the main event of the show. WWE had earlier teased a semi-final between Dragunov and the Ring General but Uso ended up picking the victory in the bout.

This led to a confrontation between the former Bloodline member and Gunther to end the broadcast. After Raw went off air, Jey Uso tried his hardest to make Gunther break and do the yeet.

Even the referee and ring announcer Samantha Irvin joined in on the celebration and it looked as if the former IC Champion may have given up to the temptation.

Gunther however decided against it at the end and he chose to attack his future opponent. Though Jey managed to get the upper hand with a spear and he celebrated with the crowd as the former champion retreated:

After #WWERaw  went off the air.

Jey had @SamanthaTheBomb hit the yeet😭

Gunther almost did pic.twitter.com/QsbTN05lMf

— #WeWantCody (@WeWantCody_) May 14, 2024

• Legendary Ring Announcer Returns To 5/13 Raw

What Happened On Raw

Elsewhere in the show we saw The Judgement Day picking up a win in a triple threat tag match. They earned the right to challenge Awesome Truth for the tag titles.

The ongoing QR code mystery continued on Raw with another tease for Uncle Howdy. The code led to a bunch of images with one of them teasing a development in the story later this week.

The King and Queen of the ring tournaments will continue on SmackDown on Friday. You can check out the updated results and the current standings of the same here.

WWE took its first steps towards crowning a new King and Queen of the Ring this week with a total of six first-round matches on the May 6, episode of Raw. 

Both tournaments will culminate at the WWE King and Queen of the Ring PLE later this month which will take place in Saudi Arabia. WWE had initially planned on hosting the event last year but nixed the idea in favor of WWE Night of Champions. That event saw Roman Reigns reach 1,000 days as Universal Champion and Seth Rollins crowned World Heavyweight Champion. 

King of the Ring Results

On Raw, the recently called-up Ilja Dragunov defeated new WWE Speed Champion Ricochet to advance to the next round. Meanwhile, Jey Uso got payback on The Judgment Day with a tournament victory over 2021 runner-up Finn Balor. Originally, Drew McIntyre was supposed to be in Jey’s spot but his injury forced changes to be made. Dragunov and Jey will face each other in the quarter-finals next week. 

Queen Of The Ring Results

Raw also saw Zoey Stark advance with a win over Ivy Nile, while Lyra Valkyria defeated Dakota Kai. Like Jey Uso, Kai was a last-minute replacement for Asuka, who Damage CTRL confirmed is out with an injury. Stark and Valkyria will face each other in the next round on the May 13, episode of Raw. 

What’s To Come? 

While WWE promoted four matches from each tournament for Raw, only three took place. At a WWE live event this week, Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio will face off in a first-round match. This was supposed to be Rey Vs. Xavier Woods but the latter has been replaced due to not being medically cleared. The winner will face GUNTHER next week. 

Shayna Baszler and Zelina Vega will also do battle at a WWE live event, despite being previously promoted for the Raw taping. The winner will face IYO SKY on next week’s Raw with a spot in the semi-finals on the line. 

First-round matches will continue on the May 10, episode of WWE SmackDown. Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, and Santos Escobar have all announced their participation.