WWE Superstar and No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, GUNTHER, recently explained how a last-ditch choice saved his wrestling career. GUNTHER has risen to the top of the WWE roster. He has shown the WWE Universe that he is someone to watch and shown the roster he is someone to watch out for.
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However, GUNTHER didn’t start at the top. He had to earn his spot and did it the old-fashioned way. He did it by leaving his blood, sweat, and tears in the ring. It took him a long time to get where he is today.
GUNTHER didn’t have an easy ride to the WWE and the top of the card. While wrestling in Germany he felt that despite his success he had hit a ceiling. He recently told CBS Sports about a time he almost gave up on his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. He explained that a risky request and business proposition for his promoter saved his career. Gunther stated on the subject:
“I had a day job working only night shifts for nearly three years and wrestling on the weekends. That took a toll that was hard to sustain. My goal was always to make a living off professional wrestling. That was not in sight so I thought I should call it quits and focus on a career in my real job.
“I spoke with [Westside Xtreme Wrestling] and said, ‘Either I run a wrestling school for you and that’s my job, or I think I call it quits.’ They were happy to do that. They wanted to have a wrestling school. They employed me and since then, professional wrestling has been my main profession.”
– h/t to CBS Sports for the transcription
Gunther Builds His Skills & Reputation
GUNTHER wrestled all over the world building up his skills as well as his reputation for brutal dominance. In 2019 he made his way to WWE, kind of. He first made a home in NXT UK. Once there he decided he wanted to be champion. That is exactly what he did and became the longest-reigning NXT United Kingdom champion ever. He held the championship for 870 days which was the longest championship reign for the Intercontinental Title in WWE since 1988. He surpassed the previously held record by WWE Hall of Famer The Honkytonk Man.
GUNTHER made his way to NXT and was so dominant they asked him to move up to the main roster. He decided his waist was a little cold so decided to win the Intercontinental Championship. In typical GUNTHER fashion, he became the longest-reigning Intercontinental champion of all time and held the championship for 666 days. He eventually lost the championship to Sami Zayn and moved on to a new championship pursuit.
GUNTHER decided to win the King of the Ring tournament which gave him a championship opportunity. He decided to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest for his championship. GUNTHER and Priest will face each other this Saturday at SummerSlam. GUNTHER explained how much the match means to him and how important winning the championship is to him. He continued during his talk with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri:
“It’d be the biggest achievement of my career. I think that’s quite obvious. It’s the world’s heavyweight champion. 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. That’s what I’m here for. I want to be in the mix with the best and in the ring with all of them. To prove myself in that regard.”
– h/t to CBS Sports for the transcription
Many fans consider Priest a transitional champion. They think that he was just keeping the championship warm until GUNTHER decided to win it. However, Priest has made it his mission to prove to the world that he is deserving of the championship.
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GUNTHER is unlike any of Priest’s previous opponents and is in a class all by himself. He will challenge Priest and push him to his limits and if Priest is lucky he will survive and if he is even more lucky he will survive as champion.
The match for the World Heavyweight Title goes down on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. It will be broadcast live on Peacock.
About WWE SummerSlam 2024
When:Â August 3, 2024
Where:Â Cleveland Browns Stadium (100 Alfred Lerner Way, Cleveland, OH 44114)
Pricing:Â Tickets available now at Ticketmaster
Broadcast Distribution:Â Peacock
About: WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), in conjunction with Haslam Sports Group and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, today announced that Cleveland will host WWE SummerSlam on Saturday, August 3 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. WWE will take over the city of Cleveland with a stacked schedule throughout the week, including Friday Night SmackDown from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on August 2 and a variety of fan and community events in the days leading up to and after SummerSlam.
Do you think if wXw said no to his request to become a trainer he would leave wrestling for good? Do you think GUNTHER will become the new World Heavyweight Champion? If so, do you think he will have another record-breaking reign? Let us know on social media who you would like to see GUNTHER feud with after Priest.
SOURCE: CBS Sports
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