As with just about everything related to The Miz, social media is bitterly divided as to whether he should be the person to face Gunther for The Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series. There are some who feel, as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all-time, he’s very deserving of a crack at The Ring General. There are others who feel, given he’s mostly lost over the past few years, that it’s a waste to put him in such a big spot at WWE’s next major premium live event. Humorously, both opinions seem to agree The Miz doesn’t actually have a real shot at beating Gunther, but I disagree. I think there’s a weighty case for The Miz dethroning the longtime IC champ.
But before I get into why I think WWE should at least consider putting the midcard belt back on The Miz, I want to make something absolutely clear. Gunther is fantastic, and this piece should not in any way be interpreted as anti-Gunther. The big Austrian is everything I want out of a professional wrestler. He’s physically intimidating and ruthless in the ring, yet he always seems safe and in control. His character work and visual presentation are right there with Roman Reigns and the other top guys on the roster, and his promos and mic work seem to be improving rapidly. I even love the rest of Imperium, especially his main man Ludwig Kaiser. I think he has all the tools to be at the absolute top of the WWE card for the next decade, which is why there’s a case for him losing at Survivor Series. Here’s why…
Gunther Needs To Lose The Belt To Move On To Bigger Things
After breaking The Honky Tonk Man’s record earlier this year for the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in WWE history, I think it’s safe to say a really healthy percentage of fans (maybe even a majority) consider Gunther the greatest IC champ ever. He’s right there with or ahead of other legends like Mr. Perfect, Chris Jericho, Razor Ramon and, of course, The Miz. That’s a huge accomplishment and is the sort of thing that would define the legacy for 99.9% of wrestlers, but I think quite a few of us feel like Gunther has the potential to be an all-time great WWE Champion too.
Under the truly great Intercontinental Champions, the belt has a way of feeling like it’s more than just a midcard title, but at the end of the day, even an elevated midcard title is still a midcard title. At some point, you need to move on from it. Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Rock and many others were absolutely fantastic IC Champions, but their ultimate destinies were at the top of the card. I think Gunther’s destiny lies there too, but in order to ascend to the next level, he needs to lose his current title.
If It Doesn’t Happen At Survivor Series, When Will It Happen?
I think the chances of Gunther losing the IC title outside of a premium live event are very remote. It’s technically possible, but given how long he’s held the belt, losing it is going to be treated, from both a storyline perspective and from the fans, as a huge deal. Since Triple H ascended to the head of creative, he’s done a tremendous job of making the premium live events feel important, and there won’t be 10 moments WWE produces over the next year that feel more important than whenever Gunther loses. It’s happening at a premium live event.
Let’s say he doesn’t lose it at Survivor Series. The next PLE is The Royal Rumble. I think having him lose there is a horrendous idea. Gunther needs to be in The Rumble because he’s one of only like five people who could legitimately win, and it’s always way more interesting when there are more people who feel like they can win. We just saw Brock Lesnar lose his title on the undercard and enter/ win The Royal Rumble later in the night back in 2022. I don’t want to see that story again. So, if he doesn’t lose it at Survivor Series or The Rumble, that leaves Elimination Chamber. I guess that’s possible but it would only leave a little more than a month to set up a program for him to work with someone at WrestleMania. At that point, the only logical opponent would be whoever he loses the IC title to, which would then mean he’s locked in an extended feud trying to reclaim the IC title, which is the opposite of what we want. So, if he doesn’t lose at Survivor Series, the most likely option is he loses at WrestleMania.
But I Don’t Want Gunther To Lose At WrestleMania
Some people would say if you’re going to have a huge moment, why not save that huge moment for WrestleMania. I get it. Gunther losing is going to be a big deal, and it provides an opportunity to give someone else a career-defining moment at WrestleMania. But for that huge moment to happen, Gunther, by definition, would need to lose in that same big moment at WrestleMania, and that’s not what I want for him. The Undertaker’s WrestleMania record is 25 and 2. John Cena’s is 10 and 6. Hulk Hogan’s is 8-3-1. Roman Reigns’ is 8-2. Stone Cold’s is 6-2. The Rock only went 6 and 5, but the only singles matches he lost were to Stone Cold (x2) and John Cena. No one loves Alpha Academy and Chad Gable more than I do. I wish all the best things for them, but do you really want to see Gunther take a loss to him at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia? I’m not so sure I do.
But if he wins at WrestleMania 40, then how long does he hold the title after that before he loses? Is it really adding to his legacy to keep him in the midcard for another year? By that point he’d for sure be the almost unanimous choice for greatest Intercontinental Champion ever, but once again, shouldn’t his goals be bigger than that? If he loses the belt to The Miz at Survivor Series, he could already be involved in a world title program by Mania. He could win The Rumble and fight Seth Rollins (or even Roman Reigns) or do some damage at Elimination Chamber or anything else that isn’t feuding with Bronson Reed and Ricochet.
The Miz Is A First Ballot Hall Of Famer, Not Some Scrub
And if he is going to lose the belt, The Miz is a way better option than people are pretending like. I won’t run down his resume since The Miz does that on a weekly basis, but he is a no doubt first ballot Hall of Famer. For my money, he’s one of the 30 or 40 best superstars in WWE history. Certainly he’s top 50. How many people in the history of the business have worked consistently for almost two decades and still generate good crowd reactions on a weekly basis? The Miz has because he’s an all-time great promo guy, and when he’s given someone legitimate to work with, he’s able to deliver a good program time and time again.
WWE has positioned The Miz as a babyface for the last few weeks, and he’s already getting a very vocal contingent of fans behind him. Give him a few more programs with Gunther and some more wins (starting with Ivar on Monday), and there’s no reason to think fans won’t be very invested in him trying to reclaim his beloved IC title.
Plus, The Miz Has At Least One More Awesome Title Run In Him
The Miz has been mostly presented as a sideshow comedy act for awhile now. He’s consistently put other people over and done other, more lighthearted things on the card. Contrary to what some wrestling fans might tell you, this is an important role in a wrestling show. Not every segment/ match needs to be highflying feats of athleticism. Wrestling supports a broad tent of fans, and you need to give them different types of stuff.
But that doesn’t mean The Miz can’t flip the switch and revert back to championship form. He’s consistently performed well when given the opportunity to have more time and use a wider move set in matches (he had a banger with Seth Rollins earlier this year), and his promos with LA Knight and more recently Gunther have reminded fans that very few people in the entire business are better on the microphone. Why not let him cook for six months? At his best, he’s better than what we’ve gotten from almost every midcard title reign over the last several years (apart from Gunther), and I think he can definitely get there again. He just needs WWE to give him the chance.
To Sum Up
I am not saying WWE should take the belt off Gunther and put it on The Miz, nor am I saying WWE is going to take the belt off Gunther. I think more than likely, they let him keep it until WrestleMania 40 and he loses it there, either to Chad Gable or Sheamus or maybe The Miz if this current program goes well. Then maybe after that, he finally gets his title shot at the recently announced German premium live event in 2024. But, I think if we all take a step back for a second, there is a real case to be made for giving the title to The Miz sooner rather than later, if he can build a real connection with fans over the next several weeks. This could be a chance to let Gunther move on to bigger and better things and let The Miz rewind the clock and remind everyone why he’s an all-time great character.
Regardless of what WWE ultimately decides to do, you can watch Survivor Series in the United States with a Peacock subscription.
