Gunther finally made his first post-WrestleMania 40 appearance on Monday Night Raw, with his historic reign with the Intercontinental Championship now in the past. Surprisingly, the superstar was not concerned with revenge against Sami Zayn or desperately hoping to reclaim his lost title. I assumed Gunther was onto other things, but I didn't expect to hear him say the King of the Ring tournament was next on his radar.
The more I thought about the idea, however, the more I got on board with it. There haven't been many KOTR tournaments I've felt the need to revisit with my Peacock Premium subscription, but I think this upcoming one has potential. Why? Because Gunther is involved, and when he is working a program, we've seen that great things can happen.
Gunther's Involvement In King Of The Ring Is Great For The Tournament
I think there's no denying that over the years the King of the Ring title has lost its luster. Superstars like Xavier Woods attempted to resurrect the title, but there's a reason that Stone Cold Steve Austin's iconic 3:16 and "King Booker" clips were played in the promo for the upcoming WWE event. No one has done much with that particular strap since, and the gimmick has largely been forgotten within the year of their winning. The same has largely been true for Queen of the Ring since its return, which oftentimes makes me wonder why it's even still in the mix.
That said, who better to bring in for the tournament than someone like Gunther? The WWE superstar spent 666 days building the Intercontinental Title up to a main event-worthy championship, and now that he's lost it to Sami Zayn, it's time to build up something else. Even if he doesn't end up winning, his mere inclusion in the event puts a spotlight on everyone else who will be competing and will undoubtedly lead to some big matches leading up to the event.
Could we finally get to see the first main roster match between Gunther and his rival Ilja Dragunov now that the latter is on Monday Night Raw? I'm not sure, but I'm already liking the fact I'm excited about potential match ups!
Gunther's King Of The Ring Campaign Gives Him Something To Do In A Crowded Main Event Scene
It wasn't long ago that I were advocating for Gunther to defeat Roman Reigns, but a lot has changed since then. Between Drew McIntyre's growing feud with CM Punk, Cody Rhodes' reign as champion, and Damian Priest and Logan Paul showing what they can do as champions, I'm not so sure we need the Ring General in the mix to complicate the main event title further. Hell, Seth Rollins is taking time off for injury, and The Rock is back to making movies and shows, and it still feels crowded.
Taking ownership of King of the Ring, even if he eventually moves on to another title pursuit, feels like the right decision for Gunther at this time. It seems like the WWE wants to keep him looking strong, and while he could spend the next few months mindlessly crushing mid-carders or entering a faction feud alongside the rest of Imperium, this feels more deserving of his status. I would personally think he's a heavy favorite to win the tournament at this point, but I guess we'll wait and see who else is involved.
Monday Night Raw airs on USA Network on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'd expect to hear much more about Gunther's involvement in the tournament in upcoming episodes, as we're only about a month out from King of the Ring happening on May 25th.
