Gunther's next contender already hinted on SmackDown? 4 reasons why they must clash at WWE Fastlane 2023

WWE SmackDown was a big show this week. The Rock and Pat McAfee both made their surprise returns to the promotion, plus John Cena was on The Grayson Waller Effect. This is all in addition to many of today's top stars appearing on the show.

One such star was LA Knight. The loud and cocky wrestler battled an equally loud and equally cocky challenger in The Miz. After a competitive bout, The Megastar ultimately won the match. The more interesting part, however, came with his post-match promo.

Knight made it clear that he intends to go after championship gold. He then specifically mentioned Rey Mysterio, Gunther, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. All four men hold the top titles in World Wrestling Entertainment today, with the latter two being world champions.

While Knight challenging any of those four champions is intriguing, it could be argued that the best move for The Megastar is to fight Gunther. This article will look at a handful of reasons why LA Knight should challenge for the Intercontinental Championship at the upcoming Fastlane event.

Below are four reasons why Gunther and LA Knight must clash at WWE Fastlane 2023.

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#4. LA Knight is ready for a title opportunity

As noted, LA Knight made one thing very clear on WWE Friday Night SmackDown. The former Million Dollar Champion has gold in his sights. He isn't particularly picky over which title he'll win, but he's ready for a championship of some kind.

While many believe Knight has had a rapid ascension in WWE, others feel it is about time he finally wins a title of some sort. His only title win of any significance since joining the promotion was the Million Dollar Championship, which isn't officially recognized.

The Megastar should challenge The Ring General for the Intercontinental Championship because it is time for Knight to move up to the next level. He's been picking up wins, and now is the time for the next pivotal step in his ascension to the top.

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#3. Gunther already set the record for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Gunther is an incredibly impressive WWE superstar. Even before joining the main roster, The Ring General made history on NXT UK. While as a member of the now-defunct British brand, Gunther became the longest reigning United Kingdom Champion ever. He held the title for mid-boggling 870 days.

In case one record breaking title reign wasn't enough for the powerful Austrian, Gunther has decided to make history again on the main roster. At over 460 days and counting, Gunther is the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion ever, surpassing WWE Hall of Famer Honky Tonk Man's previous record of 454 days.

Now that the record is broken and Gunther made history, a title change could be on the horizon. If nothing else, every championship match The Ring General has will now be even more intense, as he could believably lose at any time.

If history is already made, why not lose it to LA Knight? It will allow Gunther to move up to the world title scene, and establish The Megastar. It is truly win-win all around.

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#2. Knight is unlikely to feud with Roman Reigns in the immediate future

Roman Reigns

Another reason why LA Knight should challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship comes down to one key thing: matchmaking. A bout between Knight and Rey Mysterio or The Megastar and Seth Rollins wouldn't make sense, as they're all babyfaces.

Naturally, this leaves just Roman Reigns and Gunther as the best options available. While Reigns is arguably the biggest money match LA Knight could have in WWE, it also doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon. In fact, The Tribal Chief's next match is allegedly not happening until November.

If Roman isn't competing for months, Knight can wrestle Gunther in the more immediate future. Plus, there's a chance that Reigns will be clashing with AJ Styles and The O.C. upon his return, at least based on what we've seen go down on SmackDown. That could only further delay a potential bout between The Megastar and The Tribal Chief.

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#1. RAW could use a hot feud

Gunther on RAW

Perhaps the most important reason as to why LA Knight should challenge Gunther for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, potentially at Fastlane 2023, is business. Monday Night RAW could use a heaping dose of The Megastar.

This past week's episode of RAW had one of the lowest viewership totals in the show's history. While much of that decline was caused by football hitting incredible numbers, WWE still likely would want to fight against the sports-driven decline to the best of their ability.

Taking a popular star like LA Knight and having him fight one of the most decorated, and protected, champions will certainly drive eyeballs to the product. Regardless of creative, the move will help the business side of things, at least in the short term. That may be worth exploring.