Top champion open to facing Gunther for the WWE IC title; doubts his own ability

Gunther's title defenses on WWE RAW are one of the key reasons viewers tune in to the flagship show on Monday Nights. The longest reigning Intercontinental Champion most recently vanquished the challenge of "Big" Bronson Reed, remains champion at 500 days and counting.

But who will stop The Ring General at this point?

Plenty of die-hard fans are well aware that this is not the Austrian's first rodeo. He held the NXT UK Championship for 870 days. The reign was ultimately ended by current NXT Champion, Ilja Dragunov.

Speaking to Haus of Wrestling, Dragunov, 30, did not rule out the possibility of moving to the main roster to challenge The Ring General with the second-oldest belt in WWE history on the line. When asked if he could do the trick again, though, Ilja Dragunov disclosed that he feels he is not on the same level as Gunther:

"But knowing how great he [Gunther] is, and to have this feeling inside myself that I’m not even slightly on his level at the moment. That is something that is, on one side, driving me extremely crazy, but on the other side, is motivating you really, really hard," Dragunov revealed. [H/T: Haus of Wrestling]

Ilja Dragunov feels that he is the last of a dying breed and that a match between him and Gunther is the ultimate "David vs. Goliath" contest that viewers are always interested to see:

"This is something people want to see; it doesn’t matter how often it will happen. So, if I’m the one who’s able to do this, actually, I can’t say if I really know this, but if I get the chance to, you can make sure that I’m going to do everything I can to be that guy."

At the time of this writing, Gunther is not slated to wrestle at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, as he is scheduled to be part of a Live Event on the same day in Rochester.

The company's last show in the Middle East, Night of Champions, saw the Austrian receive 'You deserve it' chants from the crowd. However, being at his A-game, The Ring General responded as the top heel that he is.

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Is WWE IC Champion Gunther on the way to main event his first WrestleMania in 2024?

Gunther entered this year's Royal Rumble first and outlasted 28 other WWE stars before becoming the runner-up to eventual winner Cody Rhodes. A win next year for The Ring General is not out of the question.

Corey Graves recently compared Gunther to late legend Mr. Perfect, claiming that everything the champion does is a must-watch. Furthermore, he made a bold prediction about the 36-year-old. Check out the details here.