Former AEW World Champion to debut at WWE Royal Rumble 2024 and immediately dethrone Gunther soon after? Exploring the possibility

Gunther's match at WWE Royal Rumble 2024 is yet to be confirmed. Could The Ring General drop his Intercontinental Championship to a former AEW star on January 27?

The person in question is none other than MJF. The former AEW World Champion dropped his title to Samoa Joe at Worlds End. He was removed from the company’s official roster page in the wake of the event.

MJF had insisted in the lead-up to the December 30 pay-per-view event that he’ll become a free agent in 2024. He had previously been thought to have quietly re-signed with the Jacksonville-based promotion. Adam Cole said on Dynamite this week that his former "best friend" is gone from the comany.

On paper, Gunther could hold an open challenge at WWE Royal Rumble 2024 for his Intercontinental Championship. MJF answers the challenge and makes history as the superstar to end the Austrian brute’s iconic title reign.

A realistic approach, however, would see someone like Chad Gable dethrone the former Walter for the title. These two wrestlers had some great TV matches for the title in 2023. One of the matches saw Master Gable hand the Imperium leader a rare count-out defeat.

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Did Gunther appear on WWE RAW: Day 1?

Gunther ended his 2023 with an incredible Intercontinental Championship defense against former champion, The Miz. He then took a break from in-ring competition following the December 18 episode of Monday Night RAW.

He and wife Jinny welcomed their son last week. The 36-year-old star didn’t work WWE RAW: Day 1. His fellow Imperium member Giovanni Vinci, however, suffered an injury during a tag team match with Ludwig Kaiser against Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso on the same show.

It is unknown if Vinci will appear on RAW next week, though he did send a tweet confirming he was fine following the show.