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Gunther's Intercontinental Championship reign reached 315 days after his impressive win over Xavier Woods on WWE SmackDown. The Imperium leader crushed the New Day member's dream of capturing his first singles title via a Gojira Clutch submission move that made his opponent pass out.
The Ring General has given fans every reason to rejoice with his Intercontinental Championship reign. Since winning the title in May last year, the heel superstar has defeated former world champions such as Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Rey Mysterio. It would take someone truly phenomenal to outshine the dominant champion.
Out of action since December 2022, AJ Styles has been bereft of a title opportunity since losing to Bobby Lashley in a United States Title Number one Contender match in August. His feud with The Judgment Day also didn't yield the expected outcome. WWE has relegated the former year-long world champion to a supporting role for his rivals. This is despite the fact that the veteran has crowd support backing him for another championship reign.
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Thus, Triple H apparently has two tasks in hand: giving AJ Styles a phenomenal run with a title before he hangs up his boots while also pushing Gunther to new heights. He could do so via a lengthy feud between the two stars. Following Styles' potential return during the draft on SmackDown next week, he could dethrone Gunther and pave the way for the latter to be pitted in a world title program.
In another case, the feud could end with AJ putting over Gunther in the Intercontinental Championship match. The Phenomenal One was handed a similar task during his brief yet commendable run as Intercontinental Champion in 2020. He gave Jeff Hardy his moment after the latter's return to WWE in singles competition.
WWE gave a teaser on AJ Styles' rivalry with Gunther last year
The WWE Universe promptly wished for a AJ Styles vs. Gunther rivalry when both stars locked horns during a couple of WrestleMania showcase matches in December. Styles won both bouts, although they came via disqualification.
Live event bookings are often used to gage the reaction of the audience and act accordingly on the main roster. A faction feud between The Original Club and Imperium seemed unlikely in the past as both were in different brands.
However, things could soon change as the reigning Intercontinental Champion is rumored to shift to RAW during the draft. Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser will likely accompany him. The OC haven't had an impact since AJ Styles was out, but a rivalry with Imperium will get them back on track.
