Gunther and 4 other WWE Superstars with the longest Intercontinental Championship reigns of the 21st century

As soon as current Intercontinental Champion Gunther got called up to the main roster, the WWE Superstar wasted no time in gathering WWE gold. In June last year, he captured the promotion’s aforementioned title, making him the first ever Austrian pro wrestler to do so.

As of this writing, he still holds the title and is now one of the longest-ever reigning champions of the belt. Gunther reached another milestone with the title after WWE revealed that he now lords it over fellow IC champs who have held it for the longest time in the 21st century.

The Ring General is joined by four more WWE Superstars who have also achieved similar feats.

#4. WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura won his first WWE Intercontinental Championship in 2019 during Extreme Rules in a match against Finn Bálor. This victory over The Prince made him the first Asian to ever hold the title and the second Superstar to have held both WWE and IWGP IC Championships.

Similar to Gunther, The King of Strong Style held it long enough to be included among the lengthiest IC title reigns in the 21st century at 201 days. Braun Strowman broke the streak in a match during an episode of SmackDown in 2020.

The WWE Superstar captured the title for a second time in August the following year. This was as impressive as his first reign as he held it for 189 days this time round.

#3. Randy Orton also had a long Intercontinental Championship reign in the 21st century

At 209 days, Randy Orton is also an Intercontinental Champion with one of the longest reigns of the 21st century. He defeated Rob Van Dam to capture the Intercontinental Championship during 2003’s Armageddon, kicking off the longest reign of the title in seven years at the time.

He defended the title against the likes of Shelton Benjamin and Mick Foley, the former having had a longer IC title reign. He eventually lost the title to Edge in July the following year during WWE’s Vengeance Premium Live Event.

Orton suffered a back injury early last year that has since kept him on the sidelines. The injury was serious enough to create uncertainty over him returning to the squared circle.

However, if recent social media posts are anything to go by, it may well seem that The Viper could be slithering his way to a comeback. A match between Gunther and Orton is likely to happen if the latter indeed returns.

#2. Cody Rhodes

The winner of this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble also earns a spot on this list. Cody Rhodes won his first Intercontinental Championship back in August of 2011 during an episode of SmackDown. This was Rhode’s first-ever singles title within the promotion and he made sure to savor every moment of it. He even introduced a modified iteration of the Intercontinental Championship belt at the time.

He held the IC title for 233 days before being defeated by The Big Show at WrestleMania 28. Rhodes regained the championship in a tables match during 2012’s Extreme Rules. However, his second reign lasted only 22 days, with Christian defeating him at Over the Limit.

The WWE Superstar has challenged current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 where he can finally get a shot at the championship, which has been his lifelong goal. There’s a possibility that he could also be eyeing the Intercontinental Championship down the road considering it was his first-ever gold in the company.

Whether Gunther still holds the IC belt or not at that time, The American Nightmare and The Ring General will cross paths inside the ring at some point in time.

#1. Shelton Benjamin’s Intercontinental Championship record has already been broken by Gunther

Shelton Benjamin comes in with the second longest Intercontinental Championship reign of the 21 century after it was recently broken by Gunther.

He defeated then-WWE Superstar Chris Jericho in 2004 at Taboo Tuesday, kicking off one of the lengthiest IC titles reigns. In a stipulation for the pay-per-view, fans decided who would face Jericho during the event, with Benjamin garnering the highest number of votes.

He held the title for 244 days before being defeated by Carlito in June 2005. The following year, he went on to capture the title a couple of times, but neither reign lasted very long.

The WWE Superstar is likely to be reunited with his Hurt Business homies after he and Cedric Alexander participated in a Tag Team Turmoil match last month. In line with this, the All Mighty Bobby Lashley and the faction’s leader, MVP, may have seemingly teased an alliance.

If such a reunion were to materialize, it would be interesting to see The Hurt Business go toe-to-toe with Gunther’s Imperium.