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Gunther recently retained his World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Finn Balor and Damian Priest in a Triple Threat Match at Saturday Night's Main Event a couple of weeks ago.
Heading into the RAW premiere on Netflix on January 6, The Ring General will defend his title again against another major star. This major star is CM Punk, who will get a title shot at a Live Event on December 29.
Even though the title rarely changes hands at a Live Event, WWE Creative could follow a different path, have The Best in the World dethrone The Ring General, and become World Champion in WWE for the first time in over a decade.
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This could happen for two reasons. First, because Sunday's Live Event takes place in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago and, it would make sense for the latter to become champion in front of his home crowd.
Secondly, it would raise the stakes for his match with Seth Rollins on the RAW premiere on Netflix on January 6. If CM Punk dethrones Gunther, then the World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when he takes on The Visionary. Given their rivalry is far from over, it would allow WWE to create new angles going forward.
Gunther expected to sign new deal with WWE
Gunther has done a great job as a heel ever since he moved to NXT and then the main roster in WWE. His performance has made him a megastar in the business, and the company has no desire to let him go.
Thus, it doesn't come as a surprise that he is getting close to a new deal with WWE, according to Fightful Select. It appears that The Ring General's deal with the company expires at the end of 2024, and the expectation is that he will sign a new contract soon.
Gunther was the Intercontinental Champion for nearly two years between 2022 and 2024 when he lost the title to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40 in early April. Nearly a couple of months later, he became King of the Ring and then went on to claim the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.
