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Gunther has established himself as a key player on WWE RAW ever since he arrived on the brand with the Intercontinental Championship. Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa recently issued a challenge to The Ring General and claimed he's a better wrestler than the champion.
Earlier this year, The Ring General crossed a year as the Intercontinental Champion and recently became the longest-reigning IC titleholder of all time. Last week, Imperium was confronted by Tommaso Ciampa who helped Alpha Academy fend off the stable.
On the latest episode of Monday Night RAW, Ciampa defeated Imperium's Giovanni Vinci. Speaking on WWE Digital Exclusive, the 38-year-old star claimed that he's a better professional wrestler than the champion and issued a challenge. Check it out:
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"I made it clear that Imperium did not choose me. I choose Imperium. The truth is, I choose Gunther. And If I got to go through Giovanni, and Ludwig to get to Gunther, we're going to get to the Final Boss and we're going to get that Intercontinental Championship."
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Ciampa also claimed that he's a better wrestler than The Ring General.
"Because soon, the dragon will be slayed and I will be the dragon slayer. Gunther we're going to step in that ring, whether you like it or not. We're going to lock eyes, and I'm going to see that doubt creep in, that doubt that hasn't crept in for the past year... Tommaso Ciampa is a better professional wrestler than Gunther." (0:15 to 2:10)
Tommaso Ciampa has previously faced Gunther for a WWE title
In 2021, Tommaso Ciampa formed an unlikely alliance with Timothy Thatcher on NXT. The two stars feuded against each other before binding together on WWE's third brand.
Meanwhile, The Ring General (FKA Walter) was the longest reigning NXT United Kingdom Champion and frequently defended the championship on American soil and appeared on TakeOver events.
The two finally met in a one-on-one match at NXT TakeOver Stand and Deliver Night One. Unfortunately, Tommaso Ciampa was unable to defeat Walter to win the WWE NXT United Kingdom Championship.
The team continued working in the tag team division until Thatcher was written off and Ciampa became a singles star. Meanwhile, Walter dropped the title later in the year to Ilja Dragunov.
What are your thoughts on Tommaso Ciampa? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit WWE and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
