Gunther breaks character to praise 37-year-old WWE rival (Exclusive)

Gunther has had a historic reign as Intercontinental Champion so far!
Gunther has had a historic reign as Intercontinental Champion so far!

Gunther has feuded with several high-profile WWE Superstars during his Intercontinental Championship reign, including Matt Riddle. In an exclusive interview, The Ring General gave Riddle credit for always providing him with a stern challenge.

The two men recently went one-on-one at Money in the Bank, where Gunther picked up the win to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The Austrian also defeated Riddle on the July 17 episode of RAW in a non-title bout.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Gunther addressed whether Riddle poses a unique threat due to his UFC background:

"Of course it does, and always has been. I wrestled Riddle on the indies a bunch of times before we had a match in WWE, and it was always more physical, more scrappy. He's a very skilled grappler and he's a fantastic striker, so it's always a different challenge to be in the ring with him." [14:50 – 15:15]

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In the video above, Gunther spoke about possibly going head-to-head with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns one day. The Imperium leader also explained why he is unlikely to form an on-screen partnership with Paul Heyman.


What makes Matt Riddle a tough WWE opponent for Gunther?

While most superstars primarily trained to be professional wrestlers, Matt Riddle learned how to be a mixed martial artist before joining the wrestling business.

Gunther believes Riddle's cardio sets him apart from other members of the roster:

"He's got a huge gas tank. His stamina never runs out, so it's definitely a challenge to be in the ring with him. And yeah, I think whenever we do it's exciting competition for the audience, and I think that matters." [15:16 – 15:34]

Gunther and Riddle faced each other several times outside of WWE, including in the UK promotion PROGRESS and the Germany-based wXw in 2017.

Have you enjoyed the Gunther vs. Matt Riddle rivalry? Let us know in the comments section below.


Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE SummerSlam 2023 on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on August 6, 2023, from 5:30 am IST.


Please credit Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

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Edited by Danny Hart
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