Gunther to face current World Champion following IC Championship loss at Wrestlemania 40 in a scenario pitched by legend

Gunther's historic Intercontinental Championship reign came to a screeching halt at WrestleMania 40 when he lost to Sami Zayn. The Ring General lost the championship after holding it for 666 days - the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in WWE history. However, the question that now arises is who he will feud with next.

Speaking on Grilling JR, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross pitched a match for him. He said that he would love to see Cody Rhodes defend his newly won Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against The Ring General. He praised the 36-year-old saying that he is a ''machine'' inside the ring and always produces quality matches.

"I would love to see Cody defend the title against Gunther. I'm a big Gunther fan, very basic, very fundamentally sound, he's a machine, he's physical, what he does is realistic, tells great stories," said Ross.

Many fans wanted Chad Gable to be the one to end The Austrian's reign of terror. While the match between Zayn and The Ring General was praised, the outcome has been questioned. One of the possible reasons for him dropping the title could be that he will now get a shot at a world title next.

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Vince Russo says Gunther is no longer a threat

Former WWE Writer Vince Russo stated on Legion of RAW that he fears that after his gigantic loss at WrestleMania XL, The Ring General will not be perceived as the threat that he once was. The former NXT UK Champion lost to Zayn clean in an unexpected moment that could have harmed his credibility.

"I don't know bro, I don't know how is Gunther a threat to anybody after he loses to Sami Zayn and not only that, Chris, remember Sami Zayn only had to workout one week," said Russo. [37:25 - 37:37]

While Russo isn't confident in The Ring General being a threat to a world champion, there is no denying that he would fit perfectly in a feud against Cody Rhodes. The two men haven't faced each other in singles competition but have shown great chemistry in the 2023 and 2024 Men's Royal Rumble Matches.