Gunther won the World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE SummerSlam Premium Live Event. He won the title in a controversial manner.
Ever since his NXT UK debut, Gunther has been a dominant force in the ring. He quickly rose to prominence and won the NXT UK Championship, which he held for over 800 days. When he made it to the main roster, his dominance continued in the ring.
The Ring General won the Intercontinental Championship and had one of the greatest runs in the title's history, eventually becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion. After his record-breaking reign ended at WrestleMania 40, he pointed out that he had bigger aspirations.
Soon after, he won the King of the Ring tournament, earning himself a World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE SummerSlam against Damian Priest. Both men engaged in a hard-hitting contest. Due to the nature of the match, The Ring General was busted open in the chest.
Towards the end of the bout, Finn Balor came out to ringside but was kicked in the head by Gunther. This fired up Damian Priest, who hit the South of Heaven on The Ring General. However, the pinfall was interrupted when Balor placed Gunther's foot on the rope. This infuriated Priest, who went after Balor, but Gunther stopped him and locked in the sleeper hold. Priest passed out, allowing his opponent to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
This SummerSlam win now marks the beginning of Gunther's era. It remains to be seen if he will have an even more impressive title reign as World Champion.