Gunther's triumph at SummerSlam happened due to their controversial encounter, says major WWE name

WWE SummerSlam was filled with shockers across the board as several new champions were crowned at the premium live event in Ohio. Recently, Randy Orton explained why he moved to RAW and stated Gunther's title shot at The Biggest Party of the Summer came at his expense in Saudi Arabia.

King & Queen of the Ring 2024 was the first time Gunther and Randy Orton stepped inside the square circle for a one-on-one bout. The Viper controversially lost to The Ring General, as on of Orton's shoulders was not on the mat.

However, Gunther was declared the winner and he went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest. In an exclusive interview with MARCA, the 14-time World Champion was asked about Gunther and the World Title. Randy Orton claimed The Ring General's success leading up to The Biggest Party of the Summer came at his expense.

"I saw what happened with Gunther at SummerSlam and I thought the only reason Gunther got the title shot at SummerSlam was because he beat me at King of the Ring, and if you remember, the ending of that match was a little suspicious. My shoulder wasn't touching the canvas. So I thought at the time that I deserved to be the number one contender and challenge Gunther for the formal title. And everybody agreed," Orton said. [H/T: MARCA]

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Randy Orton details why he moved to WWE RAW and received a title shot against Gunther

Last year, The Viper slithered his way to Friday Night SmackDown after a long hiatus from the company. The third-generation star spent months on the brand and returned to Monday Night RAW as Gunther's first challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In the same exclusive, Randy Orton stated he didn't have to earn a title opportunity due to their previous controversy at WWE King & Queen of the Ring 2024. Moreover, WWE management agreed and The Apex Predator wanted to fix the previous mistake correctly.

"So that's what led me to the Gunther fight, realising that I didn't have to earn that opportunity that I could challenge him right away and be his first heavyweight title challenger because of that failed finish in Saudi Arabia (...) Everybody saw it. So I think everybody can agree that I didn't make a mistake in this fight," Orton said. [H/T: MARCA]

It'll be interesting to see if The Legend Killer can walk out of the event as a 15-time WWE World Champion.