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Gunther is walking out of 2023 as the WWE Intercontinental Champion after spending nearly two years defending it.
While he was recently challenged by The Miz, the Austrian made sure the his reign remained intact. Despite the loss at Survivor Series: WarGames though, The A-Lister is not looking to back down.
This past Monday night, The Miz teamed up with his former protégé Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano to defeat Imperium in a six-man tag match. The win may put the former WWE Champion back in title contention, but Gunther is still undefeated via pinfall or submissions on the main roster. On Instagram, The Ring General highlighted his dominance between the ropes:
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"In the blink of an eye," he wrote.
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Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci's rivalry with DIY on the red brand has seen the former showing signs of dissension. It remains to be seen if Imperium will implode in 2024.
The Origins of Imperium, as explained by the WWE Intercontinental Champion
During an appearance on the After The Bell podcast, Gunther revealed that Ludwig Kaiser's father, Axel Dieter, inspired them to retain their identity as German wrestlers. It is the philosophy of holding wrestling in the highest regard that brought Ringkampf together, which later became Imperium in WWE:
"Ludwig (and) back then myself, we wrestled in Germany. His father would still be around. His father was a very successful wrestler in Europe, Germany, and Austria," GUNTHER explained.
He continued:
"He's a great technician, very efficient and no-nonsense. And we were like, we really identify with this guy, and we got along in real life as well. So then, let's start the thing and start the identity. And that's where it all began. Still to this day, we kept it," said GUNTHER. [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
Gunther vs. Brock Lesnar is expected for WrestleMania 40, according to WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. The latter claimed that it is the type of match people will pay to see, a special attraction. Check out the details here.
Do you think Gunther could drop the IC title on the Road to WrestleMania 40? Sound off in the comments section below!
