"He was very influential on me" - Gunther discusses his relationship with former WWE Superstar

WWE RAW Superstar Gunther recently opened up about his relationship with former NXT wrestler Timothy Thatcher. The Ring General revealed that the latter was very influential on him.

The British Messiah was released from the Stamford-based company on January 5, 2022, alongside several other talents. He and the reigning World Heavyweight Champion shared the ring multiple times before they signed with WWE. They were even tag team champions during their time in the independent circuit. Both stars are known for their hard-hitting style of wrestling and usage of submission holds to wear down opponents.

While speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated in a recent interview, Gunther stated that he learned a lot from Timothy Thatcher. The Ring General added that the latter made him a better pro wrestler.

"I learned a lot from Tim (Timothy Thatcher). He was very influential on me. He made me a better professional wrestler," Gunther said.

Gunther went on:

"I think Tim would be on a bigger stage right now if he would divert away from some of his core values and accept professional wrestling for what it is on the big stage. As much as I enjoyed that gritty, catch-as-catch can shoot-style wrestling with no smoke and mirrors, the reality is that it isn’t going to draw the attention of a lot and lot of people in 2024. At the end of the day, what we do is a business."

What the future has in store for The Ring General remains to be seen.

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Gunther's first title defense will take place at WWE Bash in Berlin 2024

At SummerSlam 2024, Gunther did what he said he was going to do. He dethroned Damian Priest and walked out of Cleveland, Ohio, as the new World Heavyweight Champion. On the fallout episode of WWE RAW after The Biggest Party of The Summer, The Ring General was confronted by Randy Orton, who challenged the former to a match for his coveted title at Bash in Berlin 2024.

Gunther accepted the challenge, and the bout was made official for the event. It will be interesting to see whether the Imperium leader will defeat The Viper to retain the title.