Record-breaking champion wants Gunther; teases rematch against top WWE champion

Gunther is the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He suffered just two pinfall defeats in singles matches in 2024 and remains dominant on Monday Night RAW. Meanwhile, current NXT Champion Oba Femi recently stated that he wants to face The Ring General. The Ruler also teased a rematch against reigning North American Champion Tony D'Angelo.

Gunther and Oba Femi have had similar journeys in the Stamford-based promotion. Both made history in their respective brands as record-breaking champions, NXT UK and North American Champions, respectively. The Ruler held the North American Title for 273 days. A clash between him and the Imperium leader is inevitable, and Femi is ready for the same.

In an interview on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Femi was asked about the stars he could have a masterclass with. The Ruler stated he wants Gunther and John Cena when he moves to WWE's main roster. However, the 26-year-old also wants to run it back with Tony D'Angelo, who ended his record-breaking reign as the North American Champion in October 2024.

"Masterclass? I've got my go-to answer: Gunther, John Cena—that's when I go upstairs [main roster]. Realistically, from a real-life booking perspective, let's say, if this was the UFC, the one guy that I've lost to would be the one guy to challenge me. Actually, he would be the first guy in line to challenge me as I became the newly crowned champion, and that's Tony D'Angelo. So, I wouldn't mind doing that again," Femi said. [From 35:20 to 36:03]

Check out the episode below:

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Gunther is set to defend his title at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event 2025

Last year, Gunther lost to Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel 2024, and the defeat seemingly affected his confidence as the World Heavyweight Champion. However, The Ring General later retained his title against Damian Priest at Survivor Series: WarGames. He also retained his gold against The Punisher and Finn Balor in a Triple Threat Match at last month's Saturday Night's Main Event.

Earlier this month, Jey Uso defeated Drew McIntyre with a quick roll-up when RAW made its Netflix debut. This past Monday, Jey challenged Gunther for the world title. Later, the promotion announced the World Heavyweight Championship between the stars at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. The special show will take place on January 25.

This will be Gunther's first televised title defense of 2025. It'll be interesting to see if Jey Uso captures the World Heavyweight Championship heading into the Road to WrestleMania 41.

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit the No-Contest Wrestling podcast and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.