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WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther will reportedly be in action on this week's episode of SmackDown. The Ring General is slated to face Butch on Friday night.
Gunther and Butch have no shortage of history inside the squared circle. The Ring General started his historic NXT UK title reign after defeating the former Pete Dunne in an all-time classic match at NXT Takeover: New York in 2019.
While the two men were a part of the recent faction war between Imperium and The Brawling Brutes, they did not face off in the singles competition. The last one-on-one televised match between the stars took place in 2019.
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There were recent reports of Triple H wanting to repackage Butch as Pete Dunne. According to WRKD Wrestling, Butch will take on the Intercontinental Champion on SmackDown to prepare for a potential transition back to his old name in the future.
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Gunther will defend the Intercontinental Championship against two former WWE Champions at WrestleMania 39
Gunther has been unstoppable ever since moving up to the main roster last year. The 35-year-old star captured the Intercontinental Title soon after joining SmackDown and has held on to the title ever since. He is also undefeated in singles competition, defeating the likes of Sheamus, Braun Strowman and Ricochet.
The Ring General is set to compete in his first-ever WrestleMania match next month where he will be defending the Intercontinental Championship in a triple-threat match against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre.
The two former WWE Champions locked horns last week to determine the #1 contender. However, interference from Imperium led to the match ending in DQ. This led to Adam Pearce announcing that the bout at The Showcase of the Immortals will now feature both Sheamus and McIntyre.
There were also reports of Gunther facing Brock Lesnar at the Premium Live Event in Hollywood. However, the plans were nixed as WWE reportedly wants to build The Ring General more before he comes face-to-face with The Beast Incarnate.
