3 possible directions for Gunther in WWE
Gunther has been a dominant force since his arrival in WWE, and from the looks of it, his days as a ruthless ring general are far from over.
The reigning Intercontinental Champion showed just how merciless he can be this past week on SmackDown. After Ludwig Kaiser lost to Shinsuke Nakamura on Friday night, the Austrian brute delivered several chops to his own comrade.
With SummerSlam right around the corner, what are WWE's plans for Gunther heading into the event and onward? Let's take a look at just three potential directions the company could take.
#3. A singles showdown with The King of Strong Style, Shinsuke Nakamura
.@ShinsukeN takes on @wwe_kaiser looking to impress the #ICChampion, @Gunther_AUT. #SmackDown https://t.co/RkEGs7ZVjH
Judging by last week's SmackDown, all signs point to Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Gunther at SummerSlam this year. The King of Strong Style knocked off Ludwig in their latest encounter, and the IC Champ was none too pleased.
If this is in fact the route that WWE decides to take, one has to believe that Shinsuke will be booked to make Gunther look as strong as possible. Given the fact that the latter has been on a tear in WWE, it would make sense for the company to present him as the violent attraction he is.
A singles bout between the two is seemingly the most probable direction. However, as history has shown, WWE storylines aren't always predictable.
#2. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser split up
We’ve come a long way
#GUNTHER #KAISER https://t.co/GodQjm1t7G
There's no doubt that Gunther and Ludwig will part ways, but the question lies in just how long the two can remain a cohesive unit. A better question is how much abuse Ludwig will be able to tolerate before he finally has enough of The Ring General's mistreatment.
Alongside Fabian Aichner, Kaiser and the man formerly known as WALTER formed the original Imperium stable in 2019. Thereafter, the trio enjoyed a great deal of success.
Fabian and Ludwig won the NXT Tag Team Titles twice and Gunther went on to become the longest-reigning NXT UK Champion in history. Fast forward to the present day and two out of the four members of Imperium still remain.
The moment Kaiser stands up for himself will probably mark the end of Imperium and possibly the beginning of a feud between the two.
#1. Gunther goes from Undisputed WWE Universal Championship material to a joke in mere months
#WWESacramento
Tim? https://t.co/IW71axzrOl
For those who don't remember, the performer now known as Miro used to go by the name Rusev. The Bulgarian star spent the entirety of his first few months bulldozing over opponents in dominating fashion. He was anti-American, uber imposing, and built like an ox.
Rusev was on a roll for a while and was even booked to look strong against high caliber stars like John Cena. Alas, slowly but surely, the intimidating star was reduced to an underutilized talent with no sign of a bright future.
Gunther and Rusev share a lot of similarities. They're both big boys. They both work a pretty stiff style. And they both debuted on the main roster as dominant brutes. Yet in the end, the Bulgarian was humiliated, de-pushed several times, and unceremoniously released in a round of budget cuts.
After a brief stint as a viable world championship contender, Rusev's booking and overall creative direction took a massive turn for the worst. Will Gunther suffer the same fate? It certainly doesn't seem that way now, but where WWE is involved, you can never say never.