3 reasons why Gunther must lose to Randy Orton at WWE Bash in Berlin
On Saturday, August 31, WWE will present the Premium Live Event Bash In Berlin. At the show, the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion Gunther will defend his title against the Viper Randy Orton.
Since arriving at World Wrestling Entertainment in 2019, the Austrian superstar has been an absolutely dominant force of nature. He first would go on to hold the NXT United Kingdom title for 870 days and then on the main roster, he would reign as the Intercontinental Champion for a record 666 days.
Despite performing as a heel during his entire run in WWE, Gunther will most likely be treated as a babyface in front of a predominantly German-speaking crowd when he faces Orton.
Although he has only just won the big gold belt, we will look at three reasons why Gunther will lose the World Heavyweight Title to Randy Orton at Bash In Berlin.
#3. Randy Orton takes one step closer to WWE greatness
Randy Orton has been a staple in WWE for over 20 years and has taken on the biggest stars across multiple generations from Roman Reigns, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock.
The Viper is very much one of the elder statesmen in the company today, with many young performers quite rightly looking up to him.
One of the many reasons that the locker room and the fans hold him in such high esteem is undoubtedly due to the number of World Championships he has won over the years.
Currently, the record for the most world title wins stands at 16, held by his old Evolution teammate and mentor Ric Flair and his greatest rival John Cena.
Orton has won 14 world titles and having recently just signed a new contract with the company, the chances of him breaking that record have gone up greatly. A win over Gunther in Berlin would have him on 15, a move that many fans would like to see the company do.
During a recent interview on the Impaulsive Podcast, Orton was asked if the world title record is still one of his career goals.
"Of course, I want to do everything I can, man," he revealed. "You know, longevity is always the number one goal for me and being able to go home, play with my kids, and not be in pain, right? That'd be the ultimate goal. But you know, as many accomplishments as I can accomplish in WWE, the more the better. I've already done so much so far."
#2. WWE creative goes for the shock factor
Having just won the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam many fans are expecting Gunther to retain against Orton in Berlin.
However, with WWE known to pull out the shock card for a performer in front of what is essentially their home crowd, Gunther's reign may take an opposite turn compared to his previous lengthy reigns, with Orton pulling off the shock win in the German capital.
One person who believes Randy has the capabilities to dethrone Gunther is Orton himself, who recently touted the dangers he still possesses while speaking to MARCA.
"I think I'm as dangerous or more dangerous than anybody on the roster right now. And I think anybody who considers me a target should think twice. Let's say that. Even though I was the legend killer, and maybe I'm slowly getting into that legend role or that legend status, I don't think I'm there yet, and I think I'm still more of a killer than a legend."
Despite the fact that Orton is a 14-time World Champion in WWE, a win for him over The Ring General at Bash in Berlin would certainly be one of the biggest shock wins of the year.
#1. Randy Orton avenges a polarizing loss
Gunther and Orton's showdown will not be the first this year that the two hard-hitting stars have crossed paths.
Their first encounter took place in May at King and Queen of the Ring, with the Austrian beating Randy to take the crown and win the tournament.
Whilst Orton accepted the result, many fans noticed that Randy's shoulders were not clearly on the mat during the count of 3. Therefore a rematch was something that everyone wanted to see immediately.
Speaking on Pro Wrestling & MMA Interviews with Jimmy V3, Gunther gave praise to the achievements that Orton has made inside the ring but was quick to take shots at the choices he has made away from the business.
“Randy’s career is undeniable. But on the other hand, we’ve got to be honest here, he was destined to be the greatest of all time, and with all the bad decisions he made in his career and all the issues he had he still is one of the greatest. But he wasted a lot of potential and I’m not in the business of wasting potential."
This match at WWE Bash In Berlin very much seems as though this will not be the last time Orton and Gunther face off this year, therefore an Orton win would be great to level up their series before Gunther could potentially win back the gold at Bad Blood in October.