4 reasons why Chad Gable became number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship on WWE RAW
WWE RAW featured a surprise Fatal 4-Way Match. The bout saw fan favorites Matt Riddle, Chad Gable, Ricochet, and Tommaso Ciampa clash in what turned out to be a fantastic contest.
While any of the four participants could have believably won, it was Chad Gable who ended up being the victor. The Olympian hit the Chaos Theory Rolling German Suplex on Tommaso, which was enough to get him the win.
Now that Gable won that bout, he has earned a shot at Gunther's Intercontinental Championship. This comes off of the heels of the two clashing on RAW recently. While Chad failed to defeat the Austrian, he made quite an impact. He even left Gunther bewildered.
While we now know who won the bout, many fans may be curious as to why. Naturally, we can't get into the heads of the company's creative team, but there are a handful of reasons why the former RAW Tag Team Champion may have won the shot at The Ring General.
Below are four reasons why Chad Gable became number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship on WWE RAW.
#4. Fans love the incredibly talented superstar
Chad Gable is over with the WWE Universe. While some may think the chants in his honor during tonight's episode of RAW were primarily due to him being in his hometown, Chad's love affair with the audience has been an ongoing event.
For a long time, it was mostly fans on social media who loved the cocky yet extremely talented wrestler thanks to his tremendous ability. Over time, however, more and more fans have gravitated towards the former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion.
Given how much fans love him, he's the perfect opponent for a heel like Gunther. Fans will cheer Gable on. Plus, some fans will buy into the USA vs. foreign heel concept. This match certainly fits that criteria, even if it won't be the primary focus.
#3. Gunther can safely defeat Gable without it hurting either star
Gunther has been the WWE Intercontinental Champion for over a year now. In that time, he's managed to put away numerous challengers, including the likes of Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Mustafa Ali, Rey Mysterio, and Sheamus, among others.
When a wrestler holds a title for that long, especially a mid-card belt, there are potential issues that could arise. Could Gunther run out of opponents? More specifically, could he run out of credible opponents that he can beat without it hurting their stick?
Chad Gable won on WWE RAW because he's the perfect kind of challenger for The Ring General. He is loved and can put on an incredible match. He's so good that fans will buy into him winning.
In the end, however, he'll likely be losing to Gunther. A guy like Seth Rollins may not be able to fill the same role as somebody like Chad.
#2. WWE may be rewarding Chad Gable for the recent success of Alpha Academy
The Alpha Academy is a trio on WWE Monday Night RAW. The stable is comprised of Chad Gable, Otis, and Maxxine Dupri. Prior to Maxxine joining the ranks, it was just a tag team.
While Otis and Gable were once low-card heels, they began showing off their personality and even won the RAW Tag Team Titles. Even the pairing with Maxxine has worked out far better than anybody could have anticipated.
WWE may be pushing Chad Gable as a reward for his hard work. It could be argued that the story with The Viking Raiders was doomed to fail, but all six stars managed to make it into something special. Chad was the heartbeat of the entire thing. This is the company's way of paying him back.
#1. It could be a great "David vs. Goliath" story
David vs. Goliath is a story that's as old as time. A smaller competitor trying to fight a larger one is always compelling. This is especially true when the larger competitor, in this case, a top-flight WWE Superstar, has been so incredibly dominant.
Chad Gable makes for an incredible underdog. Despite his real triumphs in combat, he is still smaller than most stars in WWE. As a result, the Olympian is always believable, fighting from underneath. Due to his real-life credentials, there's still always hope that he can succeed even against all odds.
Gunther vs. Chad Gable is the perfect modern-day David vs. Goliath match. The fact that both are such incredible in-ring competitors only further adds to the quality of the age-old story. Could they clash at Payback? Only time will tell.