Hometown hero; The Ring General aura - 4 reasons why Gunther must retain his title at WWE Bash in Berlin
Gunther will make the first defense of his World Heavyweight Championship when he faces Randy Orton at WWE's Bash in Berlin. Orton challenged the new Champ due to the strange finish between the two men in the finals of the King of the Ring Tournament.
The Viper's status in WWE makes him a credible threat to win the title and end The Ring General's run as World Heavyweight Champion rather quickly.
The main question is - should that Championship run end so soon? Gunther must retain the World Heavyweight Championship over Randy Orton at the Bash in Berlin for the next four reasons.
#4. Randy Orton is a SmackDown Superstar
The simplest explanation for why Gunther should win in Berlin involves roster placement. The Ring General is a RAW star while The Viper belongs on the SmackDown roster.
If Orton wins, it would mean SmackDown loses one of its top stars and potential challengers for Cody Rhodes. The Ring General would then probably remain on RAW since he was drafted there.
The Legend Killer has feuded with a lot of stars and Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes is a WrestleMania caliber match. That isn't the likely direction for WrestleMania 41, so a title change just to give Orton another title win isn't the smartest decision.
#3. The match takes place in Gunther's home country
One thing AEW does more than WWE is have hometown heroes win. They do it with special episodes of Dynamite in Texas for Thunder Rosa and Dustin Rhodes.
Tony Khan also booked Saraya to win the AEW Women's title in London at last year's All In. This year's show featured both Pac and Will Ospreay winning titles in the United Kingdom.
Drew McIntyre was booked to lose to Roman Reigns at the first Clash at the Castle event in Scotland. With how he's been presented, The Ring General should not be losing, and certainly not in Germany.
He'll be treated as a hero and a loss in his home country will leave another bad taste in the mouths of many fans.
#2. Gunther just won the title at SummerSlam
Another big reason why Gunther must win at the Bash in Berlin involves when he won the title. The Ring General defeated Damian Priest at SummerSlam in early August to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Having another quick title swap in the same month simply for the sake of it will greatly diminish the title. The belt is a major WWE title but is considered less prestigious than the Undisputed WWE Championship.
If the title changes hands twice in the same month, the work done to make it viable will be slightly undone. The former NXT UK Champ deserves a lengthy reign and shouldn't lose the title until WrestleMania 41 at the earliest.
#1. The Ring General has been presented as dominant in WWE
In terms of cleanly beating the competition, few WWE stars have been truly as dominant as Gunther. WWE commentators and messaging constantly claimed that Roman Reigns was dominant because of his long title run.
The problem with that logic is that almost all of his wins came with outside help from The Bloodline. The former Intercontinental Champion may have had help once or twice when defending a title, but for the most part, he's put every opponent away.
His challengers may put up valiant efforts, but in the end, they all leave with red chests and sore limbs following showdowns with Gunther. The Ring General must win in Germany to maintain the aura of dominance that has been built around him.