22-time champion is first superstar to announce his entry for Royal Rumble 2023; Gets confronted by Gunther on SmackDown

SmackDown saw a former world champion make his intentions known for the 2023 Royal Rumble. It didn't take long for Intercontinental Champion Gunther to instantly confront him.

On the latest episode of SmackDown, Kofi Kingston was the man who officially declared his entry into the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble match.

"So you were just hiding off to the side the whole time?" - @TrueKofi

📺 @FS1 | #SmackDown https://t.co/pWf0kDTQip

So how did things play out? The 22-time champion Kofi Kingston was being interviewed backstage where he made his declaration.

However, he was confronted by the two sidekicks of Imperium -- Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser. While Kingston was confident at first, his expression changed when Intercontinental Champion Gunther stood in front of him.

Gunther would tell Kingston that he would be his opponent for the night. Kingston is a veteran of WWE and most certainly a veteran of the Royal Rumble match. While he hasn't won the Rumble match before, he is widely remembered for his unique and creative spots that prevent him from getting eliminated.

The leader of Imperium, on the other hand, is a veteran, but not within WWE. This is his first year on the main roster, but it has certainly been more successful than most superstars, as he has been a dominant Intercontinental Champion.

It will be interesting to see how things play out for the Austrian going forward in 2023.

What do you expect from Kofi Kingston at the Royal Rumble? Voice your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.