Former WWE Champions send a warning to Gunther after defeating his allies on SmackDown

Former World Champions Drew McIntyre and Sheamus made a bold statement at their WrestleMania opponent Gunther by defeating Imperium members Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci on the latest episode of SmackDown.

During the WrestleMania go-home SmackDown episode, The Scottish Warrior started things off, but Imperium quickly ended his early dominance. The Celtic Warrior then tagged himself in and took Kaiser down with a flying clothesline.

He tried to toss Kaiser out of the ring, but he held on to hit with 10 Beats as the WWE Universe counted along. As Sheamus was setting up for a Brogue Kick, McIntyre tagged in, and they almost came to blows, but Imperium members were back in.

.@DMcIntyreWWE said: 😤🔥

@WWESheamus said: ✋🚫

Can these two work together and shut down #Imperium before their Triple Threat Match with @Gunther_AUT for the #ICTitle on Sunday at #WrestleMania?

#WrestleMania #SmackDown https://t.co/cYNRSdgrU1

The Celtic Warrior and The Scottish Warrior tossed Kaiser and Vinci out of the ring before turning their backs on each other. Later, McIntyre attempted for Claymore Kick, but Sheamus tagged in this time. As the two former WWE Champions argued, Vinci pushed Sheamus into Drew.

In the match's closing moments, Sheamus nailed Giovanni Vinci with a Brogue Kick as Drew McIntyre took out Kaiser with a Claymore Kick for the win.

Will @Gunther_AUT retain the #ICTitle or will we crown a new champion at #WrestleMania?
#SmackDown #WWE https://t.co/GkPssnUuRl

After the match, Gunther was seen embarrassed looking at the TV screen backstage as Imperium members could not put down his WrestleMania opponents before the Intercontinental Championship match.

Do you think Gunther could retain his IC title at 'Mania? Sound off in the comments section below.