Gunther to defend Intercontinental Title against former WWE Champion on major episode of SmackDown

WWE recently announced that Intercontinental Champion Gunther will defend his title against Sheamus on the season premiere of SmackDown in two weeks.

The two stars collided for the title in a hard-hitting match at Clash at the Castle, which was won by The Ring General. The bout received rave reviews from wrestling fans and pundits, with many considering it to be a contender for the best match of the year so far.

The Celtic Warrior has never held the title before in his career, and it's the only thing preventing him from becoming a Grand Slam Champion.

WWE recently took to Twitter to make the big announcement. The October 7 episode of SmackDown has been penciled in for a rematch between Gunther and Sheamus for the prestigious Intercontinental Championship.

You can check out the announcement below:

BREAKING NEWS: @WWESheamus will challenge @Gunther_AUT for the #ICTitle on the season premiere of #SmackDown on October 7th!

ms.spr.ly/6010j7Pzo https://t.co/qkMBrPHRh8

Gunther and The Brawling Brutes react to WWE's recent announcement

The Ring General has held the coveted title since defeating Ricochet for it several months ago on an episode of SmackDown. He successfully defended it against Shinsuke Nakamura and in a subsequent rematch against Ricochet.

He and Sheamus tore the house down at WWE Clash at the Castle, as their match exceeded expectations. The Celtic Warrior even received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance following the bout.

After WWE announced that he would be getting another opportunity for the title, Gunther, Ridge Holland, and Butch took to Twitter to react to the news.

"The Brawling Brutes will be draped in gold," wrote Holland.

The #BrawlingBrutes will be draped in gold. twitter.com/wwe/status/157…

"C H A M P I O N S Probably," wrote Butch.

C H A M P I O N S

Probably twitter.com/wwe/status/157…

Gunther didn't say anything but sent an index pointing up emoji:

☝🏻 twitter.com/WWE/status/157…

The Brawling Brutes are currently scheduled to face The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship on the latest episode of SmackDown. It remains to be seen whether the group will be draped in gold in two weeks.

Do you think Sheamus will finally win the IC Title on SmackDown in two weeks? Sound off in the comments below!