Gunther to defend Intercontinental Title against major star on SmackDown next week

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The reigning Intercontinental Champion

On the latest episode of SmackDown, WWE announced that Gunther will defend his Intercontinental Title against former champion Ricochet on the blue brand next week. This will be The Ring General's first title defense.

The former NXT UK Champion was promoted to the main roster several months ago. He's been on an unstoppable path ever since, and it doesn't seem like he'll be losing the IC Title anytime soon.

WWE

@WWE

.@KingRicochet gets a chance to take back his #ICTitle as he goes up against @Gunther_AUT, NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown

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.@KingRicochet gets a chance to take back his #ICTitle as he goes up against @Gunther_AUT, NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown https://t.co/iLfb1L13q0

He captured the gold last week by dethroning Ricochet himself. Meanwhile, the latter captured the title for the first time in his career before WrestleMania 38 in a match against Sami Zayn on SmackDown.

During a backstage segment on SmackDown, Ludwig Kaiser claimed that the coveted title would never be held by an American again, which means he is confident that the former NXT UK star will remain champion for a long time.

WWE

@WWE

The new Intercontinental Champion @Gunther_AUT has no plans of losing his title any time soon. #SmackDown

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The new Intercontinental Champion @Gunther_AUT has no plans of losing his title any time soon. #SmackDown https://t.co/VKhRMKYLB1

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Ricochet and Gunther's match last week was awe-inspiring, and the duo will try to replicate the same intensity next week. While the former has defeated big opponents in his WWE career, The Ring General will definitely give him another tough battle.

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