Gunther's "protected," says two-time WWE Champion
Gunther became King of the Ring on May 25, 2024, but his true coronation by WWE happened on August 3, when he won his first world title. He is now the World Heavyweight Champion on RAW.
In the recent past, a former two-time WWE Champion had expressed interest in facing The Ring General, adding that the latter had refused to face him when he put forth the challenge. The man in question is none other than Bobby Lashley.
The All Mighty was originally booked to participate in the King of the Ring Tournament but was ultimately removed owing to a "freak accident" injury he sustained at a live event.
Speaking on The Laboratory with Plaz, Bobby Lashley was asked about Gunther's chops. He retorted by reminding that he never got to lock horns with the new World Heavyweight Champion:
"I never had a match against him," Lashley stated. "He can go slap [chop] and I give one of these, we can go back and forth and see who falls first. He's a little protected." [From 37:50 to 38:10]
Bobby Lashley was last seen on SmackDown in April 2024. On the latest episode of RAW, Randy Orton seemingly moved on to the red brand in order to lay down a challenge to World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, which the latter accepted. They will headline Bash in Berlin on August 31.
Gunther praises former WWE Champion Sheamus
Part of Gunther's aesthetic is his physicality in the ring, something WWE Hall of Famers Mark Henry and The Undertaker have greatly appreciated, even going to the extent of stating that fans need The Ring General as part of today's product.
During a recent interview with Busted Open Radio, Gunther looked back at his intense rivalry with Sheamus. The ubiquitous sentiment regarding their rivalry, which commenced in 2022 and culminated in 2024 during the King of the Ring Tournament, is that it is one of the best programs in recent memory. The Austrian admitted that the Irishman was the one he had to step into the ring with first:
"But Sheamus is definitely one that in WWE, I was like, 'That's the match you need to have first,' because that guy, he doesn't care. He just loves to lay it in. He just loves to feel it. And as long as that's in the right places, there's no issue with that," he said.
As for Bobby Lashley, he left his status with WWE ambiguous in the aforementioned podcast. Whether he continues his second run with the Stamford-based promotion and a match against The Ring General gets booked at some point bears watching.
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