Top WWE star says he was not "interested" in making a main roster move under Vince McMahon's leadership
A former WWE Intercontinental Champion recently revealed he wasn't thrilled about joining the main roster back when Vince McMahon was in charge. The star who thrived under the leadership of Triple H is none other than Gunther.
The 36-year-old star, then known as Walter, had a dominant run in the NXT UK brand. Debuting in 2019, he quickly captured the NXT UK Championship and held it for a record-breaking 870 days before dropping it to Ilja Dragunov.
Under The Game's creative control, The Ring General arrived on the main roster of SmackDown in April 2022. He defeated Ricochet to become the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history until Sami Zayn dethroned him at WrestleMania 40.
In a recent interview with Mail Sport, Gunther spilled the beans on why it took so long for him to move from the NXT UK show to the bigger leagues. The Imperium leader shared that he wasn't a fan of the direction things were headed on RAW or SmackDown until the leadership changed from Vince McMahon to Triple H:
"I think one of the reasons why I didn't want to go to the US for a long time was because Raw and SmackDown under Vince's vision at that time was something that was never appealing to me as a wrestler. It was just not what I was interested in," Gunther said. (H/T: Mail Sport)
Gunther says things fell for him at the right time in WWE
During the same conversation, The Ring General mentioned that Triple H always had confidence in him, and the two share a good relationship.
The former Intercontinental Champion believes his patience worked for him because things have been in his favor at the right time in WWE and he is excited to showcase his talent to fans:
"I got really lucky, I always had a good relationship with Triple H, and a lot of things fell in place at the right time for me, and with how everything is run now. I think it's way more modern, it's more intelligent in terms of placing certain talent and showcasing their strengths. So it's a very exciting time, and I think the our fans can feel it's like a like a breath of fresh air," he added. (H/T: Mail Sport)
As of now, Gunther is laser-focused on winning the King of the Ring tournament in Saudi Arabia on May 25. The Imperium leader will face Main Event Jey Uso on next week's Monday Night RAW in the KOTR semifinal.