Watch: Former Universal Champion destroys Imperium after WWE SmackDown goes off the air
The Gunther-led faction Imperium was completely demolished by former WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman this week after SmackDown.
Strowman and Ricochet battled hard in the WWE World Cup semi-final this week. However, due to some interference from Imperium, the high-flyer managed to pick up a huge victory.
After the match, Gunther and his associates launched a three-on-one assault on Braun. Ricochet decided to take action and came to assist the former Universal Champion, leading to a moment of mutual respect between the two superstars.
In a dark match after the show, Strowman teamed up with Ricochet to take on Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci of Imperium in a tag team affair while Intercontinental Champion Gunther watched from ringside.
During the match, The Monster of All Monsters went berserk, launching an all-out attack on his opponents. He smashed his opponents at ringside before planting Vinci with the Running Powerslam for the win.
You can watch the action here:
WWE could be building to Gunther vs. Braun Strowman
Gunther has been a dominant champion ever since winning the IC title from Ricochet back in June. In a championship reign spanning over 160 days, The Ring General has managed to take down the likes of Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, and former world champions like Sheamus and Rey Mysterio.
However, no man has managed to strike fear in the heart of the Austrian Anomaly like Braun Strowman. The two came face-to-face last week when Strowman emerged as the mystery partner for The New Day in a six-man tag team match.
The mere presence of this behemoth terrified Gunther as he ran to maintain distance from him.
Since Strowman crashed out of the World Cup, he may not have a title opportunity against Gunther immediately. However, the two men could cross paths again if WWE decides to book the feud for a bigger stage like WrestleMania.
Would you like to see Gunther defend the Intercontinental Championship against The Monster of All Monsters? Sound off in the comments section below.