WWE legend to return after 52 months and stop title change? 5 possible finishes for Gunther vs Chad Gable on WWE RAW
On Monday Night RAW tonight, Gunther has the opportunity to break a WWE record that has stood for 35 years, that being the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time.
The Austrian has held the belt for 450 days and counting, the current record held by WWE Hall of Famer The Honky Tonk Man's record standing at 454 days. Tonight on RAW, Gunther will face off against Chad Gable in the main event. If he wins, he will almost certainly become the longest-reigning holder of the belt ever.
Ahead of Gunther and Gable's highly anticipated championship match, we are going to take a look at five possible finishes to the match ahead of their encounter.
#5. Honky Tonk Man secures his WWE record
In recent weeks, many fans have hoped to see the Hall of Famer make an appearance in light of Gunther potentially breaking his record.
Honky Tonk Man last showed up in 2019 when he was inducted into the company's Hall of Fame, joining his fellow legends as an immortal part of the business.
With him still having a decent amount of physical capabilities, Honky Tonk Man could potentially interfere in the match and stop Gunther from breaking his historic 454-day reign with the belt.
Speaking at a Highspots virtual signing, Honky Tonk Man was asked for his thoughts on Gunther ending his longstanding WWE record.
"It’s been interesting. I haven’t really kept up with it, I didn’t know a lot about it. [Fans] ask me about it all the time. I don’t know where someone is posting this 453 days. They’re shorting me one day and that’s not fair. I got the 454 days from Howard Finkel, he was the one who told me." (H/T WrestleTalk)
#4. Chad Gable ends The Ring General's reign
One potential outcome in tonight's huge match on RAW is that Gunther simply loses his belt to the better man.
In recent weeks, Gunther and Chad Gable have fought on RAW in two show-stealing matches, with the former Olympian beating Gunther by countout. However, a challenger can only win the title by pinfall or submission in a championship match.
In what will be his third one-on-one encounter with The Ring General, Chad Gable may finally have all the tools necessary to end the reign of Gunther.
#3. Gunther retains once again
As Intercontinental Champion, Gunther has defeated many top WWE stars, such as Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio, and Matt Riddle.
With Gable getting closer to defeating him in recent weeks, Gunther will be determined to put an end to Chad's attempts to take the belt off of him.
Given how dominant he has been with the prestigious championship for more than 449 days, it stands to reason that The Austrian disposes of another challenger before he goes on to become the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time.
During a recent interview with Jeff Snyder, Gunther was asked about how he feels about potentially breaking The Honky Tonk Man's record, as well as where he thinks he ranks amongst other great IC Champs.
"We'll see. Once it's all done, I think it's a great accomplishment obviously. For myself, growing up in Austria and watching WWE as a kid on tapes. Back then watching like Bret [Hart] and Shawn [Michaels] and whoever held the title then. Now fast forward all those years, being in the same conversation as those people. That's still something very surreal to me, obviously. But it's also something I pretty much grew into now. I belong there. I think what I [have] added to the legacy of the title is something very special." (H/T SEScoops)
#2. Imperium leaves Gunther behind
A major part of Gunther's success has been the aid provided to him by his Imperium teammates, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. The three men have been part of the strict fashion in WWE for over three years now.
While Kaiser and Vinci have been happy to help their leader retain the Intercontinental Championship, the pair also have their own title aspirations in WWE.
Therefore, during Gunther's match tonight on RAW, he may end up losing his championship to Chad Gable via outside interference from either Kaiser or Vinci, with the shock of their betrayal making it hard for The Ring General to concentrate on defending his title.
#1. Maxxine Dupri betrays Chad Gable
While Gunther has allies, so does Chad Gable, with Otis and Maxxine Dupri firm by his side through thick and thin.
In recent weeks however, Ludwig Kaiser has looked to throw some questions towards Dupri in an attempt to get into her head and make her ponder if joining forces with Gable and Otis is the right move for her. Gunther's victory may come in the form of Maxxine Dupri costing Chad Gable the win, with her either betraying him or Otis.
As one of WWE's brightest young stars, Maxxine Dupri may benefit from joining Imperium in order to find a more dangerous and physical side of her persona.