Gunther’s open to wrestling in a comedy match.
The Intercontinental Champion has developed a reputation as one of the most impressive pure wrestlers on the planet. The star defends his title like it’s life or death, and his matches are the height of realism, earning rave reviews week in and week out.
This might lead fans to believe Gunther wouldn’t be in favour of comedic matches, but it seems that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Speaking in a new interview with Sam Roberts, the star explained that it all comes down to the execution, highlighting Sami Zayn’s success opposite Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38.
“It’s how you use the things you do. That’s the most important thing. I think a lot of wrestlers think about it too much as like, ‘I got to do this spectacular stuff, or this crazy maneuver to impress everybody,’ like a regular strike won’t get you that reaction or something like that. If you treat it like that from the beginning, and if you don’t present it in a way that it’s as important, it’s never going to be received.
“Think back, Santino Marella got a hand in a sock over. It was a deadly weapon back then. He just used it like that. So I think that goes with a lot of things in wrestling. If you look at Sami Zayn’s match with the Jackass crew, right? He just used whatever the Jackass crew had to offer. He just treated it as, ‘Okay, that’s their offense.'”
When asked whether he might compete in a comedy match, the star revealed that he’d be open to it, before highlighting how DDT Pro-Wrestling bridges the gap between both styles.
“I mean, we’ll see what the future brings. I had a few occasions where I did something in my career that was a little bit out of this serious competitive wrestling stuff, and it usually worked really well. If it’s done the right way, there’s a place in time for almost everything in wrestling,” he said. “Look at DDT in Japan; that promotion is a good example. They have all that goofy stuff happening throughout the show. Then, to finish off the show is a super serious World Championship match, and everybody treats it [properly]. Because it’s just different styles and different forms of entertainment, really.”
What’s Next For Gunther?
As he closes in on the record for the longest Intercontinental Title reign in history, Gunther will be back in the ring on August 21st. On Raw, the star will put the gold on the line against Chad Gable.
Gunther’s reign currently stands at 437 days, while Honky Tonk Man’s record is 454 days.
H/t to Fightful