Gunther will make the 11th defence of his Intercontinental Title at Night of Champions.
The May 15th episode of Monday Night Raw saw Gunther make his first appearance on the red brand since the draft, and while standing at ringside he discovered the identity of his next challenger.
In a fast-paced Battle Royal, a number of stars enjoyed spells of dominance, but it was a popular underdog who grabbed the win.
In the early going JD McDonagh gave a strong showing, before the Viking Raiders took over. However, for a lengthy period, it appeared that Bronson Reed would earn the win. The Aussie star eliminated a number of Superstars and found himself in the final three with Ricochet and Mustafa Ali after interference from Imperium cost Matt Riddle.
Ali and Ricochet teamed together to get Reed on the apron, but he retained an iron grip on the top rope. Ricochet nearly eliminated him with a top rope drop kick, but a second attempt would prove his undoing. Reed grabbed him from the turnbuckle, hoisting him into his shoulders, but then Ali appeared from nowhere with a drop kick of his own to eliminate both men and score a memorable win.
.@AliWWE has done it!
He will challenge @Gunther_AUT for the #ICTitle at #WWENOC!!!#WWERawpic.twitter.com/H6pxtuHP8v
— WWE (@WWE) May 16, 2023
Gunther Enjoying Record-Breaking Run
Gunther has been in dominant form since joining the main roster and hasn’t been pinned in singles action since being called up to SmackDown in April 2022.
Shortly after moving to the blue brand the star formerly known as WALTER defeated Ricochet to win the Intercontinental Title.
Since then he has defended the title ten times, with his most recent match coming against Xavier Woods on the April 21st episode of SmackDown a week before he was drafted to Raw.
As of May 15th, Gunther’s reign stands at 340 days and counting, making it the third-longest in history. The giant Austrian is only behind Randy Savage who held the gold for 414 days beginning in February 1986, and Honky Tonk Man whose reign lasted for 454 days starting in June 1987.