Gunther is very aware that the next chapter in one of his most intense rivalries will be rewritten in the future.
Prior to becoming the dominant Intercontinental Champion who held the title longer than anyone else in WWE history, The Ring General was once again dominant but in NXT UK. Defeating Pete Dunne, the man once known as Walter reigned with the title for 870 days. With the champion seemingly unbeatable, it looked as if the reign would never end. However, this would change when a Mad Dragon made his presence felt.
First losing a very hard-hitting match inside an empty arena in the UK, Ilja Dragunov faced off against Gunther one more time at NXT TakeOver 36 in 2021. Defeating The Ring General by submission, Dragunov cemented his name as a serious contender for years to come.
Fast forward to April 2024 and both men have gone on their separate journeys but look set to cross paths once more as Dragunov is heavily rumoured to be called up following his NXT Championship loss to Trick Williams.
While being interviewed by Gorilla Position, The Ring General praised The Mad Dragon as someone who will be a star of the future and is curious to see what happens when all is said and done in the draft:
“I think somebody that will do great going forward is Ilja. I think that’s somebody that is kind of like waiting to explode right now. He just wrestled on Raw. The draft is coming up, so let’s see where that heads. But I think he would be the guy that I would single out right now that performs at a stage that he’s – I would say almost too advanced for right now.”
Following Giovanni Vinci’s removal from Imperium, there has been some speculation that Dragunov may be the replacement and would align himself with the group. Further discussing the former NXT Champion, Gunther stated that he would rather Dragunov stay as a rival and knows that another series of matches between them will happen:
“I think Ilja is definitely a better enemy than a friend. And yeah, it has to come down to that. Ilja is one of us in the terms of like – [Ludwig] Kaiser, Ilja, and I, we all wrestled each other years back. So I naturally want him to be where I am. And I think he’s somebody that brings out the best in me and I’m someone that brings out the best in him. But I think before that can happen, he has his own way to go, wherever he ends up. And further down the line, I think it’s a no-brainer that this has to happen a few times.”
Gunther Discusses Previous WWE Management
Competing for a number of years in NXT UK and NXT before eventually moving to the main roster, there was a time when it wasn’t certain that the former Intercontinental Champion would make his way to the main roster. During the same interview, Gunther was very critical of “the old regime” of WWE.
H/t to F4WOnline.