Had Vince McMahon not been forced out of WWE amid a series of sexual misconduct scandals, the plan was for Gunther to become a goofy comedy character. For some reason, the WWE Chairman didn't see the Austrian pro wrestler as a star, but he's most definitely proven him wrong over the past year.
As the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion under Triple H's watch, Gunther has cemented himself as a top star in WWE and a truly dominant pro wrestler.
A recent feud with The Miz has seen Gunther dismiss his foe as little more than a "sports entertainer," and in an interview with WrestlingNews.co, he doubled down on his opinion that former Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior falls into the same category.
Asked about those recent remarks, he said: "Somebody at work came up to me and went like, 'That was funny.' It's like, Did you mean that? Yeah, of course, I mean it."
It turns out he feels the same way about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as well! "I think it's he's the new Hulk Hogan, I think, in terms of if you ask random people on the street in some random country, they will say The Rock and connect it with wrestling," Gunther adds. "And most famous, but I categorize him as a showman as well."
Asked if he believes he'll main-event WrestleMania as Intercontinental Champion, the Imperium leader said, "That's not gonna happen." He reasoned that the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and World Heavyweight Championship should take the top spot on the card, and it sounds like he's finally ready to get his hands on one of them.
"I think there's a ranking system and everything for a reason. I think it's quite obvious that I outgrew the Intercontinental Championship already, I am ready to make that next step."
"We'll see," he said of a possible match with Roman Reigns. "Do I think in the long run it will be a very interesting matchup? I think so, yeah. Because I think what Roman is to the Universal Title now is what I am to the Intercontinental Championship, I think the role or position is very similar to that. But he's doing his thing now."
"I do my thing. That's okay for me. And further down the line that's definitely something interesting to get into."
Do you think Gunther is destined to become WWE Champion? If so, who should take his Intercontinental title? As always, you can let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.