Gunther was previously speculated to feature in a match against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 40 which would have culminated in a dream matchup for the fans. In changed circumstances, Lesnar was pulled from the event and plans got changed. Gunther was thereby booked against Sami Zayn for his next title defense.
At Wrestlemania 40, The Ring General will thus enter a prestigious league of champions as he puts his title on the line. With this defense, the champion will join 3 WWF Legends in a list of wrestlers who defended the Intercontinental Title at consecutive editions of the Show of Shows. The elite list provided by WWFOldSchool goes as follows,
– Randy Savage (WrestleMania 2 in 1986 and WrestleMania 3 in 1987)
– Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania 5 in 1989 and WrestleMania 6 in 1990)
– The Rock (WrestleMania 13 in 1997 and WrestleMania 14 in 1998)
– Gunther (WrestleMania 39 in 2023 and WrestleMania 40 in 2024)
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It was also noted by the source that Savage and Gunther are the only two names to have the same continuous title reign at both events. Last year, Gunther successfully defended his title against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre in a triple threat. Time will tell whether he will still be walking out of Wrestlemania 40 as the champion.
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Gunther approaching 700 days as champion heading into Wrestlemania 40
Going by the recent spoilers, it’s likely that the UK-born will manage to retain the title against the Canadian challenger to continue his historic reign. For over 35 years, the Honky Tonk Man’s record-setting 454-day reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion that included 34 title defenses remained intact as the longest one in WWE history. It was in early September, that Gunther officially reached 455 days, setting a new record as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion.
Heading into Wrestlemania 40, he’s held the belt for over 650 days. It was in early March that Zayn was able to overcome the other five competitors in a Gauntlet to secure a huge opportunity to battle for the WWE Intercontinental Championship currently held by the champion, Gunther.
WrestleMania 40 will take place at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7. The Intercontinental Title Match is yet to receive a confirmed night on the card.
