GUNTHER Defends Facing Damian Priest Rather Than Main Event Stars at WWE SummerSlam

The reign of GUNTHER as WWE Intercontinental Champion has already solidified his status as an all-time great in the company. He held the title for an impressive 666 days, setting the record for the longest reign in history before losing it to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40.

At the King and Queen of The Ring Premium Live Event, a match between Randy Orton and GUNTHER in the King of The Ring tournaments finals saw The Ring General ultimately claim victory in this electrifying showdown.

The monumental win guaranteed him a World Championship match at WWE SummerSlam, where he is now slated to face the reigning champion on RAW, Damian Priest. In a recent interview with Gorilla Position, GUNTHER addressed fans being upset about him facing Priest rather than top-tier stars like CM Punk, Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre.

The Ring General slammed that section of fans who were the same people to complain about WWE not investing in building future stars and defended his title match against Damian Priest. Moreover, he claimed that facing Priest at WWE’s Big Four even was a testament of the management highlighting the importance of featuring new faces in significant roles and giving them huge opportunities.

“I heard that too. People were like ‘why is Seth not involved? Why is Drew not involved? Why is Punk not involved?’ On the other hand it’s the same people that would complain that there are no new stars built, theres no opportunities for other people than the usual ones. And I feel going into a match with Priest, 2nd or 3rd biggest PLE in the company, its just a testament for management right now how its important to them to feature new faces in those big roles and situations, and now its up to both of us to step up to it.”

After becoming the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion and King of the Ring, it will be interesting to see if he can dethrone Priest and ascend to the next level as World Champion at SummerSlam.

What are your thoughts on GUNTHER defending his World Title match against Damian Priest at SummerSlam? Do you think it was the right direction for WWE to explore at The Biggest Part of the Summer? Sound off in the comments!