WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER is only eight days away from tying The Honky Tonk Man’s record for longest-ever reign. If he can hang on to the title until next week’s WWE Friday Night Smackdown, he will become the new record-holder. It won’t be an easy road, however, as this Saturday at WWE Payback, The Ring General will have to get through a man who has been a thorn in his side for weeks, Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable.
Before GUNTHER was poised to break a major record, and Gable was being given a chance to shine as a singles star, both men spent time as part of WWE’s developmental brand, NXT. During the Austrian juggernaut’s time before the main roster, he was the longest-reigning WWE NXT United Kingdom Champion, carrying the now-defunct title for more than 800 days.
In an exclusive Haus of Wrestling interview conducted during WWE SummerSlam week, I asked GUNTHER if he would consider a return to WWE NXT, something other main roster stars have been doing recently.
“I don’t think right now, I think I move forward,” he began. “I’ve spent my time in NXT, and one day, I think, it will be nice to return and do a match again. But as of right now, my focus is elsewhere. I’m on the run of a lifetime right now, and I can’t really divert my focus to other things.”
While fans shouldn’t expect to see GUNTHER in NXT anytime soon, the same cannot be said for other stars on the roster. Next Tuesday night, The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio will serve as the special guest referee for a match between Mustafa Ali and Dragon Lee, with the winner earning a shot at Dom Dom’s WWE NXT North American Championship.
My full conversation with GUNTHER is now available on the Haus of Wrestling YouTube channel and podcast feed.
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