Gunther Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura Set For 8/12 WWE SmackDown

The Intercontinental title will be on the line on next Friday night's WWE SmackDown, as Shinsuke Nakamura challenges Gunther for the title.

Nakamura earned the shot by defeating Ludwig Kaiser in a singles bout on Friday night's broadcast in Greenville, SC. Late in the match, Kaiser escaped a Nakamura armbar, but was quickly taken out with the Kinshasa.

After the match, Nakamura went face to face with Gunther.

The match will mark Gunther's first televised defense of the Intercontinental title since June 24, when he retained the title over Ricochet on an episode of SmackDown. Gunther won the championship from Ricochet exactly two weeks earlier in Baton Rouge, LA.

Nakamura has held the Intercontinental title on two prior occasions. He first reigned as champion after defeating Finn Balor in July 2019, and holding it until January 2020, when he lost to Braun Strowman. He began his second reign one year ago by defeating Apollo Crews, and held the title until this past February, when he lost it to Sami Zayn.

SmackDown next Friday night takes place at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. No other matches or segments have been announced.