Gunther Wins WWE Intercontinental Title On SmackDown
After defeating Ricochet in a competitive match
Gunther is the new WWE Intercontinental champion, after defeating Ricochet on Friday's episode of WWE SmackDown in Baton Rouge, LA.
Late in the eight and a half minute match, as Ricochet had control, Gunther hit him with a shotgun dropkick, before finishing him off with a powerbomb.
This is Gunther's first main-roster title in WWE. He (as WALTER) previously reigned as NXT UK champion for 870 days from April 5, 2019 to August 22, 2021.
Ricochet's IC title reign ends after 98 days. He won the title from Sami Zayn on the March 4 SmackDown in Miami.
This was the first televised Intercontinental title match since the April 22 episode of SmackDown. On that card, Ricochet retained the title over Shanky in a three and a half minute match.
After several years in NXT and NXT UK, Gunther was called up to the main WWE roster in the spring of 2022, and assigned to the SmackDown brand. Following weeks of squash victories, Gunther teamed with Ludwig Kaiser to defeat Ricochet and Drew Gulak on the May 27 episode of SmackDown, setting the path to Friday's title match.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
