Gunther Reveals What He Wants out of Oba Femi to Make Their Showdown Happen

Gunther has discussed the prospect of facing WWE's fastest-rising star in Oba Femi down the line.

Gunther Reveals What He Wants out of Oba Femi to Make Their Showdown Happen

Gunther and Oba Femi [via- Cageside Seats]

Gunther has offered his two cents on Oba Femi and what it would take for the latter to get on eye level with ‘The Ring General’. Speaking on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, the Austrian hailed Femi as a standout talent. He underscored how ‘The Ruler’ has risen up the ranks in no time, but the real challenge lies in keeping that momentum going.

There is a certain level of burden that Femi will have to cope with as he keeps spending more time on the main roster. Gunther wants to see the former NXT Champion succeed in his pursuit of becoming the next big thing in WWE. ‘The Career Killer’ hoped that the Nigerian wrestler would sustain the hype and stay around long enough to cross paths with him down the road.

I’m tall and I’m a heavyweight, but people often, when they think about matches with Oba… it’s not gonna be like how Oba and Brock is. I wouldn’t match up with Oba on a physical level……… I think that’s a test that would be interesting for him, how to last in a longer match, how to endure 20 minutes with somebody much, much, much more experienced than him. And that’s why I need him to gain experience himself first, because when I meet him, I wanna meet him on eye level.

Gunther on Oba Femi via No Contest Wrestling podcast

Even though Gunther acknowledged he’s tall and basically a heavyweight too, he admittedly didn’t compare himself with Femi, whom he deemed much stronger than him. The erstwhile Walter was completely aware of him not matching, let alone outshining ‘The Ruler’, in terms of how they’re built physically.

Gunther knew that Brock Lesnar did stand toe-to-toe with Oba Femi in that department, but it couldn’t be replicated that easily. Gunther thought he’d have an advantage in wrestling Femi from an underneath position, which often works well against a towering figure like Femi. And that’s what the former leader of Imperium believes would make their showdown interesting.

Moreover, the Vienna-born wrestler affirmed that it’s going to be a test for ‘The Ruler’ as to how he’ll fare in longer matches, which have always been bread and butter for Gunther. The latter therefore wants Femi to gain some experience before locking horns with a seasoned vet like ‘The Ring General’.

The point made by Gunther about Oba Femi not yet having been put through a long match on the main roster is a fairly valid argument. ‘The Bringer of War’ has made light work of everyone that has been in his way since getting promoted from NXT.

Not even Brock Lesnar could trouble the 28-year-old from Lagos and got obliterated by him at WrestleMania in under five minutes. They are set for a rematch this weekend at Clash in Italy, and everyone’s eyes are peeled on it. Will Lesnar live up to his billing of ‘The Beast’, or will Femi slay the former 10-time world champion once again?

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Cody Rhodes dismisses “away game” talk for Gunther match at Clash in Italy

Gunther himself will be in a huge matchup this Sunday at Clash in Italy, where he’ll challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title. There has been a bunch of noise regarding ‘The Ring General’ having a home-like advantage in Turin, as the country of Italy shares a land border with Austria, where Gunther’s from.

Gunther and Cody Rhodes
Gunther and Cody Rhodes [via- WWE]

The 38-year-old recently told the Italian Wrestling Channel with utmost certainty that the fans will be in his corner and it’ll be an away game for Rhodes. ‘The American Nightmare’ pushed back on that sentiment while appearing on ESPN‘s Get Up. Rhodes said he doesn’t believe that Turin is like a home turf for his rival, as he’s from Austria and not Italy.

Rhodes was aware that Gunther was backing the crowd at Clash in Italy to favor him over ‘The QB1’. However, the latter thinks it’s rather going to be bipartisan and akin to what WWE had in France for Backlash in 2024. Regardless of the ambience, Rhodes has his work cut out as he’s taking on a man possessed for championship gold.

Gunther got himself traded to SmackDown and used Paul Heyman to set up this title match with Cody Rhodes. The Austrian has squeezed the air out of Rhodes’ lungs on a couple of occasions over the last month. But he’s never gotten the better of the former AEW EVP in an actual match.

They only had one singles matchup up until this point, and it took place in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel two years ago. Rhodes also eliminated Gunther from the Royal Rumble matches in 2023 and 2024. Will the ‘Ring General’ turn it around for himself this Sunday? Time will tell.

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