Current WWE champion almost overcomes World Heavyweight Champion Gunther on SmackDown in his home country

Top NXT superstar makes surprise appearance to face Gunther on the latest episode of SmackDown in front of the Barcelona live crowd.

Current WWE champion almost overcomes World Heavyweight Champion Gunther on SmackDown in his home country

Gunther faces Axiom on SmackDown (Via WWE)

WWE has finally kicked off their European tour for episodes of Raw and SmackDown for WrestleMania season. The latest episode of SmackDown emanated from Barcelona, Spain. Despite being an episode of the blue brand, the show featured Raw’s World Champion Gunther putting on an exhibition match. Much to the joy of the crowd, his opponent was none other than Spain’s very own Axiom.

The episode featured Gunther cutting a promo and inciting the live crowd. He said that he knew about someone who was known as the best wrestler from Spain. He is supposed to be one of the most promising WWE talents at the moment. However, he was going to beat him to prove that this statement didn’t mean anything.

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Axiom made his entrance, and the crowd popped hard for their countryman. During the match, Gunther landed a shotgun dropkick and a devastating powerbomb, making it seem like the match was over. However, the erstwhile A-Kid somehow managed to find the will to kick out, and the match continued. He fought back in, landing an avalanche Frankensteiner and a golden ratio, but the Ring General kicked out at the very last possible moment.

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Gunther started going for his hard-hitting lariats, turning Axiom inside out. He managed to lift his opponent up for the powerbomb one more time, this time putting him away for good. Following the match, the Austrian put his opponent into a sleeper chokehold, forcing referees to pull them apart.

Although the Spanish wrestler came up short, the live crowd was happy to see their boy in such a match against the World Heavyweight Champion. Furthermore, this only showcased what the 27-year-old is capable of and his potential when he finally moves up to the main roster.

Jey Uso says he doesn’t care whether he main events WrestleMania against Gunther

Gunther vs Jey Uso was announced as one of the marquee matchups for WrestleMania 41. Although the match features a world championship and the Royal Rumble winner, the chances of this bout main-eventing either night of the show is slim to none. There are simply other match-ups with more star power and more compelling stories that perhaps deserve that spot a little more.

Jey Uso and Gunther
Jey Uso and Gunther [via- WWE]

Speaking on the Daily Mail, Uso gave his opinion on this matter. He said that he was the one who showed up, willing to do the work and do whatever was necessary. The WWE star said that Triple H knew that he had shed blood, sweat, and tears to be where he is right now.

After all, the Cerebral Assassin had gone through the same thing. Now that he had given an opportunity to the Samoan for the same, he was not going to let anyone down. Jey Uso said that he didn’t care which night of WrestleMania he was on.

WrestleMania, night one or night two, whichever [night] I’m on. I don’t care if I’m on last, I don’t care if I open it up. I’m going to go out there and they’re going to remember my match, so that’s all I’m focused on

Jey Uso speaking to The Daily Mail

It did not bother him whether he closed the show or opened it. The audience is going to remember his match, and that is what he is focused on. He said that it is a once-in-a-lifetime shot for him, as it may never happen again in his career. They were putting on interesting segments during the build to WrestleMania and hoped to top it all off with a great in-ring showcase.

Gunther incites the Barcelona live crowd by showing support for Real Madrid in front of Lamine Yamal

Gunther has significantly improved his microphone skills and his character work over the past year, especially since becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. He has built a reputation for himself as someone who delivers brutal insults on the microphone, regardless of who he is against. One of his most famous such interactions took place when he insulted Goldberg at Bad Blood.

Gunther
Gunther (via WWE)

Something similar happened on the latest episode of SmackDown. Gunther came out to cut a promo in front of the Barcelona crowd. He said that he loved being in his home continent of Europe. However, he wished that he were in Madrid instead. He also cheered “Hala Madrid,” showing support for the football club Real Madrid, FC Barcelona’s biggest rival.

What made this segment even more interesting is that he said this statement with Lamine Yamal sitting in the front row. For those unaware, he is a Spanish football player who plays as a winger for FC Barcelona. The 17-year-old must have still had a great time at SmackDown, though, and even gave his thoughts on Randy Orton vs Carmelo Hayes.

Related: “I get beaten up,” 39-year-old star breaks silence after suffering humiliating defeat against Gunther on Raw