33-year-old Superstar gets drafted to SmackDown after getting brutally kicked out of his faction on Raw

Unfortunately, Giovanni Vinci won't have the opportunity to take revenge against his former Imperium teammates.

33-year-old Superstar gets drafted to SmackDown after getting brutally kicked out of his faction on Raw

WWE Superstar (via DeviantArt)

The 2024 WWE Draft is officially over. As expected, several top talents have switched brands. Later on in the untelevised draft, a few more superstars were drafted to their respective brands, including Giovanni Vinci. It was an unexpected move by WWE to put him on SmackDown after the recent turn of events around him.

WWE announced that Giovanni Vinci has been drafted to the blue brand. It was a curveball for the fans, who were expecting a feud between him and Imperium. His former faction stayed on Raw while he had to move. It most likely implies that WWE has pivoted away from the recent story and completely removed Vinci from the Imperium arc.

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For context, Ludwig Kaiser ambushed Giovanni a week ago on Raw. As mentioned, it was a sudden turn of events for the former NXT Tag Team Champion, which led to him being kicked out of the faction. Later on, Gunther also addressed the dismissal of Vinci from the faction. Moreover, he went on to talk about the possibility of adding new members to replace the 33-year-old star.

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It looks like the former Imperium member will be embarking on a solo journey from here on. What needs to be noted is that this is not the first time the Italian Superstar will focus on a singles run. Therefore, it is going to be interesting to see what WWE has planned for him in this new direction.

Gunther confirms Imperium has moved on from Giovanni Vinci

Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser banished Giovanni Vinci from their faction. After building animosity for a few weeks, Imperium imploded in a chaotic manner. Following those actions, it seems like the Ring General has Giovanni in his rear view. This week, he talked about the future of the faction.

Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser
Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser (via WWE)

In a backstage interview, the former Intercontinental Champion revealed that he has no interest in Vinci anymore. He pointed out that Imperium has moved on from him and has some further goals for the future. He also disclosed his goals for the upcoming weeks by vowing to become the King of the Ring next month.

Imperium, we don’t look at the past. We look at the here, and now. And the here and now is the Ring General will become the next King of the Ring.
Gunther

Needless to say, Gunther is more focused than ever, and it seems he is thriving for glory. It is turning out to be captivating to see this new shade in him and his renowned faction. Now that the group has turned into a two-man band, only time will tell how the dynamic between the top European stars unfolds.

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