“Defend the honor,” Gunther comments on a grueling battle against Braun Strowman at Friday Night SmackDown

Gunther defended his Intercontinental championship successfully on the latest episode of Smackdown. After the match, he shared how he felt about this huge victory.

“Defend the honor,” Gunther comments on a grueling battle against Braun Strowman at Friday Night SmackDown

Gunther defended his Intercontinental championship successfully (via WWE)

In the recent episode of Friday Night SmackDown, the fans got to see the clash of two titans as Braun Strowman and Gunther met in the squared circle for the first time. Gunther put his Intercontinental championship on the line against the Monster of all Monsters and came out victorious. Now, after the match, the Imperium leader has also shared how he felt about the match.

After the show, on SmackDown LowDown, Gunther was asked how he felt about his victory and he replied, “How it felt? What do you think how it felt? It felt great. To be the one, once again, to step up and defend the honor of this great price and of our precious sport.” The rest of the Imperium was also asked about the upcoming Tag team tournament to determine the #1 contenders for the SmackDown tag titles. They showed confidence and claimed that they will bear the same result as the Ring General, and win the whole tournament.

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When Braun Strowman was released in 2021, it came as a shock to most fans. However, he returned to WWE just a year later in September. After his return, Braun Strowman had brief feuds with the Alpha Academy and the Nigerian Giant Omos. He was unbeaten after his comeback until he lost to Ricochet at the SmackDown World Cup semifinal. This week’s loss to Gunther is only his second loss after his return.

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Related: “Learn and grow”, Intercontinental Champion Gunther reveals his long-term plans in WWE

Gunther’s Intercontinental championship run

Gunther and Ludwig Keiser
Gunther after he won the Intercontinental championship in June (via WWE)

On June 10th, 2022, Gunther won the Intercontinental championship just months after his main roster debut. He had a dominant run as a champion, having great matches against Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rey Mysterio.

It was at Clash at the Castle, where Gunther had his first title defense at a Premium Live Event. Giovanni Vinci returned at the same show, during the Intercontinental champion’s entrance, and reformed the Imperium to continue the feud with the Brawling Brutes. Gunther and Sheamus had an excellent match for the championship, which even got a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer.

During the SmackDown world cup, Gunther started to interfere in Braun Strowman’s matches. After defeating Ricochet, the eventual winner of the tournament, Gunther continued the feud with Strowman and defeated him on this latest episode of SmackDown. Gunther has been the backbone of SmackDown. He main-evented the show multiple times and came out victorious every time. It remains to be seen who will he face as the road to WrestleMania starts.

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