Gunther sets a new record with his Ironman performance in the Royal Rumble match

The Intercontinental Champion broke a record for the 30-man Royal Rumble match by entering the match first and making it to the final two, lasting more than an hour in the match.

Gunther sets a new record with his Ironman performance in the Royal Rumble match

Gunther makes his way into the 2023 Royal Rumble match (via TrueScoop)

As another Royal Rumble event comes to an end, the WWE universe has nothing but praise for the winners. However, one superstar broke an impressive record despite losing the match. The man who entered the match in the first spot, Gunther, set a new record for the longest time in the traditional 30-man Royal Rumble.

Gunther survived a massive 1 hour and 11 minutes into the match, making it all the way through to the end. The overall record in a Royal Rumble match is still held by Daniel Bryan, who survived six minutes more than Gunther in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble. This record, though, seems insurmountable, as a 30-man match has never even gone that long. The record set by Gunther beats the 17-year-old record of Rey Mysterio. The Master of 619 won the match in 2006 after entering at number two and surviving for an hour and two minutes.

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After the match, Gunther gave a backstage interview to Cathy Kelly, with Imperium by his side. The Intercontinental champion said, “It was again up to me to step up and take responsibility to restore the honor of our precious sports. The whole way through they put the biggest obstacles in my way, the whole way through I have been there. And at the end, it was an error on my behalf. I gotta blame me for that, nobody else. But like we always do in Imperium, when we fall, we get back up because we are driven by a greater good. Weekend from weekend we travel around the whole country to represent this sport the way it’s supposed to be.”

Related: “Definitely,” Gunther expressed his desire to face Brock Lesnar in a first-time-ever match

What are the WrestleMania plans for Gunther?

Gunther Sheamus Royal Rumble
Gunther and Sheamus face off at Royal Rumble 2023 (via WWE)

After his brilliant performance in the Royal Rumble, Gunther would look to defend the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania. However, his opponent might not be fixed as of yet. The previous month, there were some murmurs of Gunther and Brock Lesnar squaring off at the Show of Shows. These rumors were squashed shortly after, as Lesnar looked to reprise his rivalry with Lashley, completing their trilogy.

Speaking of reprising rivalries and trilogies, Gunther met an old rival in the Royal Rumble match as Sheamus entered the second spot. The Irish superstar put in another hell of a performance, lasting 52 minutes in the match. As WrestleMania season gets closer, the fans might see the old rivalry breathe new life again. Another name thrown in the mix is Drew McIntyre. According to Xero News, WWE is planning for either Drew or Sheamus to dethrone the Ring General at WrestleMania.

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