Gunther looks dominant as ever after first match since WrestleMania

The Ring General picked up where he left off, minus the Intercontinental title.

After his record 666-day reign as Intercontinental Champion ended in a shocking loss to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania, Gunther returned to the ring for the first time at a WWE live event in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday (April 17). Amidst the echoes of that shocking defeat, The Ring General arrived in the United Kingdom with his aura of unyielding dominance still intact.

In a Fatal 4-Way for the Intercontinental Championship, Gunther entered last, joining champion Sami Zayn, Chad Gable, and Finn Bálor in the ring. Despite not holding the title, Gunther displayed a dominant presence, enduring his opponents’ attacks with resilience. As the match progressed, Gunther’s hard-hitting style began to take control.

Bálor, who briefly had the upper hand on Gunther, stopped to pose before leveling a chop on Gunther, which seemingly woke the former champ up as he responded with a gnarly strike of his own.

Throughout the bout, Gunther and Zayn were the primary contenders, with Zayn showing fighting spirit from the start as he fought off his three challengers as they attempted to corner him. Later, with Gable down, thanks to a kick from Gunther, Zayn rushed the ring and began pummeling Gable to the crowd’s delight. It was a bit of sweet revenge for Zayn, who was attacked in front of his family by Gable following their championship match on Raw.

Still, Gunther reigned supreme over his challengers until the numbers caught up to him. After countering a helluva kick by Zayn into a rear naked choke, Gunther was the victim of a diving headbutt by Gable, followed by a Coup de Grace by Bálor, which effectively removed Gunther from the battle.

Gable broke up a pin attempt by Bálor on the former champ, only to get caught with a Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn, who then fired off a Helluva Kick into Bálor’s grill to score the pin.

Despite the loss, Gunther’s strong performance and creative finish allowed him to maintain his prevailing presence. The challenge now is for WWE to translate this portrayal into his character on television, leveraging it for a potential world title push in the coming months.