Gunther became King of the Ring with a pinfall victory over Randy Orton at King and Queen of the Ring on Saturday at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
"At SummerSlam, I'm gonna become the World Heavyweight Champion"
After outlasting @RandyOrton to become King of the Ring, @Gunther_AUT now sets his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship at #SummerSlam!#WWEKingAndQueen pic.twitter.com/PK629wTlMH
— WWE (@WWE) May 25, 2024
Gunther kicked off the match with blistering shots to Orton. He executed huge chops across Orton’s chest, attacked his damaged left knee, and eventually hit a big splash for two.
After missing a second splash attempt, Orton landed an RKO, but the Ring General rolled under the bottom rope to the outside. Orton followed him to the outside and dropped him on the announce table three times.
Gunther attacked Orton’s knee over and again, locking in a single leg crab, but Orton was able to escape. Orton hit an RKO for two, but Gunther kicked out, hitting Orton’s knee and rolling him over for the three count despite Orton’s shoulder being off the mat.
After beating Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, and Jey Uso on his way to the finals, Gunther is now in line for a WWE World Championship match at SummerSlam in Cleveland. Following Gunther’s record-breaking Intercontinental championship reign, the logical next step in his progression is a move into the main event scene.
Who he faces remains to be seen after Triple H announced Damian Priest will defend his belt against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle on June 15 in Glasgow, Scotland.
