Why Drew McIntyre Is The Best Choice To Beat Gunther For The Intercontinental Championship
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A lot of memorable moments happened at the Money in the Bank PLE in London. Damian Priest and Iyo Sky won their first ever Money in the Bank contracts, John Cena made a surprise appearance, and, oh yeah, there was that whole thing of Roman Reigns being pinned for the first time in three-and-a-half years. Another significant moment saw the return of the Scottish warriorDrew McIntyre, making his first WWE appearance since WrestleMania 39 in April.
McIntyre arrived while Gunther celebrated retaining his Intercontinental Championship after dispatching of Matt Riddle. McIntyre stared down the champ, before delivering a brutal Claymore and holding up the champ's title. McIntyre is back, and it looks like a feud between him and Gunther is on the horizon. Gunther is having a historic reign with the IC belt, but Drew is the best choice to finally take him down.
Drew McIntyre Is Frustrated With His Current Spot In WWE
Going into WrestleMania 39, and well before that, Drew McIntyre was suffering on the SmackDown roster. The days of him carrying the company as WWE Champion during the pandemic seemed like a different lifetime. Now he was the guy who would come out smiling with his sword and beat some midcard heel. He had a brief moment in the sun when he challenged Roman Reigns at Clash at the Castle, but it was a spot he only got because he was the hometown hero. Once that event was over, McIntyre went right back down the ladder.
It felt like a sure thing that Gunther was going to keep his title at WrestleMania. Sheamus and McIntyre were there to just put on a good show. And after that show, Drew was gone. He blacked out his Twitter and for almost three months he disappeared. There was talk in the beginning about an injury, but more concerning were the multiple reports that the Scottish superstar was unhappy with his contract and place on the card.
RELATED: To Succeed In His WWE Comeback, Drew McIntyre Needs A Major Character Change
Gunther Is On The Brink Of Being The Longest Reigning Intercontinental Champion
WWE has been on a huge creative upswing the past year where almost everything has been going right. Topping that is obviously the sensational Bloodline drama, but one of the company's breakthrough stars has been Gunther. Vince McMahon may have not believed in him, but he thrived under Triple H's leadership. The ring general won the Intercontinental Championship and has put on countless superb matches. Triple H has built him up as unbeatable.
How unbeatable is he? If Gunther hangs onto his title until September, he will break the Honky Tonk Man's record for longest IC title reign. Yes, that's right, the guy who played an Elvis impersonator is the longest reigning champion of what for so long was considered WWE's second-greatest title. Sadly, in recent years that title was treated as something insignificant. Under Gunther, however, it has regained its superior status. It's a championship to be admired and desired once more. Still, as great as Gunther has been breathing new life into the Intercontinental Championship, it's time for him to lose it sooner rather than later.
RELATED: Is Gunther A Better Opponent For Cody Rhodes Than Roman Reigns At WrestleMania 40?
A Gunther Loss Will Set Him On A Course To Bigger Things
It's obvious that WWE is setting up Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam. If WWE wants to keep Drew McIntyre happy, he needs a big win. Simply feeding him to Gunther as another of his victims isn't going to ease his frustrations. It'll just make them worse. WWE has themselves in a bit of a win-win situation. If McIntyre is the one to finally beat Gunther, it should help to make him feel like WWE cares about his character and creative direction. It also gets Gunther out of the limitations of the Intercontinental Championship. The only issue is that McIntyre can't win at SummerSlam. For Gunther to come so close to the record only to lose is unthinkable. A better scenario would see Gunther retain, and then perhaps Drew snaps and turn heel again, a move that desperately needs to happen. In September, after Gunther has secured the record, McIntyre can beat him and become a monster heel on Raw.
With Gunther now free of his title, it would be time for him to move up. Seth Rollins as the World Heavyweight Champion, assuming that he is able to keep the title out of the hands of the likes of Finn Balor and Damian Priest, is the perfect next stop for Gunther. They are two of the best wrestlers in the world, but don't have a plethora of shared history. They last faced each other on a 2019 episode of Raw. That matchup could make big money for WWE. It might even be WrestleMania 40 worthy. For Drew to get a character shakeup, for Gunther to get a bigger opportunity, for Rollins to meet his ultimate opponent, all WWE needs to do is give McIntyre the Intercontinental Championship.
