Former two-time World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER is reportedly set to make his return to WWE programming in the near future. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, “Gunther is expected back very soon.”
The top WWE star has been sidelined since early August after WWE announced he would be out indefinitely due to suffering multiple injuries following his title loss at SummerSlam.
GUNTHER had a dominant run during the summer, winning his second World Heavyweight Championship on the June 9th edition of Raw when he defeated Jey Uso by technical submission. He went on to defend the title at Saturday Night’s Main Event XL on July 12, defeating Goldberg in what was billed as Goldberg’s retirement match. His reign came to an end at SummerSlam on August 2 when CM Punk defeated him on Night 1 of the two-night event. Two days later, WWE wrote him off television with the injury announcement.
This marked GUNTHER’s second reign as World Heavyweight Champion, with his first lasting 273 days after he defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2024. During that reign, he successfully defended the title against the likes of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Damian Priest, before losing it back to Rollins at WrestleMania 41.
Before stepping into the world title picture, GUNTHER cemented his legacy with a record-breaking 666-day reign as Intercontinental Champion, shattering The Honky Tonk Man’s 35-year-old record to become the longest-reigning holder of the title in WWE history.
Known as “The Ring General,” GUNTHER’s return is expected to shake up WWE’s main event scene as the company heads into the fall.
