Published: 3 seconds ago by Liam | Last Updated: 3 seconds ago by Liam
Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com’s coverage.
WWE
WWE star GUNTHER has shared his honest thoughts on not always being involved in the world title picture, and being in ‘special occasion’ matches instead.
This weekend at WWE SummerSlam, GUNTHER faces SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis while the two world title matches are CM Punk vs Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins.
GUNTHER is a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, but other than a brief spell in the title picture when Sami Zayn became WWE Champion, he hasn’t been chasing either top championship for a while.
Speaking with Complex, the Austrian explained why he actually enjoys not always being in world championship matches and finding himself in ‘special occasion’ matches instead, like the one against Aldis coming up at SummerSlam, as well as the retirement matches of John Cena and AJ Styles, and Pat McAfee’s last match which was at Backlash 2025.
He said:
“Obviously the big title is every wrestler’s goal. That’s what we’re doing it for – championships, you wanna be the best in the world. Everybody should strive for that.
“That being said, if you’re only satisfied once you’re in that top picture or competing for that title, then you’re not gonna be satisfied very often because there’s only two titles and there’s a lot of us guys. So you won’t be able to do it all the time.
“I like to do those special occasion matches if that makes sense. I think all the matches I had with Goldberg, Cena, AJ, are good examples. Even Pat McAfee.
“Those are matches in a different light in a different situation, and I see that as a challenge because at the end of the day, you’ve gotta entertain the viewer and do good for the business and the sport of pro-wrestling.
“I like those challenges and I like being in those special moments, and making them exciting as well.”
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Why GUNTHER Hasn’t Started A New WWE Faction After Imperium
GUNTHER was previously a member of Imperium in WWE, a spinoff of the Ringkampf group from his pre-WWE days.
However, since Imperium ended in 2024, GUNTHER hasn’t formed any new alliances and has been a solo competitor.
Explaining why that’s the case, he said:
“The group was there because it was authentically and naturally there. But otherwise, to be in an alliance with someone, in a working alliance, it has to really click on a personal level naturally for that to work.
“With Imperium it was a natural fit. Besides that, I don’t have any big allegiances, I try to stick to myself and focus on my work. I don’t see how that would benefit me at the moment.
“The majority of my career I’ve been a solo act, and I feel comfortable in that role and always did. So, yeah, I’m not missing anything.”
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