Gunther has been one of the most dominant WWE Superstars in the history of the company.
Whether referred to as Walter or Gunther, the Ring General has held three championships for a total of 1,710 days. Since he made his debut on Jan. 12, 2019, that means he has had a title for over 77% of his WWE career.
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While his time with the NXT United Kingdom Championship and the Intercontinental Championship are legendary, Gunther's reign with the World Heavyweight Championship hasn't been received quite as well.
In fact, one WWE Hall of Famer has gone so far as to call Gunther a "placeholder" in the title's history.
During a recent episode of the "Busted Open Radio" podcast, Bully Ray, known as Bubba Ray Dudley in WWE, shared his qualms about the talented Superstar.
"I don't think there has been as much attention on that championship now that Gunther has it," Ray said, per Daisy Ruth of Wrestling Inc.
"I think he has been a good, placeholder. I don't like the word 'placeholder' for him, but I think he's kept the belt exactly where it was. It hasn't taken a step back, but I don't think it has taken a step forward."
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Ray suggested that Gunther is difficult to hate because of how well he performs in the ring and suggested that he use more underhanded tactics. Co-host Tommy Dreamer agreed, saying that he needed more heat.
"So, if you're not going to make him a babyface, then he's got to go for one thing ... heat," Dreamer said. "We need to see him bloody people, choke people out like lifeless, do different things."
While using underhanded tactics seems out of character for someone who believes the mat is sacred, having Gunther completely bloody and decimate someone would be a great way to garner some heat for him.
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Additionally, there is the issue that Gunther has often seemed like a secondary character in multiple matches for the World Heavyweight Championship, with Superstars like CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor drawing more storyline attention.
There is no doubt that Gunther is one of the most talented members of the WWE roster and is constantly excellent in the ring. If WWE wants to truly garner some heat for the Austrian, they need to have him absolutely destroy someone the crowd loves.
Maybe someone like... Jey Uso?
Gunther is set to defend his title against Main Event Jey Uso during Saturday Night's Main Event. If WWE truly wants to make him a villain, he'll need to truly do damage to one of their most popular Superstars.
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