"The Ring General" Gunther shocked the wrestling world on the June 9 episode of "WWE Raw" when he avenged his loss at WrestleMania 41 to Jey Uso by dethroning the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It was a result that left a lot of people wondering what is next for the new champion, and on the most recent edition of "WrestlingObserver Radio," Dave Meltzer believes that WWE are going to try and get people behind Gunther, rather than try and boo him.
"I think Gunther's going to end up being a babyface out of this, based on the way they did the finish. He won clean, and obviously Seth [Rollins] is the guy on the brand, Seth is the guy, whether he's got the belt or not, he's the guy on the brand, and he's got the briefcase. I think Gunther's going to be a babyface." Meltzer's co-host, Bryan Alvarez, pointed out that WWE currently has a full set of heel champions, as well as a heel holding the Money in the Bank briefcase, hence why Meltzer believes that of the two top champions, Gunther will be the one to turn.
As for who will be the first man to step up to Gunther in his second reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Jey Uso will certainly want a chance to regain his title at some point, but he might have to wait depending on who wins the 2025 King of the Ring tournament. Sami Zayn advanced to the semi-finals on June 9 as one the two "Raw" representatives, with the other being determined next week, and if either Zayn or the currently unknown WWE Superstar wins the tournament, they will challenge Gunther for the title at SummerSlam.
Please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
