All hail King Gunther!
The Ring General joins the likes of Bret Hart, Triple H and Steve Austin as a winner of the King of the Ring tournament following his victory at the WWE Premium Live Event in Saudi Arabia over Randy Orton. Gunther defeated Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso to make it to the final while Orton defeated AJ Styles, Carmelo Hayes and Tama Tonga to secure his place in the final.
The first-time match saw both men evenly matched at the start in the feeling-out process and Orton was visibly shaken by a chop. Orton attempted to hit an RKO in the early stages but hit the mat. With Gunther back in control, the camera zoomed in to show the welt left on Orton’s chest by the chop. Getting the upper hand with a vertical suplex, Orton made his comeback and played the hits, including an RKO. Just as it appeared the match might be over, Guther rolled outside the ring to avoid being pinned.
On the outside, The Ring General was slammed onto the announce table multiple times before the action made its way back into the ring and Gunther targeted Orton’s knee and back with a half crab. Hitting another RKO, Orton went for the pin but Gunther kicked out and countered into another pin to win the match. It should be noted that one of Orton’s shoulders was up during the pin. Triple H presented the new King of the Ring with the crown.
The longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history had been a favourite to win the tournament from the outset and had dominated every match on the way to the final. Previously holding the IC title for 666 days, the leader of Imperium was finally dethroned at WrestleMania when he was defeated by Sami Zayn, who successfully defended his championship against Bronson Reed and Chad Gable on the show.
Earlier in the night, Nia Jax defeated Lyra Valkyria to become the new Queen of the Ring.
Gunther Heads To SummerSlam
As a result of the added stakes of the tournament that were added by Triple H a few days beforehand, the new King of the Ring will receive a title match against the World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, August 3rd. This will be The Ring General’s first opportunity at a World Championship on the main roster.
Featured image: WWE
