WWE Reportedly Planning 'Underdog' Winner For IC #1 Contender's Battle Royal On Raw

Tonight on "WWE Raw," the next opponent for GUNTHER's Intercontinental Championship will be decided via battle royal. And while we do not yet know who it will be, PWInsider Elite is reporting that an underdog angle is on the cards, noting, "The idea we are told is to have a surprise win."

As for the "Ring General's" stablemates, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, all of Imperium was drafted to the red brand during round two of last month's WWE Draft. Kaiser and Vinci debuted last week, losing to the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. We have not seen GUNTHER since the draft, however, but he is set to make his "Raw" debut tonight.

Most recently, GUNTHER is coming off another grueling yet ultimately successful title defense, this time against Xavier Woods on "SmackDown" last month. Prior to that, he retained his championship in a hard-hitting Triple Threat Match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus on night two of WrestleMania 39. If that and his reign as a whole since debuting on the main roster last year weren't enough, GUNTHER was the first entrant into the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match, where he lasted nearly 72 minutes before becoming the final elimination.

Now whoever wins tonight, taking the championship from GUNTHER will be no easy task. He has held it since June of last year when he defeated Ricochet on "SmackDown." Not only is he coming up on one full year as champion, but his current run also makes him the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of the 21st century.