GUNTHER Officially Passes Randy Savage's Historic WWE Intercontinental Championship Reign

WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER continues inching closer to becoming the longest-reigning champion in the title's history. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, journalist Dave Meltzer noted that GUNTHER's reign has now surpassed that of "Macho Man" Randy Savage, giving GUNTHER the record for the third-longest Intercontinental Championship reign at 414 days.

GUNTHER defeated Ricochet for the Intercontinental Championship on the June 10, 2022 episode of "WWE SmackDown." Since then, the Austrian has defended the title exactly 12 times against a range of opponents. As the leader of Imperium, GUNTHER has consistently had Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci with him to watch his back, making it easier for him to keep a hold on his championship.

Next week at WWE SummerSlam, GUNTHER is scheduled to defend his title against Drew McIntyre. GUNTHER previously defended against both Sheamus and McIntyre in April at WWE WrestleMania 39, with McIntyre taking some time off following the big show. McIntyre returned earlier this month, attacking GUNTHER and making it clear that "The Scottish Warrior" still had eyes on the Intercontinental Championship.

In order to break the record as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion, GUNTHER needs to keep the title for another 40 days. Ahead of him in the record books are Pedro Morales, with a reign of 424 days, and the Honky Tonk Man, who held the title for 453 days. As a former world champion, facing McIntyre in a singles match is sure to be one of GUNTHER's biggest challenges yet, and McIntyre will surely put up a fight to prevent GUNTHER from reaching record-breaking status.