GUNTHER Chokes Out Randy Orton, Retains World Heavyweight Title At WWE Bash In Berlin

The German crowd was deafening as they welcomed their hometown hero in the main event of Bash in Berlin. GUNTHER put the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line against the legendary Randy Orton in a high-stakes match, and by the time the night ended in Berlin, GUNTHER walked out with a viper twice-slain, and his first televised title defense under his belt.

GUNTHER and Orton took things to the outside quickly, and Orton attempted to incapacitate "The Ring General" by continuously targeting the champion's back and arms. The thirty-minute bout saw gratuitous use of the announce table, rule-bending use of steel steps, and no possibility of violence left unexplored. Over the course of the match, both champion and challenger sustained several injuries, with GUNTHER's hand being severely impeded and Orton's back giving out following one too many slams on the mat. Despite Orton's best attempts to fight GUNTHER's constrictive sleeper hold, the champion's tenacious stamina won out, and GUNTHER retained by referee's decision. As GUNTHER celebrated, Orton regained enough energy to stand, and the champion extended a show of respect to Orton via handshake. Ortona accepted GUNTHER's offer, and the show went off air after Orton offered some words of support to GUNTHER.

GUNTHER won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest at Summerslam. With this victory, GUNTHER is set to continue his title reign at 27 days. GUNTHER is known for his lengthy title reigns — most notably, his record-breaking 666-day reign with the Intercontinental Championship — and with Saturday's display of dominance, it seems that his WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be no different.

Orton was vying to become a 15-time champion in Berlin. Had he bested "The Ring General," he would have become the third person with the most title reigns in WWE's history, right behind John Cena and Ric Flair, with 16 championship reigns each.