Roman Reigns Beware: as Gunther reaches another major milestone. The longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history recently reached 500-days as champion, a milestone that is unlikely to be overtaken for years to come. Gunther has plowed through a who's who of WWE Superstars and his achievement is something that Undisputed Champion Roman Reigns needs to take watch carefully. After all, how much longer will Gunther be happy with a secondary title when bigger glory awaits?

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Although "The Tribal Chief" has a huge challenge ahead at Crown Jewel, "Tribal Counsel" Paul Heyman needs to start paying close attention to the red brand's resident juggernaut. In some ways, The Bloodline dodged the proverbial bullet when Imperium was drafted to RAW. That likely gave Roman, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Paul Heyman some much-needed time before Gunther considered bigger things.

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Superior Ability Breeds Superior Ambition

A wise man once observed that "superior ability breeds superior ambition." Gunther is unquestionably a wrestler of superior ability. The big man is a powerhouse, a technical wizard, and master strategist. His nickname "The Ring General" sums up his ability to outplay opponents in the ring, regardless of the challenge.

Gunther has been content showing the wrestling world just how talented he is through his many title defenses. Still, how much longer can Gunther content himself with the Intercontinental Championship? While he could go on defending the belt successfully for many more months, is that enough for a wrestler as ambitious as Gunther? Gunther has done just about everything possible as I-C Champion including defeating some fantastic opponents but more importantly, setting the record as the longest-reigning champion.

Although some might argue Gunther might want to continue his reign further, Gunther's past suggests he is only satisfied at being the best of the best. During his time in NXT UK as Walter, he held the promotion's most prestigious belt, the NXT UK Championship a mind-boggling 870 days. When he moved to NXT, he wasted no time going after NXT Champion Bron Breakker.

Bigger and Better

How much longer will it take before Gunther decides a world championship is the only fitting title for his waist? It can't be much longer, especially now that Gunther has reached the 500-day mark. The only question is whether he targets Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns? Given Gunther's desire to be the best of the best, it's likely he'll seek a way to get the Undisputed Championship. The reasons are obvious; the prestige of defeating Roman is greater than the prestige of defeating Seth due to Roman's extended reign and the title's legacy as being a combination of the WWE and Universal Championships.

The only difficulty is getting to the belt. As SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis showed on the 20 October edition of the blue brand, he's intent on keeping the two shows separate. Don't expect to see Gunther and the rest of Imperium crash SmackDown with the hope of forcing Reigns to defend the title. The brand split isn't as big an obstacle as it may seem. The Royal Rumble will be here soon and Gunther (who was 2023's Royal Rumble runner-up) could win it this time around and target Roman.

Even if Gunther doesn't win The Royal Rumble (especially if the WWE continues with its rumored plans to book Cody vs Roman 2 at WrestleMania 40), that doesn't mean "The Tribal Chief" is safe. Gunther may use him as a stepping stone to get at whomever is champion, defeating Reigns as a sort of trophy.

Do you think Gunther vs Roman Reigns is inevitable and if so, will there be a title involved?

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