In the ring, GUNTHER is known for his thunderous chops. Last week on "WWE Raw," though, it seems he received a taste of his medicine when Jimmy Uso rocked him with an equally-echoing slap to the face.
"Holy s***, how frickin' hard did Jimmy smack GUNTHER?" WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray recalled on "Busted Open Radio." "Dude, that was one hell of a crack upside the head. Jimmy cracked Gunther so hard, he thought he was WALTER again."
Before transforming into GUNTHER in early 2022, fans knew the Austrian bruiser as WALTER, an established star on the independent circuit that eventually made his way to WWE through "WWE NXT UK." Under the WWE banner, WALTER solidified himself as the longest-reigning NXT UK Champion, beginning with a win over Pete Dunne at "NXT" Takeover: New York in 2019. This 870-day title run later came to a dramatic end when Ilja Dragunov dethroned "The Ring General" in August 2021.
Currently, GUNTHER reigns as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, with 2025 Men's Royal Rumble winner Jey Uso slated as his opponent for WrestleMania 41. Meanwhile, Jey's brother Jimmy mainly works on "WWE SmackDown," though recent events involving Jey have brought him over to the "Raw" brand. This week, Jimmy will face GUNTHER one-on-one in the ring on "Raw." This comes after Jimmy issued a challenge to GUNTHER for a match, which was then followed by the aforementioned slap. While it is unknown if Jimmy's slap caused GUNTHER to briefly revert back to his factory settings, it did result in a smug smile from him.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
