Gunther crowned WWE King of the Ring
Gunther became WWE royalty with a victory over Randy Orton on Saturday.
At WWE King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, Gunther defeated Orton in the King of the Ring tournament finals. It was Gunther and Orton’s first time ever facing each other one-on-one. Gunther kicked out of an RKO and then used a crucifix pin to beat Orton.
Orton accidentally had his shoulder up while being pinned by Gunther. After the show, WWE put out a video with Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressing the controversial finish. Levesque said the referee’s decision is final and Gunther is King of the Ring. But Levesque is sure Gunther will want to face Orton again in the future to prove he’s the better man.
Orton was selling storyline knee and back injuries throughout the match. That played into the finish with Orton not being able to plant his injured leg on the mat and get leverage after hitting the RKO. There was also a moment earlier in the bout where Orton gave Gunther an RKO but was too hurt to immediately go for the pin.
As the King of the Ring winner, Gunther receives a World Heavyweight Championship shot at SummerSlam this August. Damian Priest is the current champion but has a title defense against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle next month.
Levesque presented Gunther with the King of the Ring crown after he defeated Orton. Gunther then cut a promo vowing to become World Heavyweight Champion.
Queen of the Ring winner Nia Jax is getting a WWE Women’s Championship shot at SummerSlam. The PLE is taking place in Cleveland on Saturday, August 3.
Gunther is WWE’s first King of the Ring since Xavier Woods won the tournament in 2021. Gunther’s run in this year’s tournament included wins against Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Jey Uso, and Orton.