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Gunther Wins World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam

Gunther defeated Damian Priest to start his first-ever reign as world champ

Justin Barrasso

CLEVELAND, OHIO – When WWE travels to Germany later this month for Bash in Berlin, Gunther can defend his newly won title.

Gunther defeated Damian Priest at SummerSlam, becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion. Like Nia Jax with her Queen of the Ring victory, Gunther–who is the reigning King of the Ring–added more credibility to the crown with his title victory.

Priest worked the match as a babyface, and he had the crowd behind him. That will open up new opportunities for him moving forward, especially considering he is no longer champion. And with Judgement Day collapsing–Dom Mysterio turned on Rhea Ripley earlier in the night–Finn Balor added further complications by putting Gunther’s foot on the rope, costing Priest the win.

The closing sequence came immediately after Priest realized he’d been sabotaged by his friend. A rear naked choke put Priest to sleep–in classic babyface fashion, he never tapped, but instead passed out–and put the belt around Gunther’s waist.

One of the most elite professional wrestlers in the world, Gunther now has his chance to redefine the top of the card in WWE.

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Justin Barrasso

JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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