Gunther Talks Raw on Netflix, IC Title Reign, Legacy and What's Next

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:06.759 Battle Down. Why from the parts Unknown Studios into the Double Battle Crown, 2 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:15.679 Battle Bun, the Battle Found Battle, the Battle Crowd. Welcome to the 3 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:22.199 Battleground Podcast, your place for all things pro wrestling, The Battle Road, 4 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:28.879 the Battle Round now making their way to the microphones. Give it up for 5 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:37.799 your hosts. Welcome the Battle Crown. What's up you guys? Welcome back 6 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:42.679 in to the Battleground Podcast. iHeartRadio's official wrestling podcast. My name is Battle 7 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:46.759 from one hundred point seven WRDU and you, my friends, get to be 8 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:52.560 a part of the road to WrestleMania Live as WWE Raw returns to p and 9 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:58.240 z Arena March eighteenth, and ticket starting at twenty bucks online ticketmaster dot com. 10 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:02.840 Today, we're joined by a very familiar face on the show. The 11 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:07.280 longest raining Intercontinental Champion Gunter is on the show. Sir, how are you 12 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:11.680 doing today? Very good? But then I realized I got to look at 13 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:15.120 Seamus the whole time behind you, and now I'm not so good. You 14 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:18.040 gotta you know what I'll do that for you. I'll do that well perfect 15 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:19.959 inmaguitar. There you go, So now you don't oh perfect? Now I 16 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:25.719 feel way better and you know a lot of things have changed since the last 17 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:27.079 time we talked to you. It's been over a year. Last time we 18 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:30.439 talked to you was heading into rubble. Now we're kind of talking to you 19 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:34.400 heading into the road to WrestleMania. So I want to talk about this as 20 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:41.079 the longest raining Intercontinental Champion. What does that mean for your legacy, etching 21 00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:45.640 your name in that history book. Yeah, it's a great accomplishment, obviously, 22 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:51.359 I think it's a once in a lifetime achievement. But I'm still in 23 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:56.439 the midst of it. Cannot carry it away too much with it. I'm 24 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:00.840 like, I know as everybody else does, like nobody's champion for so that 25 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:05.280 they will come where I'm going to lose to someone, to lose the title. 26 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.639 But I'm working hard to delay it as long as possible. Absolutely, 27 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:13.039 And you know there's a lot of people that you know are wanting to come 28 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:17.159 after that title. Currently right now looks like main event jay Uso is trying 29 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:23.199 to come after that title. How do you feel about jay Uso? This 30 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:29.319 is your time to let your feelings out. Well, I said it in 31 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:34.520 the ring to him like very accomplished man, and he accomplish it all doing 32 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:39.120 have to work and attack him. I'm somebody I did everything myself my whole 33 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:45.840 career. I think that's the difference between us. Besides from that, I 34 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:49.319 think he's got a little bit of chip on his shoulder because he needs to 35 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:54.080 he's out there now to prove to everybody and himself that he can stand his 36 00:02:54.159 --> 00:03:00.560 own two feet and be a main event guy. If it has to be 37 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:04.319 in my expense, then yeah, so be it. But I'm gonna work 38 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:09.000 hard to convince everybody from the opposite right for sure. And you know, 39 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:14.199 there's been a lot of things that you know, WW has been making headlines 40 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:17.319 there recently, You've got WrestleMania, You've got you know, RAW heading to 41 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:23.319 Netflix. How do you think this platform ship will impact the way wrestling content 42 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:28.199 is consumed? Like, I mean, what opportunities maybe challenge do you see 43 00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:35.280 for both WW and the wrestlers themselves in this new digital landscape. How much 44 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:38.240 it's gonna change for us. It's like, I can't tell that because we'll 45 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:42.439 see how that's gonna look later. But I think just in general, it's 46 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:46.080 a I think it's a historical deal, to be honest, because I feel 47 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:52.439 like wbe when it comes to yeah, how to distribute their content. They've 48 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:57.120 always been on the forefront of technology, I would say, because if the 49 00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:00.919 WB network back then, there was something that was way ahead of everybody. 50 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:05.360 And I think having the Netflix deal now is in sports in general, we're 51 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:12.479 like ahead of everybody. I think it's going to be trendsetting when it comes 52 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:15.479 to that, and I'm yeah, very excited for it. And I think 53 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:19.959 just in general, I think the company since Triple H Too Go is yeah, 54 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:25.519 firing out of all cylinders. Yeah, And I think we are experiencing 55 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:30.600 like a boom period that has never been there before. And I think everybody 56 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:38.160 like us the performance, but also the fans need to be able to realize 57 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:42.439 or need to realize that. Yeah, Like in I don't know, ten 58 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:44.800 twenty years back, people got to talk about it, Oh my god, 59 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.120 can you remember back then? And we're in the midst of it now and 60 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:51.519 we're part of it and that's very exciting. So everybody needs to enjoy the 61 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:56.639 ride absolutely for sure. Of course, ww rawl is returning to P and 62 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.959 C Arena March eighteen. You can grab tickets now, take them out. 63 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:03.800 They're starting at twenty bucks online. You mentioned Triple A and Triple h and 64 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:08.600 how he is, you know, taking the reins of everything currently and there's 65 00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:12.519 a boom and wrestling. How has the morale been backstage with him kind of 66 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:17.199 spearheading everything now? I would say morale is very good. But also I 67 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:23.160 gotta be honest, even like before, I was never I don't know, 68 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:29.480 I don't let anybody else's mood or morale effect myself. Like I'm I've always 69 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:33.680 been my own person and always have my own goals and my own motivations, 70 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:42.120 and I don't really let myself effect from the surroundings. That being said, 71 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:46.120 obviously, a very motivated and a very high moral in the work environment is 72 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:53.439 obviously something that still boots my own motivation to a degree as well. I 73 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:58.240 think everybody's aware of the situation that I describe right now, and everybody wants 74 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:03.000 to be a part of it in one way or the other. And yeah, 75 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:08.319 I think it's Yeah, it's a great time though, and I'm glad 76 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:12.519 to be part of that, absolutely for sure. And of course, you 77 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.319 know, right now, the big story is finishing the story. I know 78 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:20.040 Ard he wants to finish his story. But recently I had the chance to 79 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:26.519 talk and sit down with Chad Gable and he talks about finishing his story, 80 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:30.519 and his story that he wants to finish is against you. In the ring. 81 00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:32.480 He said, y'all kind of had a little bit of a thing going 82 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:35.879 on and then it kind of went away. But he says he wants to 83 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:41.680 finish his story with you and take that intercondinental title from you. How do 84 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:45.079 you feel about this? And you know, is that something you want to 85 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:51.839 you know, close the story the chapter with Chad Gable, I honestly gotta 86 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:56.240 say he's not the only one. I guess that's just the life of a 87 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:00.720 champion that a bunch of guys want a piece of that. That being said, 88 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:05.319 I think he's a phenomenal athlete. He's a great technician, and the 89 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:10.680 matches we add, I think we're phenomenal and the audience enjoyed them a lot. 90 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:14.519 So if it should come to that for WrestleMania, then yeah, I'm 91 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:16.879 here for it. But we have we have to see. I think there's 92 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:20.480 some there are few options in the pipeline, Like I don't know what, 93 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:26.480 yeah, what's in store for Mania. I'm defending my title against Jay Huso 94 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:30.519 on Monday, and I think after that's yeah, after that's done, then 95 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:35.399 we'll have a clearer picture what's in store for me at WrestleMania. How is 96 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:40.480 it gonna pad out? But yeah, like I said, I think there 97 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:43.720 are a bunch of guys that's just the life of a champion that you were 98 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:47.120 chased by some people that wanted that want that price, and it keeps me 99 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:51.920 an edge absolutely, And you know we are currently on that road to WrestleMania. 100 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:57.199 Like you said, you don't really have a telltale sign of who you're 101 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:00.399 going to be facing off a WrestleMania, but something that you know, as 102 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:05.360 as wrestling fans, kind of saw a glimpse of a possible future storyline. 103 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.480 You recently went toe to toe with bron Breaker right there in the middle of 104 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:11.839 the ring of the Royal Rumble, and a lot of people are touting as 105 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:16.800 bron Breakers very bright future in the w W. Uh what were your thoughts 106 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:20.240 on him coming into the Royal Rumble and him taking that chop to you? 107 00:08:20.439 --> 00:08:24.600 But then you know, kind of not backing down. I mean, good 108 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:28.439 on him, Like I would have done the same. That's like it's first 109 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:31.720 of all, like that's that was his big first appearance on the main roster 110 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:39.240 and as he should. He made the most out of that, and he 111 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:43.240 went in there with all his energy and all the all the power he has, 112 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:50.240 and I think just athletically is somebody that is like superior. Oh a 113 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:54.399 lot of the guys on the main roster, but that was the royal rumble. 114 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:56.840 That was Uh. He was in there for a few minutes and it's 115 00:08:56.840 --> 00:09:01.639 gonna it's gonna show if you can to uphold it in a one on one 116 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:07.639 a situation. If I would face him at WrestleMania, I would be confident 117 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:13.159 because what I have. Yeah, my my advantage towards him is, yeah, 118 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:18.799 is like almost almost twenty year career and he's still very young and inexperienced 119 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:22.240 in debt. But I think he has all the potentially in the world. 120 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:26.279 But if he's the one for WrestleMania, I'm here to take on the challenge, 121 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:28.799 and I think it's going to be a very exciting match. Yeah, 122 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:33.679 absolutely for sure. Another one that we we kind of hope for as as 123 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.679 wrestling fans, and it kind of stinks because it's at your expense. But 124 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:41.519 as I walk up for a second real quick, because I got to bring 125 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:46.639 the room, Shamus up. He is one title away from being a Grand 126 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.879 Slam champion currently you have that title. We all kind of thought maybe last 127 00:09:50.919 --> 00:09:54.159 year was gonna happen at WrestleMania, maybe he was going to beat you for 128 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:58.879 that title. You know, Seamus has kind of been away for a little 129 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:01.720 bit, and you know, if he steps back and says he wants you, 130 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:07.679 are you ready for Seamus? I'm definitely ready. But where he is 131 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:11.399 right now, that's where I like him the most away, That's it's a 132 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:16.559 good place where he is. So but we'll see what happens. It'll definitely 133 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:18.879 be a fun match to see you two going at it, because I mean 134 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:24.159 last year it was it was a killer match with you and Drew and Seamus 135 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:26.240 at Mania and I was like, there's no way that anybody gets top this 136 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:31.080 match, Like this was match of the year in my books and my opinion. 137 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:33.519 So hell of a job for that last year. Looking forward to see 138 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:37.840 what's gonna happen this year. You know, right now, there's a lot 139 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:41.480 of things going on with WWE. I want to know, and I think 140 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:43.879 we talked about this last time, but things have changed. Is there any 141 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:50.080 thought about maybe adding a female to Imperium? And if so, is there 142 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:54.799 anybody that's kind of caught your eye. There's no plan so that No, 143 00:10:56.039 --> 00:11:01.399 it's not a it's a it's not a group where it's like we gotta fill 144 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:05.799 those spots. Who do we take it's a it's either naturally it comes together 145 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.399 or it doesn't come together. And I know both of them for a long 146 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:13.600 time now, and especially Kaiser, I've been I think we know each other 147 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:18.759 since like two nine or two ten and traveled everywhere together in Germany and now 148 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:24.879 we're doing it again up here. There's a connection behind it, and that's 149 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:28.679 why we're doing it. I don't think I could not be in a situation 150 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:33.519 like that with somebody that I have no real connection with on the personal level 151 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:39.600 as well. So there's not really any plan to that. Gotcha completely understand 152 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:43.000 that one. I mean, if it's not broke, why try to fix 153 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:46.360 it? Right? Who there is our guests on the show right now. 154 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:48.799 So here's the fun part where we get to, you know, let down 155 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:52.879 your guard, not really talk so much about what's going on in the wrestling 156 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.960 world, but have some fun. And we always turn to chat GPT for 157 00:11:58.039 --> 00:12:01.639 this question because everybody like that have the robots ask a question and well, 158 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:05.600 the robot decided they wanted to ask you if you had to choose between wrestling 159 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:11.279 a grizzly bear or trying to assemble Ikea furniture without the instructions, which one 160 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:16.039 would you pick? It's both very gruesome. I've been there with the Ikea 161 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:20.679 furniture, even with instructors. I really it's not my thing. I'm not 162 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:26.440 a handyman. That's that's one of my weak points. But then I also 163 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:31.399 like a grizzly bear is a I don't know, I don't know how much. 164 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:33.600 I know how heavy day are, like eight hundred pounds or I'm fair, 165 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:37.200 or seven hundred pounds. I think it would still take the Ikea furniture, 166 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:41.480 to be honest. I mean, just sit here and think about it. 167 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:43.559 A grizzly bear taking a chot from you probably is all it's going to 168 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:46.960 need to do, and it's just going to turn the other way. No, 169 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:50.799 I think he's going to ignore it and like my rip the head off 170 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:54.799 my shoulders. I think that's the realistic scenario. Well, we don't. 171 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:58.279 We want to make sure that you're not in anywhere vicinity of a grizzly bear 172 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:01.399 then, because we don't need that to happen because you got a very long 173 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:03.360 career ahead of you, and you know, I just want to say thank 174 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:05.519 you for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I know you're the 175 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:09.120 champ and you don't really have to do these kind of things, but it's 176 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:13.399 an honor to have you back on the show. Great success seeing everything that 177 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.200 you've done. And you know, it's also really cool to scroll through social 178 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:20.519 media and I know you've seen your transformation over the years and everybody sees the 179 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:24.960 photos from where you started it now and I got to applaud you on that 180 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:28.039 one. Oh, thank you very much. I appreciate that, and yeah, 181 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:31.120 thanks for having me, and I guess I'll be back again. We 182 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:35.240 hope you enjoyed today's episode of the Battleground Podcast. Make sure you give it 183 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:39.279 five stars and a nice review. To stay up to date with the show, 184 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:52.440 follow them at Battleground Podcast on Instagram.