Why Gunther Vs. Chad Gable Wasn’t On WWE Payback

A new report reveals the reason the Intercontinental Championship match between Chad Gable and Gunther wasn’t done at Payback.

Chad Gable has been embroiled in a feud with Intercontinental Champion Gunther for quite some time, and even scored a countout victory over the Imperium leader on the August 21st episode of Monday Night Raw.

Though his victory didn’t win him championship gold, it did ensure that Gable would get another chance to face the Ring General in the future. Many expected them to take part in a featured bout at the recent Payback PLE on September 3rd, but it was instead determined that the two would go head to head on the Labor Day edition of Raw on September 4th.

Why Is Gunther Facing Chad Gable On WWE Raw?

According to a new report from Fightful Select, the decision to hold the Intercontinental Championship match on Raw instead of at the PLE over the weekend had to do with making sure Payback didn’t go over its scheduled time.

WWE has reportedly been quite particular in recent months when it comes to making sure their premium live events don’t “overstay their welcome,” especially the smaller shows taking place in an arena as opposed to a stadium. This philosophy has caused some matches that would normally take place on PLE to be move to television, such as was the case with Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus not taking place at SummerSlam.

The report also notes that the decision to delay the Intercontinental Championship match helps get Gunther closer to beating Honky Tonk Man’s record with a major threat of his reign coming to an end. As of now, the Ring General has held the IC belt for 450 days, just short of Honky Tonk Man’s record-setting reign of 454 days.

The decision to move the match to Raw also serves to give the match more time and a proper highlight as it would have not been as heavily featured alongside the other blockbuster matches at Payback.