WWE Champion Refuses To Forfeit Title
WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther has held that title longer than any other man in history but he won’t give it up for the chance of even greater riches.
Gunther smashed The Honky Tonk Man’s record as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time and has now held the title for well over 500 days. At Survivor Series, The Ring General will put the gold on the line against The Miz who is no slouch when it comes to that title having held it eight times in the past.
Gunther has admitted that he won’t headline WrestleMania in an Intercontinental Title match and realises it is secondary to the world-level championships, however, that doesn’t mean he’d ever simply hand it over.
Gunther Won’t Entertain A WWE Version Of Option C
Speaking on The Masked Man Show Gunther was asked if he’d be willing to give up his title if it meant getting a shot at either the WWE World Heavyweight Championship or the WWE Universal Title and he was emphatic with his response:
No, no, that’s not going to happen. I can break every streak in the world, I would still not trade it in. God willing, I will be the World Champion at some point and I will have earned it. It will not be a hand out. That’s important to me. I would never drop the Intercontinental Championship on purprose. That’s not going to happen.
TNA has had a history of X-Division Champions handing over that title to get a shot at the TNA World Championship in the past. Austin Aries innovated ‘Option C’ in the company when he handed over his title to get a shot at Bobby Roode’s TNA World Title at Destination X in 2012. Aries defeated Roode to win the gold while on the same night, a tournament was held to crown the new X-Division Champion with Zema Ion claiming that crown.