The reign of Gunther as World Heavyweight Champion continues, while the career of a legend has come to a definitive end. This past Saturday, in the main event of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gunther defeated Goldberg to retain his title, forcing the Hall of Famer into retirement in front of a stunned hometown crowd in Atlanta. The decisive moment came when the champion locked in a rear-naked choke, causing Goldberg to pass out and forcing the referee to stop the contest.
The physical encounter, which lasted over fifteen minutes, saw Goldberg battle through a pre-existing knee injury that became a primary target for the champion. Despite the limitation, Goldberg delivered significant offense, at one point spearing Gunther clean through the ringside barricade. The match was also marked by high drama, including Goldberg’s son, Gage, attempting to jump the barricade after being taunted by Gunther, and a moment where Goldberg inadvertently speared referee Charles Robinson. Following the referee bump, Goldberg hit a Jackhammer, but a replacement official could only make a two-count before Gunther recovered.
Appearing on the Saturday Night’s Main Event Recap show after his victory, Gunther reflected on the challenging nature of the bout.
“That guy was not easy to handle for anybody he ever stepped in the ring with. So, I expected that. But, to be honest, today, it caught me by surprise. I was out there with him for 15 minutes or maybe a little bit longer. I don’t think anybody really expected that out of the match, and I expected it to be shorter, so that was a big surprise to me.”
With Goldberg’s career now concluded, attention immediately shifts to Gunther’s next challenger, who is expected to be revealed on this Monday’s episode of WWE RAW.
However, speculation is already rampant for his opponent at SummerSlam. On his Notsam Wrestling video recap, wrestling personality Sam Roberts suggested a major challenger could be on the horizon for the champion.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if CM Punk and Gunther is your SummerSlam match.”
Roberts also added that he believes Gunther is being positioned so strongly that he may even end CM Punk’s own championship aspirations, a quest Punk has been on since his return to WWE.