After jumping through hoop after hoop after hoop, Chad Gable was finally afforded a chance to get in the ring with the “Ring General” of Imperium, Gunther, for his final scheduled Intercontinental Championship bout before officially surpassing The Honkey Tonk Man as the longest-reigning holder of the title.
Taking the ring at the Spectrum Center in Kenny Omega’s favorite state, North Carolina, in front of his wife and young children, “Master” Gable would either go down in history as the man who stopped Gunther right in his tracks, becoming a singles champion for the first time in his professional wrestling career in the process, or give his foe the final win on his road to history, an honor no one wants on their resume.
Taking the ring in the main event of the show, Gable came out of the gates hot but quickly found himself working under the “Ring General,” who remains one of the biggest, strongest, and most dominant performers in the WWE Universe. Still, despite the lofty expectations, Gable was able to rally and attempt a comeback that got thousands of fans, most notably his kids, entirely on board with the belief that he could do the impossible. Locking Gunther up in multiple submission attempts, including a tip-of-the-cap to Kurt Angle with his signature Ankle Lock, it genuinely looked like the “Ring General” was going to tap out, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be; Gunther got out of Gable’s locks and with a combination Powerbomb-Clothesline combo, the all-time record was set.
What does the future hold for Chad Gable? It’s impossible to know, but for Gunther, his place in history is not set.
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— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2023