Gunther Defeats Damian Priest, Wins World Heavyweight Title at WWE SummerSlam 2024
Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVAugust 4, 2024
Photo credit: WWE.com
Gunther defeated Damian Priest at SummerSlam on Saturday to win the World Heavyweight Championship, marking the first world title win of his WWE career.
Priest appeared to have the match won when he hit The Ring General with his South of Heaven chokeslam. He went for the pinfall with the challenger out, only for Finn Bálor to turn on his Judgment Day stablemate and put Gunther’s foot on the bottom rope.
The champion became blinded with rage once he discovered what had happened.
WWE @WWEWHY FINN WHY?!#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/U4LCYuhUhu
That provided an opening for Gunther to powerbomb The Archer of Infamy and apply a sleeper hold. The referee called for the bell once it became clear Priest was out.
WWE @WWEThe Judgment Day has IMPLODED!#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/abJm0MOnwq
The Ring General lost the Intercontinental Championship to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40, ending his record 666-day reign, but it wasn’t long before he refocused and bounced back in a big way.
The Austrian entered the King of the Ring tournament and bulldozed his way through the first three rounds, beating Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso.
Randy Orton presented a huge challenge in the finals at King and Queen of the Ring, but Gunther managed to prevail, albeit in controversial fashion since The Viper had his shoulder up during the decisive pinfall.
By virtue of his triumph, The Ring General earned a world title match at SummerSlam, and the only question that remained was who would be in possession of the title at that point.
Priest put the World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank on the heels of The Visionary returning from a knee injury that cost him a couple of months of action.
Their match at Money in the Bank devolved into chaos, as Drew McIntyre cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after winning it earlier in the night, thus making it a Triple Threat.
CM Punk got involved in the match by attacking McIntyre with a steel chair, and Priest took advantage of the situation, pinning the Scot to retain the title.
That made Gunther vs. Priest official for SummerSlam, and things got a bit heated between the combatants in the weeks leading up to the event.
The Ring General took some personal shots at Priest, mocking his tough upbringing and winding road to WWE while also claiming he was better than El Campeón in every way.
Priest had a chance to prove him wrong at SummerSlam, but Gunther prevailed on the big stage, starting what could be another dominant and potentially record-breaking title reign.
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