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And as somebody who demands so much respect as a superstar and also for wrestling as a whole, it's only right that he is on the only. All wrestling show on ESPN. We dedicated.
So, without further ado, this man has the longest reign with the Intercontinental Championship in history. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion. He has retired Goldberg. He has retired the great John Cena. He has retired the phenomenal one AJ Styles.
The Ring General. Goon Tower, welcome to NCW. Thank you. And yes, I did. I sent all those old yellows home.
It's about time, right?
Now, we know you got... A big match coming up against Cody Rhodes where he will be going for the WWE Championship. A clash in Italy.
So what is your mindset as you prepare for For this match against Cody, the American nightmare, and everything that he brings to the square circle. Yeah, it's time to get even with him. There's a little bit of a history with Cody. There's like. When it was my first Rumble, I was the marathon man.
I broke the record for the longest time in the Rumble, and I entered as number one and almost made it till the end. Who walks out conveniently? At number 30. Cody obviously he eliminated me. the rumble the year after too and obviously we had saudi arabia which Was a loss for me.
And that's okay, but it's time to set the record straight and Yeah, I feel like I've been annoyed by Cody's Like, way of doing business for a while, and I grabbed the opportunity when I had it. It's been annoying. This is one of the worst people to annoy him. But this history that you have. Does that put a little bit more emphasis on a couple of those chops that you love to lay on people in the ring?
Okay. Um equal treatment for everybody. I have to say today it's not it's not like I'm it's not like I'm ever holding back.
So, but um I feel fantastic. I'm in great shape. I feel ready and uh yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Especially it happens on European turf.
So that's extra special. That and that.
So it could create a very interesting atmosphere.
So I'm yeah, very excited for it. No, we know Austria is in Italy, but you brought up European turf. Do you feel like you're going to have an advantage when it comes to that? Or is that something that doesn't even matter to the ringhander out, whether the people are behind him or not? At the end, it doesn't matter.
It's very true, but it's still interesting. I like when. When the atmosphere is just a little bit different. I feel like in. The state, wherever you go, it doesn't really matter the city.
It's just the same old, like in typical American fashion. Everything's kind of The same, but when we go to Europe, that's where we have a special atmosphere. There's a different kind of atmosphere there. And we've seen it on the events before in Germany and France and Yeah, I'm very excited for the first uh PLE in Italy. It's got to feel like a breath of fresh air going on those European tours and, you know, and I.
I'm a Los Angeles guy, so I can't speak for other cities in America. But what is that feeling when you get the response that you do? Uh around here you've We're going to talk about the responses you've been getting by taking out other people's heroes. But what does that feel of a European crowd do for you? Or just being around, you know, going around the European streets?
You know, does it ease your mind a little bit more? Yeah, it's nice to be back in civilization, I have to say that. As the European wrestler, I think It's very important in my position to represent the company at this stage and to be the role model to all the other upcoming European talent because. I showed the way that it is possible. Uh to Yeah.
immigrate to the US and The countertop. star in the WE and I didn't follow any of the typical Yeah, any of the typical journey that you usually follow as a WB superstar and to represent that and to almost be. Yeah, a role model to a lot of the young European talent out there is of course that's important to me. And I also feel the responsibility of that. But it doesn't really change how I approach the match.
A match is a match. It's the same. I think I always have an advantage, especially over Cody because I'm the better wrestler. Um I think Cody I think Cody's a little bit more comfortable in that. position and with that many eyes on it.
Um I can give him that, but um yeah, I have no doubts when it comes to Yeah, what happens in that room? You take your job very seriously. It's very obvious. There's not a lot of fuss, not a lot of frills. A friend of mine who is just getting back into wrestling just randomly texted me one day telling me how much he appreciated the way you go about your business.
You say the mat is sacred. Why is that? What makes the mat sacred to you? It is At the end of the day, It was it was always a foreign in my eye. the way that wrestling developed into more of a like Entertainment spectacle, where the emphasis often is not on.
What happens in the ring after the bell rings. And that's the most important thing that matters. And a restaurant, I don't know. And that's why I get confused with a lot of my colleagues. The number one thing you need to be focused on as a wrestler is to become as good as you can because you're going to become a champion.
The P2B champion is the ultimate goal, but At the moment I feel like some of my colleagues have Other goals. They chase fame, maybe they chase money. Um That was not my focus. all that stuff came to me. because I've focused on being the absolute best in that room.
And I always had that respect for our craft. And I have the feeling right now we're at a time where that just gets taken advantage of and be like a stepping stone into.
something else. When the first career, as what I got a sport didn't really work out, didn't cut it there. Or I can still do wrestling. Um I don't like to see our sport in that light. And that was always important to me.
And I think. Yeah, sometimes people forget, or my opponents forget, that this is still my or a motivation. And it has been from day one.
So, this wasn't like a backup plan for this man. This is what he always wanted to do, is what he's saying, as opposed to some of the other guys. For those who didn't see Gunther on LFG, man, you laid into those new recruits pretty heavy, you know, when it came to that exact subject.
So, we know that it's true to the core. Name one thing I said on the show that wasn't. That wasn't correct. That wasn't factual. There's like, I'm not rubbing it in for the sake of it.
Yeah. It's because that's how we need to treat it, and so you've got to own your Spot you're gonna earn Your recognition is a professional. And if you're not, if that shies you away, if that's too much of you to go through, yeah, then it's all right. Wrong business. Yeah, I think maybe people thought because it was a TV show that maybe he'd go on there a certain way and kind of prop up these kids and make them feel good.
Let me tell you something. That is not at all what happened when this man got in front of those kids. I honestly felt bad for a few of them. You want the real, though? You wanted the real.
You want the real. No, I don't want him to go. You didn't want him to go out there and be someone he wasn't. Yeah. And yeah, you definitely.
I'm sure you gave a lot of those kids some stuff to think about. For sure.
Now, something that me and TJ pay attention to because we, I mean, We love the business and we know a few traditions that we look for out of respect. And it's wiping your feet before you get in the ring.
Now there's a there's a a A few people that we've noticed, you know, just hop in. Yeah, but you are one of those. Bailey is another one. Just those that still hold that tradition, those traditions and core values, what do they mean to you? Do you notice those things?
Is there a list that Gunther has of people that don't do these things? The behavior has become so bad that it's healthier for me to not pay attention to it, to be honest. I can just do the right thing for myself. And yes, that's still a small thing that I still do because I learned it in my first training session. That's what my coach taught me back then.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know about the hygiene of those people that don't, because if you In that ring, we're all gonna roll around in a second with shirtless.
So yeah, if I don't know, to me at least, it's important that there's like to avoid that there's any dirt on that mat once I get on it, decides for me that it needs to be respected.
Now when You defeated John Cena. On this show, I coined you the Darth Vader of the WWE. All right, there, you are the destroyer of heroes. Goldberg, John Cena. AJ Styles.
These are these are. People that have helped millions start watching wrestling. And You know, they've they've all fallen to the hand of Gunther. What is it like going into how do crowds in America treat you out you know outside in the wild? Yeah, what is it?
What is it like? Are you getting bombarded by kids' tears? What's happening out there?
So That was the whole thing for me why I wanted those opportunities because I think the Goldberg match got offered to me like a year before. And I'm Heard it often right away was like, okay, I enjoy it. riling up people. I enjoy being the one. That creates situations or moments that people really don't agree with or really like or really dislike.
So that was the biggest possible chance. I've got them. And uh So I took it. My new format that would be career changing opportunities and Yeah, I don't do that to be I don't care about being liked, being I don't know, a fan favorites. I have zero interest in that.
I'm here to do my thing, to fulfill Ms. Provider's responsibility as the one that protects this business, the one that still honors traditions and be the one that still. Executes the craft in the way it should be executed and be successful with it. That's all I care. That's all I care about.
And Yeah, those three were in my way and so is Cody now to achieve that. There wasn't really much emotion involved, to be honest. I gotta say that with Cena, it was quite. To catch myself in the middle of that, because at that night everything felt so important, felt so heavy. I mean, you remember Cody staring at a pair of sneakers, not even.
Good sneakers, they were actually. It was a nice pair of shoes, to be honest. Cody's staring on that and squeezing out another tear. Oh, it meant so much. And that was the feeling the whole night.
It felt so heavy. It was like. Almost felt more pressure than WrestleMania. And I was just in the middle of all of that, not faced the emotional zone that I am. And I was just observing all of that and just knowing: like, tonight, I'm going to ruin.
All of your people's nights. Um yeah, it was uh maybe the most rewarding feeling I had in my careers of uh Most protein drinks ask you to choose between results and taste. Bucked up decided that's a ridiculous trade-off. Bucked up makes lightly carbonated protein drinks, 25 grams of protein per can, clear protein, not milky or thick, and they taste so good that 25 grams of protein almost feels like a bonus. Bucked up is so confident you'll love their drinks.
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Where I was like, oh, he's having fun. Was the night. All raw after. I, yo, I literally was gonna bring this. Oh my god, go ahead.
No, please, go finish your yeah. That night on Raw, after when you are, you know, established as the man who made John Cena give up. And you go out there and you light it up on the microphone. And the the you can't see me Was that some of the funnest times you had on WWE? Pure evil.
Well, I enjoyed it as a fan, but please let me know you're having as much fun as it looked like you did. I mean, yeah, I was I was enjoying it. Like I said, I love. Bathing. Into Yeah, in the negative reactor.
There's something to it that I really enjoy when somebody gets really riled up and they try to get to me, but they just can't get to me. And just to sit through that situation, it's just amazing. And I had a little speech prepared, a little victory speech that raw After that match. And as I was out there and heard the reactions, there was only just one thing to say, and I left it at that. Um but yeah, it's a great great memory.
But you can't see me in the car. That was my next point, right? When you are out, AJ Styles is in the parking lot. You pull up in the car, you just simply give him the. And there was so much, I've never seen.
Even after you've won world championships and titles, I've never seen that much joy on your face as you had in the car when you did that to AJ. Is it hard for you not to let that kind of funny little comedic side of you come out, or were you just Yes, it just What was that? I guess. I don't know what you want to describe it. It was me.
Yeah. And. Yeah, me enjoying it. I like uh As they say over here in England, taking the piss out of people, I enjoy that. It brings great joy to me.
There's also something in German, there's a word for it. It's called Schabenfreue. It means taking pleasure in somebody else's misfortune. And Yeah, that's right down my alley. I yeah, I really enjoyed uh experiencing all those negative feelings towards me and take a bath in it.
And when I could, I tried to enhance it even more, obviously. Yeah, when uh back in December he The Rich Hides show was in New York. He came onto the show before his match with Cena. And I asked him, I was like, are you prepared to be the most hated man in this sport? And he.
had no problem taking that title.
Okay. What does that say about someone who a lot of us in life we all want to be liked, right? Most people want to be liked. Here's a man who knew by taking out. Wrestling fans' favorites that this amount of hate was going to come down on you, and yet you pretty much seemed to welcome it.
You were like, Yeah, bring that. Bring that to me. We are being a general. Yeah, where does that come from? I don't know where it comes from, but I think it's.
I'm a very secure person. I'm very confident in myself. I don't. I don't know, I don't really judge my Worth or anything on outside reactions to be liked, those that are interested in being everybody's darling. It's just part of it.
And I always believed that if you Do you have no enemies? You're doing something wrong? If you stand for if you stand for what you think or who you are, you're gonna rub shoulders with some people and that's okay. Yeah, it doesn't change the fact. My whole career has been that I always approached things.
Differently in my career, I often didn't follow the popular routes Um And often I was the only one that never questioned my decisions. I don't know. It's maybe speaks more about a lot of my colleagues that always chase the next hot thing. I never needed that and don't think it will ever change. The confidence that you have in yourself, the respect that you have for the squared circle and its tradition.
When you hear that a legend of the magnitude of the Undertaker. calls you his guy, you're his favorite guy to watch. What does that do to the wrestler in here? But yeah, it's a very nice compliment, obviously. Yeah, I don't know much more to say about that.
It's very nice to hear that, obviously, from somebody like Taka. It's a big confirmation. But it kind of confirmed all the things I kind of knew about myself anyway. Yeah, very nice to hear.
Now uh Famous wrestling move, I think, is brought back by going through, and that's the chop.
Now, the chops that you give. Are buck shots. All right. Has there ever been a um Can you think of an opponent that you had that you really laid one in? then that our viewers can look up.
Or a a chop that you know, like, yeah, I put my all in it. Makes it so good. Like I said before, equal treatment for everybody. I don't really. There's no special approach, but there's a few where I almost felt bad for them after.
I would say Ilya is one of those guys that I almost felt a bit bad after. Understandable. Yeah. I didn't really feel bad for Seamus at all. I beat him up a lot, but he beat me up a lot too.
So it's okay. He can take it. But no, it's just part of it. It's just what it is. Yeah, if you got an issue with that, then choose a different profession.
I don't know. It's part of it. She's always just like, hey man, it is what it is. Honestly, if ever if everybody in the world would approach issues with it is what it is, just deal with it, the world would be a lot easier. But we always gotta moan and talk into circles and this and that and make it a bigger deal than it is.
and waste our energy on Forcing a good feeling, but sometimes there's no good feeling.
Sometimes there's No happy ends and sometimes it's just yeah. It's just sad, but it's okay. Accept it. It's part of life. I almost just said, and it's that age-old quote: sometimes the bad guy wins.
But I don't know that he's a bad guy. Right. You know what I mean? I'm talking to him. It just feels like I'm just here to do what I'm doing.
There's a job to do, and I'm here to do it.
Some people might like the way I go about my business, some people don't. I don't look at that as being a bad guy. I just look at it as a man who knows what the mission is. Demands respect. Yeah.
Well, I'll leave that up for your judgment. But also, I don't really care about judging them. Like everybody else can categorize me as what they want. Like I said, that's fine to me. I'm still waiting for the day where those reactions will get to me.
Um But yeah, they can keep trying. Try your best. I'm here for that challenge. Batch is up. What would it mean?
We know that you are a two-time world heavyweight champion. What would it mean? for you to get this belt. from Cody in Italy, but to where The WWE Championship around the ring general waist. What does this title mean to you?
Um obviously it would. Kind of like Because you'll say it would be the full crown that I could put on my head, having. In the World Heritage Championship twice already, obviously the WB Championship is missing. For that. And obviously that's a big goal.
Like I said, I want to be as successful as I can. And That's the biggest prize to chase in WWE. I remember being. Yeah, being World Heritage Champion and Cody being WV champion at the same time, and I always felt. It was easier for Cody to kind of like force himself.
More into the center of attention because he had the idol with the. Yeah, the the the the the long heritage and the bigger history. And now I'm here to claim it. That's and like I said, it's especially important to me that I take it from Cody. It's not just winning it overall.
I think it's time for me to Yeah, take that away from them.
Now, you had a match with Cody while you both were champions at Crown Jewel. This was a match that Cody went over. Have you gone back? Have you studied that match? Have you seen where you may have made an error or done something that you now in your mind know that you can rectify and change the outcome of this meeting?
Let's call this one more of an exhibition match, I would say. It's I know exactly the mistakes I made. I'm not going to share them here. Obviously, that wouldn't be very smart. But yes, I am able to rehab.
I'm sorry, re-evaluate myself and criticize myself, analyze what I do wrong or what I do right, but that's nothing. And I would share publicly that it's in it's nobody's business, but I think that. The capability of doing that is Um Yeah. What got me to where I am. And when I look in the mirror, I look into it very honestly about myself.
We saw on SmackDown there was a bit of a wild situation with Royce Keys.
Now Is that something that's on the back of your mind that he's not going to take that loss too lightly as you go over here? Or were you just focused on Cody? Are you prepared for anything to be thrown into the ring? Um Yes, I am prepared. Rudroyski is obviously in his position.
I get it. Like, he just joined the company. I think they see a lot in him. Very promising wrestler and Yeah, why not just go out and try to take uh What you think is yours, but you try to take it from the wrong person because. Yeah, I was in the way.
I gotta admit to that. Like the last weeks, it's like I said before, I liked dating the pizza people and the might have uh Overdone it a little bit, has happened before, and it's part of my characteristics. I don't think you will ever stop doing that because it is super enjoyable for myself, for my personal entertainment. But I don't I think I made a clear statement. I think uh I d outclassed it clearly.
on a SmackBall main event.
So that that should end the conversation. Gunther, I saw that you, not just me, we all saw you had this little interaction with Paul Heyman. Mm-hmm. And it kind of made me think, not that you necessarily would ever need it, but would taking on a manager, maybe someone like Paul Heyman, would that be something that you would ever consider doing in your career? No.
I mean, to be fully honest, it was very useful to have him there in that position. But those interactions and that time have been enough to make me realize that I'm better off on my own. I don't need somebody in my ear. Um I always trusted my gut my whole career, and it was mostly the right decision.
So No, I wouldn't change them. Being someone who enjoys the misery of others. What? is more satisfying to the Ring General. A power bomb finish.
or putting them right to sleep.
So that's a question of like That's a question of like, how can I room the party in the most efficient way? How can I take a cheerful moment away from the audience and from my opponent? I think it really depends on the situation. But I think there is something to that drama that comes with somebody struggling in a sleeper hold and everybody just looking on and knowing, yeah, that's it. That might go on for a little bit, but there's no way out.
And I think that might be more satisfying.
Now, I brought up the last time you and I had a chance to talk, it was before the CNA match. You essentially told me exactly what you were going to do to John Cena. And you ended it with: I'm going to put him, I'm going to choke him out, and tap him out, and I'm going to beat him. Even though you said that's what you wanted to do and even though He was Something that you kind of maybe thought could happen. How shocked were you, or were you shocked when?
That tap actually happened. It was definitely a very shocking moment. And I could also tell he had still some left in the tank, but. It was a conscious decision to go like that. He decided it in the moment and.
I think he could have carried on for a little bit. But maybe Yeah, at the end of the day, I think that's the bigger achievement. I'm the one that made John Cena. give up mentally And sooner. And I think that's something nobody can claim for himself.
That was the ultimate achievement. It wasn't even. Mm-hmm. If you would have not tapped, I don't know if it would have been much of a difference. Um But at the end of the day, that's the biggest achievement.
It's like. Yeah, I made him. make the decision. To give up. And I think that's a psychological advantage for.
Yeah, all of the other opponents that I'm gonna have to underline because Yeah, John Cena, maybe one of the when it comes to willpower, one of the strongest wrestlers ever. And yeah, if he runs against the wall when he's in the ring with me, then Yeah, I think that puts pressure on people up front already, questioning themselves if they're going to have what it takes and if they're going to have enough willpower. and mental strength to get through it. Exactly. Of all the things that are on this man's resume, multiple championships.
Accolades, having that on your resume, there can only be one. There's going to be one. He's the only man to do it. And so, yeah, if I'm going up against this man, that's in the back of my head. Like, he made John Cena quit.
Yeah. No one else has been able to do that. It will be replayed throughout wrestling history to the end of time. This is going to outlive all of us. Yeah.
So. We remember the Intercontinental Championship reign. 666 days. What a number. All right.
And we remember what that reign was like, you speaking about the the level of excellence you want to bring the title back to and and and all the things that went into that long reign. What can fans Superstars, the WWE universe. expect If Gunther is the WWE Champion. I think when Gunther is the W champion, um The audience can expect that I'm gonna. Represent the WB championship in the highest regard and the highest quality possible.
Like, I always did. And I think that's a little bit what makes people extra. feel negative about me because They might not like my personality and that's okay. Like I said, I can live with that. But they know they need to respect my work.
They need to. appreciate what I do in that room. And I think those two things together is what just It makes it even worse for them. And That's what I'm going to try to do. I'm going to.
Yeah, it's almost like I want to win them over. That's not the end goal, but. My matches and my work is so good that they subconsciously Won't have any other choice than to feel respect towards me. But consciously They don't want to do that. And um Yeah, that's what I'm going to try to do.
It's a different way of. stirring up the pot a little bit, but That's what I would be focused on. You got to love the way this man goes about his business, man. You got to.
So damn proper. Yes. Gunther, on Wednesday, we had Cody Rhodes. He joined us on the Rich Eisen show. And I told him that I would be talking to you as you were going to join the No Contest Wrestling Podcast.
I asked him if he had any words. I was looking for maybe a prom or something, something to start something up. This is what he had to say when I asked him, did he have any words for you ahead of your matchup this weekend? No, I would tell him to enjoy his time with you guys. Enjoy making the media rounds.
This is some of the most fun you'll ever have. And he's getting to do that because he's wrestling for the richest prize in our game at Clash in Italy, which, in my mind, is starting to become one of the big four. And it only continues if he leaves Italy with the title. And as you know, and as O'Shea knows, I am easy to find and I am hard to beat.
So if he's to take the title and clash in Italy, then he can be the one to come back on your show and have it. But I think the way it will go is you'll talk to him. It'll be a great conversation. And then hopefully I'll show up in a few weeks and I'll have the title in tow and it will be a better conversation. Any thoughts on that?
Because it seemed to me like he was basically saying that you're in this position because you're going against him for that title. I don't want to start nothing. That's what it seemed like. Know what the difference is? Sitting here.
So, first of all, that's the first point. I got 30 minutes here with you. I get requested to do this interview because it's a big match. Of course, I do it. It's part of the profession and I honor that.
But obviously, Cody finds some way to get his face inserted into the 30-minute window that I have with you guys. That just speaks about everything I mentioned about Cody, about the attention seeking. Always finds a way to get the spotlight on him. And then, secondly, yeah, you know what? I think Cody is right.
I'm sitting here because I'm wrestling Cody for the WB Championship. The difference is, if I would not sit here with you, I would do something else in my life and I would be very happy and confident with that. The issue is, if Cody is not on those rounds that are so much fun, then he's sitting at home worrying, crying a little bit that he doesn't get the attention that he wants to, that he needs. He seems to run on that. Yeah, I'm glad he was obviously in New York, spending the whole day with you guys.
I spent the day with my wife here in lovely Cambridge in England and drank coffee in the city center and was not thinking for a second. Um I don't know, that I need to be on some interview to get seen to get uh recognition my recognition is going to come When the bell rings in Italy. And that's what I focus on. That's what I work for. And that's why I'm going to be the new WE.
undisputed champion when the second bell rings. I think Cody did say something for real, though. This has been a great interview. I'm loving this. It's a solid interview.
I'm having a great time the second time I get to speak. Did you see the fangs come out? Did you see my man? As soon as he popped off the screen, he was ready. This is what people have to expect Saturday at Clash in Italy.
It is. Oh, oh, oh.
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Get your instant free quote at ethos.com/slash sports. That's e-th-h-os.com/slash sports. Application times and rates may vary. Going to be a spectacle, I can tell already. You can catch the ring, General Gunther, as he goes for the undisputed WWE Championship against the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy this Sunday, May 31st, 2 p.m.
Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to watching this match. Watching these. And for the sake of.
Yeah, making noise for the business itself for that event. I think it's an amazing card. I think this is an absolute banger, PLE, that they put together. I think the other matches are really, really good and have high stakes. Um yeah, very excited for that.
All events and obviously main focus point. me becoming champion. But the location is good. I think the stakes are big And I think the atmosphere is going to be special. It's going to be different and Yeah, I'm going to be able to handle it and I have doubts if Cody will be able to handle it.
Okay. I mean, the card is stacked. The card is stacked, but you two. and your love of the business And your understanding of what it means to have that around your waist is what. New fans.
Need to pay attention to, and what us regulars are already salivating over, man. Definitely going to be a spectacle. I want to know. Who are The wrestlers that you watched, that you were Admiring the same way that we admire a superstar like yourself.
Okay. I would say the guys I watched is um It was mostly I was mostly influenced, I would say, by. Yeah, European wrestlers or guys that wrestle in Japan. Kobachi was always one of the guys that Kobachi looked up to, Stan Hansen, also a big Stan Hansen guy, Terry Gordy, those guys. And but I think what I really learned the most from was like from guys that I Yeah, tightly.
work with. Over the years. The first big matches, my first little big matches in my career were with Saxaber Julia back then and Daitkinsiki Moto. And those were like Brilliant. Long-lasting experiences for me with them, and we are kind of like brewed together at the same time, even though they were a little bit ahead of me.
Then later in my career, Timothy Vatcher joined, was somebody that I was heavily influenced by, and then also. Obviously, with my good friends. Ludwig Kaiser, he's somebody that from Who has all this knowledge and had all its stuff, all this knowledge passed down from his father, who was already a very, very successful wrestler in Germany and all over the world. Yeah, I think those are the guys that directly influenced me the most. I miss watching Ludwig.
I was a fan of his. I haven't seen him in a while. Hopefully, he's doing well. You know what I mean? Yeah, well, I'd love to see Ludwig back in the ring.
Privately, I'm still in touch with him, but professionally. Is he good, though? Is everything all right with him? He's all right, but professionally, he got kicked out of Imperium and he's gone. What can I do?
Well, let's talk about it. You're still cool with them, but you kicked them out of your group. How does how does that work? That that works because I'm somebody that is able to separate business from personal. Um, in some cases I don't.
It's a choice, but uh in that case I can. Uh Yeah, I get that. Doing well back back at his back at his office job. Nice. I completely get that.
One of my best friends had a TV show on MTV called Punked years ago, and I actually was a producer, and then I got fired.
So I get it. And we're still cool to this day.
So I understand. I understand. Must have done a really good job there. I've You set that up. I was like, oh no.
I don't. Look, to this day, I think I was wrongfully let go, but that's a story.
Now I know how Drakenoff felt. I just got that shot from Gunther right there. That was great. By the way, I also want to point out, just as a fan, I have to say this, because me and you have been to a lot of events where Gunther has wrestled. And, you know, when that music hits, you know, we put our arms behind our ring before we can relax.
But. You brought back the old music. Thank you so much. You know what? What is that any?
Like, is that a part of the superstars decision, or does it just do you just get a call that it's happening? Because that old music, it just hits differently. We think about when you, you know, when you first popped up. And we heard that music and that white background, and all, and it gave me that feeling again of your debut back in the day.
So, what had. Any of your your personal preference went into picking your old music? Oh yeah, actually I wanted that again because it Yeah, when I joined the main roster, I had a new song, a new entrance music, and I liked it. But it felt very much WWE. And I think my stronghold was always to be different than anybody else.
And In that environment, I felt that what I had before Was a part of that made me stand out. Nobody's really using a classical piece, and I had it for so long, so I developed a good feeling for it, and that's why I wanted it back. That was the simple reason for them. It's great for your creative wrestler on 2K, by the way. Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I remember when the song came back, I was watching and I had to pause it. I was like, wait a second. Am I hearing this right? Yeah, and then the crowd can get into it and start harmonizing with it. I love the old song.
It helps so much with the presentation. Yes. Now, also, a question that we ask everybody their first time on NCW. I need to know when did you get bit by the wrestling buck? When did something click in you that you wanted to get in there?
You wanted to be a part of the squared circle? It wasn't so. Let me think. I watched it as a kid. It was like back then, friends had VHS tapes and something in live.
I saw it in person. The first time my dad took me to the tournament in Vienna, when we still had the summer tournament. And how it was there was like in the They would go to different cities, but they would be in the same spot for It was always differently long, but I think Vienna was like 30 days, and for like 30 days, every day. there would be matches because it was like I said, it was a tournament. Um And I just like the I can put the finger on it, but I just like the vibe around it.
That there was mystique about it. There was just, it was a very grabbing atmosphere and feeling. Yeah, I was Yeah, I always liked that. It was it was always very intriguing and um Yeah, it never really went away. I I was like there was like a good amount of time where I didn't follow anything with wrestling.
Like, I played football and had other things going on in life. Then at some point, I just actually, when I stopped playing football, I. Yeah, I started looking into it again. Catching up with it. And Yeah, that's one I By accident, I found like an advert for a wrestling school in Austria.
That was the first time I was even voted. That exists here. I didn't know about that. And then I dug deeper. I have that thing where when I like something, I really like to.
Yeah. Grab a hold of it and know more about it, investigate it, try to understand it. In general, if I had an interest in something, and that was the case with Wrestling 2. I just went to a training and yeah, I enjoyed it. There was a little bit wrestling has to.
Pro wrestling has the vibe about. It takes athleticism. It takes a certain. craftmanship um But it's also it has the vibe of A little bit like the rock and roll life in that sense. It's always chaotic.
It's so much traveling. And yeah, I always like the combination of all of that. And yeah. That's when I I stuck to it. You know, back in the days, you know, I always hear the name Walter.
Okay, living over here, I, you know, I catch some clips on YouTube here and there, but I wasn't fully able to fully invest myself into his character. But you were. Man, there was almost like this mythical thing when your name would pop up on a website or on an Instagram post and it was all capital letters. You know what I mean? And you just had this aura.
You had this thing where like, Have you ever, have you seen, do you hear about this? Do you know about this guy? And then when you showed up on NXT. Is Pete Dunn, another guy who we haven't seen in a while. I hope he's doing well.
He's standing there with that UK championship, and your music hit. I remember that pay-per-view. I think he had just got done wrestling, maybe. one of the Coffee Brothers or something I can't remember. But that music hit and that Arena lost its mind.
And then you stepped onto the stage. And Pete Dunn, who was just rolling through people, a look of fear kind of came across his face. And you stepped out there, and people lost their mind as you made your way. to the ring. Can we go back to that?
Because You won the belt. You held it for over 800 days. But what was that feeling like when you stepped into that arena that day, knowing that there was going to be a whole group of fans who maybe have only heard about you, but never got to see you, and now You're here in NXT UK to do your thing. Um I I wasn't surprised by it because back then the UK Wrestling scene was so hot and so on fire. I was, I think, three weekends out of the month, I was in, I was flying to England to wrestle.
And any UK crowd, a very large portion. off defense and came to watch anything to UK. We're the same people that also went to all of those shows all over the country.
So I, yeah, I expected that they know me. And um I'm happy how it worked out because there was definitely A little bit of a gold rush almost when Annex TUK started, and everybody wanted to go there right away. And I was always more. Let's wait, let's see, let's let it play out a little bit, let's let some time pass and fill a gap. when it's needed.
Because if something starts out fresh and everybody jumps on it. A lot of the things happen at the same time. I think when I came in, NHC UK was in need for somebody like me. Yeah, the reaction I think tells that. I think people were ecstatic that I finally joined.
Uh WB and then it's the UK. And yeah, from there on, it went uphill. Yeah. I mean, you're talking about the man who you mentioned the 666 days as I see champion, 870 days. He likes to keep gold when he wins gold.
There's no quick, like, you know, back in the day, Tommy Rich won the NWA world title for five days and then Harley Race bait him back. When this man gets a hold of gold, it's staying with us. There's about to be furniture around. Yes. Yes.
Yeah, and so it is something that is. I've always been a fan of that too, of like long title reigns, especially with a heel. Whereas like. When I started out, I was oftentimes the tallest on the roster. Or the heaviest.
So I learned wrestling. Out of that position, out of the like being the mountain to climb and That counts for a match, but also I feel like If somebody beats me after I hold the title A short amount of time, it will mean less if somebody achieves that after a longer period of time, because just so many tried before. And um Yeah, I think that's why that worked out pretty well. And yeah, especially any UK, I want to point this out too with COVID. That was such a very special situation because When you're the champion of a company, obviously it's on you to Yeah, it's your responsibility to put on matches good enough that justifies buying a ticket or Uh to tuning into the show.
And obviously with COVID, that was a challenge because we were in an empty studio. There was for a few months there was nothing, then we were in an empty studio. And that was a big challenge, like how because that was new for the whole wrestling world. How How do we deal with that? And I was in a position with Ilya back then to actually turn this whole thing into an advantage.
I think the first matchup I had on NXT UK wouldn't have been as good. Um or as well received. Yeah. it wouldn't have been in an empty arena. I think that the atmosphere Really added to it.
And that was definitely a challenge. And I'm very thankful that it happened that way, because, in life in general, I'm a person. I need responsibility and I need A challenge I needed. I myself need a mountain to climb. And Yeah, I'm very thankful that happened because at the end I succeeded in that, and it was a very valuable lesson for the rest of my career.
And we always like to do this too for our fans that are watching. If you're not familiar with the matches that he had with Ilya Dragon, do yourself a favor after you're done with this. Please go wherever you can find YouTube or Netflix, wherever, and watch these matches because they're special. There are special matches. And the sounds of those chops in an empty arena are absolutely sickening.
Like you said, buckshot, shotgun. Everyone who's not familiar, please do yourself a favor after this and treat yourself. To watch some tremendous professional wrestling between these two men. Yeah, Ilya. and Gunther are both You're both superstars that I love, you know, there's a moment.
Where you can see in the opponent's eyes where they think, Are you mad at me? Are you upset at me? It's just a visceral. feeling that people get when they they watch you both Perform and you guys together, it was insanity. I want to go back to.
something you said about the m being the mountain to climb.
Now, I've always enjoyed heels when they have long runs. I mean, I'm a Roman fan. But heels when they go on long runs because. I just feel like the audience is way more engaged because they want him to lose so bad. Like Muhammad Ali found a way to make that in boxing.
You know, he's talking so much smack that most people are tuning in, you know, just hoping like this is the night, this is the night. And being the mountain to climb. There's a guest that we had that spoke that same way. A guest by the name of Obafami.
Now, when I think about Kuntha and Oba Femi, there's not a ring big enough. All right. Take my money. Are you. Are you the type to Study somebody like Oba, and the day that it does finally happen, you're prepared, or you're just tunnel vision with it.
I honestly don't really spend too much time on looking at what the other ones do. But I Always keep an eye on the big picture. And obviously, Oba is a standout talent. I think in the short time he's in a company, he's done. Yeah.
Huge steps. Um But I think that's also We will see how we deal with that. That's a big. burden or a big responsibility right from the get-go. And I want him, yeah, I want to see him succeed in that because I think he's an amazing talent and the future is very bright for him.
Yeah, the whole key. Yeah, maintains that, stays around.
So when it comes down to us to Um Yeah, he's gonna be ready for it. Love that answer. Yeah, that's amazing. That's a little bit to clarify quickly because. I'm tall and I'm a heavyweight, but people often put me in When they think about matches with Oba, it's not going to be something like how Ova and Brock is.
I wouldn't meet Oba. on a physical level. In the sense of, like, I'm going to match him up. He's stronger than I am. He's, I don't know if he's a little bit taller or not, and he's younger than I am.
So it makes absolutely no sense. I think what would make that interesting is seeing me work from Yeah, maybe even from underneath, a little bit wrestle from underneath against. A strong opponent. Um and I think that's a test that would be interesting for him, how to last in a in the longer match. How to endure 20 minutes with somebody much, much, much more experienced than him, and that's why I need him to, yeah, again experience himself first.
Because when I meet him, we want to meet him on eye level, tactical, cerebral. All right, you are in a bar enjoying yourself. There's fifty dudes In this bar. who are not a fan of the Ring General. I need you to pick a team of yourself and four other superstars of any era.
Okay. to make sure the Ring General is getting back to the car.
Well, first of all, I'd say this, I would avoid everything to be in a situation like that. Yeah, yeah, of course. I'm not a big nightlife person. But I but I think Yeah, I would I would take Ilya with me. He's a crazy man.
And also other person other other personal reasons, I'd take Kaida with me, who's been on my side many, many times. And then the last two. I mean, we got some. We get some machines. I'm just sticking to What we got now, I think it would take.
One of the Crete brothers. Yeah. So I think equally fine, either one. I think I will take all this. Yo, I think Otis has been on three teams.
I think so. That's a big man, right? Otis is doing dirt. Yeah, and very and very very present athlete too, so Love that. Love that.
Yeah. Love that team.
Now, Gunther, before we let you go, I want to let you know that you're now family, whether you want to be or not. You're now part of the no-contest wrestling family.
So whenever you're in LA, you come over, you let yourself.
Well, that's what they said. You can choose your friend and not your family. I like to think of ourselves as friends and family.
So you know you're in LA. We'll let you know where the spare key is. You come over, you help yourself out to whatever's in the kitchen. But in the house, but in the house, Gunther, we have a, in the garage, we have a DeLorean. It's a time machine from Back to the Future.
We're going to let you take the keys, right? Gunther and What I need you to do, what we need you to do is go back in time and pick five opponents from any era. that you would love to have a WrestleMania main event with. Which five men would you love to test your skills against? A wrestlemania manium.
So we're sticking WE, right? No, anyway, anyway. No, any. I just use WrestleMania because it's a big show. That's the grand oh that's the thing that those are things I never think about in my life.
And I get put on the spot here. That's the question. What is career-wise and financially, what would be the best choices? But let's stick with personal. Yeah.
For personal entertainment reasons. Yes, exactly. I would think. Kurt angle. I think Eddie Guerrero.
Add you. Um I think Sean Sean Michaels He always suffered in a very dramatic way, I think, the movie with it. Two left, right? Yes, sir. And I think Daniel Brian.
Oh.
Okay. I want You know what? Let's do the study undertaking. Man, I was hoping. I was hoping.
So, you against Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Sean Michaels, Daniel Bryan, and The Undertaker. I'm buying tickets for all of those matches. Oh, man. Beautiful, man. This has been really great, man.
It is so cool to be able to talk to you and really get in your mind. The appreciation that we already knew you had, it just oozed through this interview, man. Did you have a good time? Yeah. I kind of hoping, I was hoping that's what we got.
What a job! Thank you for having me, guys. Ladies and gentlemen, Gunther will be going up against Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship, May 31st, Clash in Italy. Make sure that you are watching. It is going to be a spectacle.
We can tell already. Gunther, thank you for your time. No, thank you guys. And don't forget to text Cody and thank him because of him you were able to talk to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be sitting here.
So. Thank you, Cody, and see you in Italy. Thanks for having me, guys. Yeah. There's no games being played.
None. Let me tell you. No games being played. I'm very happy we got the man to smile at the end there because I was a little worried he might slap us through the Zoom. We was trying to be so professional.
Man, no jokes. No jokes. Man, man. Man, he takes, like we said, he takes this wrestling thing very seriously. It's not a game.
He doesn't, he's not looking to go to Hollywood. He's not looking to go to some studio and be on the track with your pops. You know, he's just looking to step into that squared circle. Of course, after he wipes his feet and just Beating the will out of another man, like beating another man, choking another man, slapping another man until they don't want to get beat, choked, or slapped anymore. And you know what?
You got to kind of respect that. Yo, can we talk about how there's a German word for getting happiness for the misery? Schreidenfloyd. Bless you. Yeah, bless you.
Yeah, I've heard that word before. I can't pronounce it, but I've definitely heard it. And I looked up the definition once because someone used it. I was like, what does that word mean? That is like the haters.
Like Bledge, right there. That right there is just hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. But yeah, he's. It's gonna be something to watch. It's another one of those times where I'm feeling I'm like.
The wrestling fan, you know, the wrestling fan who's watched wrestling all these years and me is like. Cody got this. San Italy. They're not gonna make Cody. But then you think about it.
That would make Cody lose, right? And then it's like. Think about him winning this match in Europe, though. Yeah. In Europe, you know what I mean?
And just, you know, what that crowd's about to sound like. Oh.
It's about to be crazy. And if I'm not mistaken, usually, of course, champions don't start pay-per-views. If I'm not mistaken, Cody versus Gunther. And Rhea vs. Jade are going to be on ESPN proper.
They're going to kick off the pay-per-view.
So, think about that because now that's even more iced because not everybody has the app, right? Not everybody has subscribed.
So, not everybody is going to have the opportunity, I guess, to watch the pay-per-view. But everybody is going to be able to see those two championship matches. Does that add extra pressure? Not to this guy. It certainly doesn't.
I don't think he cares one way or another. It's just something for our fans to know that I believe, if I'm not mistaken, yeah, those matches are going to kick off the PLE.
So, what? Yeah. That's a key factor. Like, those are like. Mm, TJ.
Because the one thing I will say, you know, about Cody, Like Cody Cody didn't even make a full year. with his reign you know he lost at mania okay Cody is one of those guys that like If it's for if it's good for business. Mm-hmm. And like It just makes me ponder today. It makes me ponder.
I'm pondering. I'm pondering. This is going to be something to watch, and to know that it's going to be on ESPN. This is a. Yeah.
Might want to pay attention, y'all. Might want to pay attention. I know I will be. And I know all these other matches have recently taken place. You know, we've seen Roman against Jacob recently, Rhian Jade.
Um, Some of these other matches, but this one, although they did have that match we spoke of earlier in Sally, these two aren't really a rematch like these other ones. No, no, no, no, no, it's not fresh. Yeah, it's not fresh. It's been a festering bit of history that needs to be. Obam Brock, of course.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It needs to be settled. Yeah. And it's going to be settled. All right.
And here we go. And the thing about Gunther is he's not really one to. Take a L too nice, you know.
So, like, who knows if even this is it. Yeah, yeah. It's going to be something to watch. As wrestling fans, we know what we're all going to be doing. I'm going to be.
It's not really early, about brunch time. You should be. I'll be up by six.
So, you know, okay. You know what I mean? You an adult? I got a day job that, you know, requires me to be up early every morning. But let's talk about it, man.
That card, you're going to have reigns against Jacob Fat 2. Tribal combat. Yeah. This is going to get wild. Might be some color.
Eight digits. Maybe. There's going to be a lot of things going on. And if you recall, what was it a few years ago?
Solo made kinda his main roster debut. With Roman in Europe at a PLE. Do we see something? There's a lot of family members. Yeah.
There's a lot of five people. We got more brothers than the Wayans. Yeah, that's true. Shout out to the Wayans. You know, there's rumors of Zilla fought too.
Maybe he shows up. I don't know. You know, I haven't seen his social media in a while. No, I mean, I know he had maybe a House of Glory title or something that he recently dropped.
So who knows? There's a chance. I'm just saying, you just never know, but this tribal combat is going to be. Man, that's going to be worth the price of admission in itself as I'm wearing the Bloodline Jordans.
Well, you know, maybe somebody from Nike sees that and hooks a brother up. But, you know, then we also have an addition of Cody against Gunther, like we spoke, Rhea against Jade, Lesnar, and Femi, and then Becky Lynch against Sol Ruka. And. There was word that Sol got a little injured.
So hopefully she's okay. My soul, Rufus. Your soul.
So we'll see. But yeah, this is going to be an interesting card over here in Italy. I'm looking forward to it. Univer So Rooka. Yeah, but, you know, of course, Oba and Brock.
I want to see where that goes. You know, I think we kind of stayed there. Did Brock lose twice? Do Brock lose twice? Do you make Oba lose?
I mean like... Like, come on. I mean This is what we're talking about. The last episode, we said it was shenanigans, we said it was stuff was run amok. We were bamboozled.
And this is the confusion you're bringing us now because. Theoretically, there's no reason why he should lose. Yeah. Ober. There's no reason why he should.
Only other than the fact that it's Brock Lesnar. Man, that's what I was saying at WrestleMania. Then this dude beat him in what, four? Four minutes, four and a half minutes, yeah. I could, bro.
Four minutes. It would take you that long to go to the bathroom and come back. It's just enough for me to make some soup, not long enough for it to cool down. Right? Like.
Man, so Black people. Anyway, yeah, we're going to be watching that. It's pins and needles, edge of our seat, because I need to know where we're going. I know you didn't just give that blank check. For that man to come back and lose.
Right. I know you threw the monopoly bag at him. I know it. Because there ain't no way you took a moment from WrestleMania, a moment away from him and Paul hugging him. Yeah, but think about it.
Brock might have just got caught up in that moment. Maybe that was his goodbye to WrestleMania. Oh man. Maybe not exactly goodbye to wrestling. Maybe he knows that that's going to be the last mania.
Who knows? You know, there's all types of rumblings about SummerSlam. The man we just interviewed, his name had been attached.
So, who knows, man? I don't know what's going on. We're just, we're just like you at home. We're just sitting here.
Somebody said something in a YouTube comment for like for two dudes who like know so much. And I'm like, we don't. We don't know nothing. We don't claim we know everything. Like, we're like, we're you.
Except we're here. We're speculating on everything just like everybody else.
So that knows so much. We do know a lot, though. Yeah, I know a lot. Not everything. Not everything.
That's why we're a tag team. All right. Like. Come on, man. We face you right here.
We fans, okay? All right, we're just fans. All right, we just have to have a platform to spew our nonsense, okay? We're entertaining because we both be on TV.
Now, it seems to have worked out pretty well for us so far, but we are in no shape, way, or form, know-it-all. Yeah. Because you can't know it all unless you're writing it. But anyway. Although I do know I could name like all the WWE champions from like the first one to about the 25th.
But that's for another day. That's Big Tuna. That's for another day. It is with great pleasure that I would like to announce that I will be a part of Hall of Fame on ESPN Radio with Booker T and Brad Gilmore ahead of Clash in Italy this Saturday. Uh I think they got me on at 11.
2 p.m. Eastern. That's 11. That's good math. Yeah, math, my time.
All right, yeah.
So I will be joining the crew over there at Hall of Fame. It's my man Booker T. He helped us out. I got to help out. Book.
As soon as he gave me the hot tag, I'm in there. And my buddy Brad Gilmore. I'm pretty excited. Don't know what they're going to ask me. Which makes me nervous.
But it's all to get you ready for clashing Italy. And yeah, man, make sure you check it out. But, TJ, now that I told them where they can find me on Saturday. Can you tell the people where to find us all the time? Oh, yeah, all the time.
So, if you want to follow what we got going on here at No Contest Wrestling, all you got to do is if you're on YouTube, go to the YouTube page, go to the Rich Eisen Show page, and just type in No Contest Wrestling. You'll see all of our video clips there. If you're listening to us for your airgate, just go to ESPN, you go to Amazon, you go to Apple, you go to Spotify, basically anywhere that you listen to podcasts. And of course, on social media, you can find us on Twitter at There's No Contest, Instagram, No Contest Wrestling Podcast, or the TikTok, we're No Contest Wrestling Pod. We're everywhere basically, you know what I'm saying?
So you ain't got no s excuses for not finding us. On behalf of my podcast partner. The big tutor, the almanac, the bloodline. O.J. Jefferson.
You see the bloodline? Come on. I am O. Shea Jackson Jr. telling you all: make sure you have a good day, but not too good.
Who the hell you think you are?
So I'm saying. Oh.
Bye, Ms. Parker. This is what everyone's talking about. Everything's on the table. This is what champions come to take.
This is what everyone came to see. No do-overs. No second chance. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
This is Winner Take All. and it's all happening now. On the home of the NBA Finals, don't miss it, June 3rd on ABC in the ESPN half. Mm-hmm.
