As he prepares for his massive World Heavyweight Championship defense at SummerSlam this weekend, GUNTHER has shared high praise for his opponent, CM Punk. In a new interview, “The Ring General” called the challenger one of the most unique performers in the history of professional wrestling.
While speaking with Radio Times, GUNTHER expressed his excitement about facing Punk on such a grand stage. He noted that the opportunity to compete against top-tier stars is the reason he came to WWE.
“I’m looking forward to getting in the ring with [Punk] on a big stage like SummerSlam in a prominent spot like that,” said Gunther. “That’s why I joined the company, I wanted to be in the ring with the top, top guys and him coming back was a big deal, he’s one of the most unique performers that the business has ever had.”
The World Heavyweight Champion went on to say that this particular matchup is the one he has been most excited for during his entire championship reign, even more so than his defense against Jey Uso at WrestleMania earlier this year.
“I did ‘Mania with Jey [Uso] but I feel like SummerSlam with Punk from an overall perspective is the one that I’m most excited for so far,” he said.
The highly-anticipated championship match is scheduled to be one of the main events of the two-night SummerSlam premium live event this Saturday and Sunday. According to the final betting odds from BetOnline, CM Punk is the slight favorite at -180 to defeat GUNTHER (+140) and capture the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.