Former WWE figure says 34-year-old SmackDown star benefited from losing to Gunther (Exclusive)

Gunther has been one of the most dominant stars of WWE this past year, gaining a stronghold of the Intercontinental Championship. The quality of matches he has put on has made many believe he will be a top heel - including former WWE figure Dutch Mantell. The wrestling veteran believes that Ricochet was one of the superstars who benefited from losing to the Intercontinental Champion and revealed how.

Ricochet was the man the Imperium leader beat to become the Intercontinental Champion. However, the 34-year-old Ricochet would earn a title shot after winning the SmackDown World Cup, although he ultimately fell short.

Dutch Mantell was full of praise for the Intercontinental Champion, stating that even Ricochet looked better despite losing to him:

"Remember I said, not too long ago about [Ricochet], that his loss to Gunther helped him? His loss actually made him more over because he hung in there with him there for a while." [6:44 - 6:59]

You can watch the full video below:

What does the road to WrestleMania have in store for Gunther?

It's going to be interesting to see what the road to WrestleMania will look like for the Intercontinental Champion. He has declared his entry into the Royal Rumble match, and it is assumed that fellow-Imperium members Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci will also be there - making Gunther a major threat.

As of now, the only rumor is that the Intercontinental Champion could face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania - assuming that WWE isn't moving forward with the Bobby Lashley trilogy match.

The Austrian has admitted that Brock Lesnar is his dream opponent inside the Squared Circle, stating that he is one of the best of all time and that it would be one of the biggest challenges of his career.

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