Sami Zayn will defeat GUNTHER at WrestleMania 40

WrestleMania 40 is just about one month away. The anticipation for the big show is growing. There are several storylines taking shape on WWE Raw and SmackDown. One of which is around the WWE Intercontinental Championship. GUNTHER is looking for a challenger and it looks like the said challenge will be finalized after a gauntlet match. Looking at the list of men involved in the match, Sami Zayn stands out as the favorite to not only win but take that belt off GUNTHER’s waist.

Zayn’s current angle is the basic professional wrestling underdog story. Zayn dropped several singles matches over the last few months. Along the way, he’d lose confidence of getting another Mania moment. With two wins over Shinsuke Nakamura, he’s changed gears. He’s been featured in some backstage segments with Imperium, setting the stage for Gunther to be his final boss in April.

Gunther has done all he can do with the Intercontinental Championship. By the time WrestleMania gets here, he will have surpassed 650 days as champion. It’s time for him to drop that title and this angle for Zayn is the perfect way to get there.

Zayn is one of those guys in professional wrestling that fans can’t help but love. He doesn’t have the ripped physique of a Finn Balor. He’s not a big man like Oba Femi. Nor is he an amazing athlete like Bron Breakker. Yet, Zayn is an amazing sports entertainer and professional wrestler all mixed into one. He can do everything that’s necessary to “get over” with the fans and be another major babyface in a company that is in desperate need of more. Zayn can cut a rousing promo, then have a five-star match with nearly anyone on the roster minutes later.

And then there’s the work he does outside the ring, raising awareness of important humanitarian causes in the world. Zayn is the guy that WWE must elevate and WrestleMania 40 is the perfect time to do so. That will come at the cost of Gunther’s championship run, but the time is right.

It will be interesting to see where Gunther would go without the championship. Drew McIntyre is expected to defeat Seth Rollins. Cody Rhodes is expected to defeat Roman Reigns. Gunther could be a top foil for Rhodes, and perhaps the number one contender for WWE Bash in Berlin on August 31. But that is the type of showcase where he should become a champion or hold a title heading into the match. How does WWE get to that moment?

Regardless of the answer, the fact that such an important question is looming over Gunther shows how WWE’s booking is working. The same is true for Sami Zayn. Things have shaped up perfectly for him to win the gauntlet match on March 11 and then defeat Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40.