Gunther has been showing glimpses of good character in the last few weeks. The Ring General greeted the Saudi Arabian crowd before the Crown Jewel in their culture. He congratulated Cody Rhodes on winning the Crown Jewel Championship. As Ludwig Kaiser tried to demean Cody's win, the Ring General stopped him and claimed it to be his fault for losing.
Gunther has arguably had his best work in 2024. The star wrestler continued his reign as the Intercontinental Champion which he became in the second half of 2022. He remained the mid-card champion till WrestleMania XL where he was beaten by Sami Zayn. After losing the title, Gunther aimed higher and went for the world title.
Gunther became the King of the Ring and earned himself a shot at the world title. He did not waste it and ended up defeating Damian Priest to become the World Heavyweight Champion at Summerslam. He defended the title at the WWE Bash in Berlin against Randy Orton in Germany.
Gunther's change in character in the last few weeks
After the match, Gunther congratulated the Viper for putting on a show. It was the first instance of a slight change in character on his part. In the following weeks, he took a dig at the legends like Bret Hart and Goldberg. Many felt he was the best heel of the year for his improved mic skills.
However, the feud against Cody saw a different version of Gunther. All his promos were directed at Cody and his achievements. It was a rare instance where the Ring General did not demean his opponents. In the pre-match conference ahead of the Crown Jewel, Gunther did something which was not expected.
He greeted the Saudi Arabian fans with "Assalamualaikum" which got loud cheers. While he did resort to his heel character, Gunther congratulated Cody on winning the Crown Jewel Championship after losing in the main event of the night. On Raw after the PLE, he stopped Ludwig from slandering Rhodes' achievement and claimed he had to improve.