Drew McIntyre, Sheamus And Others Will Battle For IC Title Shot At WWE WrestleMania

GUNTHER is still waiting to know who his opponent will be at WrestleMania 39, but he won't have to wait much longer. Friday night on "WWE SmackDown," superstars couldn't wait to throw themselves at the Intercontinental Champion. It started with Drew McIntyre, who was the first to call out the Austrian. That drew the ire of Sheamus, but before things progressed too far out came L.A. Knight, followed by Kofi Kingston (with Xavier Woods), and Karrion Kross.

Following a chaotic scuffle, WWE made it official. Next week on "SmackDown," there will be a Fatal Five-Way Intercontinental Championship Qualifying Match between Kingston, Kross, Knight, Sheamus, and McIntyre. GUNTHER's last successful title defense came against Madcap Moss on February 17, when Imperium's leader needed just over ten minutes to retain.

Knight has been seeking a WrestleMania moment for the past few weeks despite coming off a recent loss to Kingston. As for Kross, he's been embroiled in a feud with Rey Mysterio. Notably, those two were previously in the Fatal Four-Way match that Moss won to get a crack at the Intercontinental Title in February. Sheamus, famously, was in a match of the year candidate against GUNTHER at Clash at the Castle last September but fell short. He received a rematch, failing in that bid as well.

Meanwhile, GUNTHER has held the Intercontinental Title since he defeated Ricochet on the June 10 episode of "SmackDown." Fast forward to the present, and he's now held the championship longer than anyone else in the 21st century.