Gunther says he’s walking out of WWE Clash in Italy as the new Undisputed WWE Champion, telling ESPN’s Get Up he’s never been more prepared for a match than he is for Sunday’s title challenge against Cody Rhodes in Turin.
“I’m not concerned about Cody. I’m not concerned about passing on a message. I know what I do. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m prepared mentally and physically. I’m at the highest performance level I’ve ever performed at. And walking into Italy, it’s going to be a very difficult situation for Cody, and it’s going to be a very enjoyable situation for me because I’m going to walk out with the title.”
The Ring General earned the shot by cashing in a favor owed to him by Paul Heyman, a sequence that Heyman finally revealed on SmackDown before the match was made official. Gunther framed the entire build as a single-minded pursuit of the championship, with no interest in the back-and-forth that has defined the feud.
Asked whether ending Cody’s career was the goal, Gunther kept his focus on the belt rather than the body count. “He’s still got some years ahead of him, I would say. But my focus is not, I’m not concerned with his career. The only thing I’m concerned about is walking out of Italy as the new champion, and that’s the most important goal.”
That certainty extends to his read on the matchup itself. Gunther made clear he believes the gap between the two is settled the moment the contest starts, regardless of what Rhodes says in the build.
The match is the locked-in feature of the weekend and opens the ESPN broadcast hour alongside Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill. Clash in Italy streams Sunday, May 31 from the Inalpi Arena in Turin, with the first hour airing on ESPN and the remainder on ESPN Unlimited.