Gunther spoke with the Italian Wrestling channel for an in-depth interview to promote next week’s WWE Clash In Italy premium live event, where he challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
The following are some of the highlights from the interview.
On expectations for Cody Rhodes match at WWE Clash In Italy: “I think he’s done his bit and I’m in the process of doing my bit as well. So, I think it will not disappoint on any level. Looking forward to it.”
On if he thinks he’ll receive a positive crowd reaction in Italy: “We’ll see. Well, obviously we’re in Europe, that’s my home turf… Happened similar before but it’s nothing that shakes me or something. I even think it makes it a little bit more interesting, to be honest. Might feel a little bit like an away game for Cody.”
On if he misses being a world champion: “Well, got to have goals to reach I guess? But that’s the ultimate goal of every professional wrestler is you want to be a champion. So it’s what I’m here to do.”
On the future of pro wrestling in Europe: “As you see in this tour, it’s not like a few shows here and there anymore. WWE is now bringing a PLE to Italy for the first time. I think over the last years the company has shown that they’re very serious about the European market, which, yeah, it’s obviously to my excitement. I just think if people keep showing up, then I think it’s going to keep carrying on like this. So, the future looks bright for wrestling in Europe, I think. That’s very encouraging for a lot of the European talent that might just starting training or is a few years in, has big goals and wants to achieve a lot of things. I think those possibilities are there now. There’s been a lot of us in the company that had a similar journey. When I started all of that seemed very far away and unrealistic. But now, it’s like the wrestling scene became a lot closer and it’s great for everybody involved.”
Watch the complete interview via the YouTube player embedded below.