Gunther is one of the best wrestlers in the WWE, and looks set to become a main event player in the WWE.
His record-breaking reign as Intercontinental Champion has introduced American fans to the Imperium leader, although he had previously toured Europe as the “big boss” of the continent.
Formerly known as WALTER, Gunther has had some of the best matches in WWE in the past few years.
He has had six matches that earned a five-star rating from Dave Melter, and in this article we will go through every one of them for you.
GUNTHER 5 Star Matches
WALTER vs Zack Sabre Jr – PWG All Star Weekend 13 (5 Stars)
Before he joined the WWE, WALTER had a fantastic 5 star match against Zack Sabre Jr in PWG.
This was also before Zack Sabre Jr became a big star in NJPW, around the time of his stint in the WWE in the Cruiserweight Classic.
They battled in a technical classic in PWG, with the hardcore fan base in the crowd playing along with every hold and strike, making this a five-star match.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 9.42
- Atletifo Rating – 4 Stars
Tyler Bate vs WALTER – NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff (5.25 Stars)
NXT Takeover Cardiff marked the first WWE ran a major show in Wales. It featured some fantastic matches, including two of the best Welsh wrestler being the first Welshmen to win championships in the WWE.
However, despite that absolutely incredible performance, the match of the night went to the main event. It is the best match I have ever seen live and for me, the greatest WALTER match he’s even been a part of.
However, the users over at Cagematch rated it number three in WALTER’s best WWE matches. That match is WALTER vs Tyler Bate for the United Kingdom Championship.
WALTER as usual pulled out an incredible performance, but the match made Tyler Bate the star of the show.
He showed incredible spirit, power and strength trying to take down the man mountain that is WALTER. His repeated attempts at the Tyler Driver 97 had the crowd on their feet, and they exploded once he finally hit it for the near fall.
When WALTER hit Bate with a powerbomb toward the end of the match, the air was sucked out of the arena. As the champion went for the cover, fans knew that the match was over and that WALTER had retained the United Kingdom Championship.
However, they soon erupted as Bate kicked out at one, shocking the champ as he leapt to his feet ready to keep on fighting. A huge clothesline knocked him down again for the win, but the Englishman came out of the match looking like he could beat WALTER should a rematch be booked.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5.25 Stars
- Cageamatch Rating – 9.60
- Atletifo Rating – 6 Stars
Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER – NXT UK 29/10/22 (5 Stars)
WALTER’s first match against Ilja Dragunov earned him another five-star match rating from Dave Meltzer.
The second-best match of WALTER in WWE is his first clash with the Russian wrestler Ilja Dragunov in NXT UK. The pair fought over WALTER’s United Kingdom Championship, with WALTER coming out on top on this occasion.
This match is arguably the best match in WWE of 2020, and one of the best in WWE history, despite only being WALTER’s second best match. This is a testament to the incredible ability of these men.
It was an old-school style match of brutal proportions. Dragunov’s chest was red raw after the match, looking more like he’d been in a car crash than a wrestling match. Whilst that is part and parcel of a WALTER match, this one took it to another level.
- Dave Metlzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cageamatch Rating – 9.63
- Atletifo Rating – 4.5 Stars
Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER – NXT Takeover 36 (5.25 Stars)
Not content with their first five-star match, Ilja Dragunov came back again to beat WALTER in a match that exceeded the legendary five-star rating.
Battling in the United States for the first time, WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov II took place at NXT Takeover 36, one of the best pay per views the promotion has ever put on.
In a hard-hitting match that had become a staple of WALTER’s WWE matches, he used all his might to try to put down the plucky Russian, although nothing could keep him down for three.
Ilja Dragunov won a match that surpassed the original, and saw him win the NXT UK Championship for the first time.
- Dave Metlzer Star Rating – 5.25 Stars
- Cageamatch Rating – 9.67
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
Gunther vs Sheamus – Clash at the Castle 2022 (5 Stars)
Despite a change in name, Gunther did change much in his in-ring quality.
He pulled out his first five-star match on the WWE main roster when he took on Sheamus in Cardiff.
This was at Clash at the Castle, the first UK Stadium show since 1992. Determined to do better than Bret Hart vs British Bulldog, both men pulled out all the stops to put on a match of the year candidate.
No match in WWE history was as hard-hitting as this, mixed with some wonderful psychology and audience interaction to make this match a joy to watch.
It also gave Sheamus his first five-star match in his career, despite being into his 40s.
- Dave Metlzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cageamatch Rating – 9.16
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
Gunther vs Sheamus vs Drew McInture – WrestleMania 39
Gunther once again took on Sheamus, as well as his fellow European Drew McIntyre, in a huge match at WrestleMania 39.
Defending his Intercontinental Championship again, they fought in perhaps the greatest Triple Threat match in WWE history.
Getting a full five-star match from Dave Meltzer, the trio put on the hardest-hitting match in WrestleMania history.
The three men left welts on each others chests, in a match that never slowed down and neglected to treat wrestling as a work – it felt too real.
Gunther retain his title in the 5 star contest, but all three men took the plaudits in one of the best WWE matches of 2023.
- Dave Metlzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cageamatch Rating – 9.42
- Atletifo Rating – 4.5 Stars