Original Plans For WWE Raw Gauntlet Match Revealed

Gunther's challenger for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40 was determined in the main event of the March 11 edition of Monday Night Raw as six competitors faced off in a Gauntlet Match.

The match began with Ricochet vs. JD McDonagh and Ricochet managed to advance before his elimination by Bronson Reed. Sami Zayn then entered the match and managed to eliminate the man who once defeated Kazuchika Okada in the G1 Climax. A post-elimination attack from Reed looked to have left Zayn easy prey for Shinsuke Nakamura but Sami managed to eliminate his former faction mate. This brought the match down to Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable and Zayn managed to score the victory after countering an Ankle Lock into a roll-up for the 1-2-3.

That wasn't WWE's original plan for the Gauntlet match, however. Fightful Select noted an hour before Raw that Bronson Reed and Ricochet were scheduled to begin the match and Reed would have eliminated Ricochet. Sami Zayn would have then eliminated Reed, JD McDonagh, and Nakamura on his way to facing Chad Gable in the final stages of the match.

Sami Zayn is already a three-time Intercontinental Champion. Gunther, meanwhile, is the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history for single and combined reigns.