WWE took its European tour to the land of tapas, fútbol, and now, one very bruised luchador. World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER arrived on SmackDown ready to verbally smack his WrestleMania challenger Jey Uso before physically smacking Spain’s own Axiom into a different tax bracket.
The “Ring General” strutted to the ring, mic in hand, and immediately embraced classic heel diplomacy—by insulting the city he was standing in. Playing up Barcelona’s age-old rivalry with Madrid, GUNTHER declared he’d rather be there, before shifting his sights to Uso. Then, in an unexpected twist, he drew a comparison between Uso and NXT Tag Team Champion Axiom—but instead of using his flashy new alias, he dropped the nostalgic throwback “A-Kid”—earning him a pop from fans who still own their NXT UK DVDs.
Not one to let national pride be body-slammed, Axiom answered the challenge, stepping up for what turned out to be a certified “Hide Your Chest, It’s About to Get Red” classic. The Spanish high-flyer put up a valiant fight, using his agility to evade some of GUNTHER’s patented “Legal Assault” chops. He even blasted the champ with a Golden Ratio kick for a shocking near-fall and nearly made GUNTHER tap with a Ring of Saturn submission.
However, much like Spain’s economy after a bad fútbol season, Axiom just couldn’t hold on. GUNTHER eventually powerbombed, lariated, and powerbombed again—because why stop at one—before securing the win. But because his “Villainy Level” was cranked to Boss Fight Mode, GUNTHER choked out the already-defeated Axiom post-match, just to make sure Spain’s favorite son had no more ribs left to protect.
Final Verdict:
- Axiom gained respect.
- GUNTHER gained another victim.
- Barcelona gained a local hospital ward named after the Ring General’s right hand.
Officials pleaded with GUNTHER to stop, but much like Barcelona’s traffic, he refused to slow down. WrestleMania may be on the horizon, but after this match, Spain’s real national emergency might be the number of superstars left with functional ribcages.