The Gunther vs. Chad Gable finish was good, but could have been even better

Also, why the Shinsuke Nakamura promo video on Raw this week was so good.

It sure does feel good knowing that the WWE Intercontinental title means something again. Right?

I can’t remember the last time that I consistently looked forward to seeing the title defended. Gunther against pretty much anyone is must-watch television, in my eyes.

This past Monday, my excitement level was exponentially higher knowing Gunther was defending his title against Chad Gable, one of the most talented yet somehow under-utilized wrestlers in the world.

And to my elation, Gunther and Gable delivered a great television match that included an exciting and sensible finish. 

Gable technically won the match by countout Monday night after he German suplexed Gunther over the barricade in a very entertaining spot. 

The loss for Gunther was his first on the main roster, which gives Gable a big feather in his cap despite not claiming the ultimate prize in the Intercontinental title.

Because Gable did not win the title, it sets up a potential rematch between the two at Payback. And yes, I am very much looking forward to that encounter as well.

However, I have to make one critique. Only one. And for some, it may be a mere nitpick rather than a fully-fledged critique. If you feel that I am nitpicking, I understand. Please forgive me.

But it was something about the end sequence of that match that didn’t sit right with me. It kind of took me out of the moment. And that one thing was Gable not acknowledging that he didn’t win the title. Instead, he got up on the top rope and celebrated with the fans as if he in fact became the new champion.

It wasn’t really until Gunther demanded that he’d be announced as still being the champion that Gable said that he was eventually coming back to get the title.

Let me reiterate, handing Gunther his first loss on the main roster is a big deal and something for Gable’s character to be proud of. But this wasn’t supposed to be about just beating Gunther. This was about becoming Intercontinental Champion. And unfortunately for Gable, that did not happen Monday night.

If this were a non-title match and Gable handing Gunther his first loss led to a future title match, I could understand him celebrating to the degree that he did. But this was a title match, and the sole objective in any title match is to …win the title.

We have to acknowledge that we have to use pro wrestling logic in general when it comes to this finish. Making someone look good without actually accomplishing the ultimate goal is a uniquely professional wrestling troupe.

In all other forms of sports, if you don’t win the title, you’re not really doing a lot of celebrating. I have seen a lot of grown men cry their eyes out after losing the Super Bowl. But in professional wrestling, which is never-ending, it is a means to set up something else in the future. 

The most famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) instance of this type of finish would be Lex Luger beating Yokozuna at SummerSlam in 1993, also by countout. 

Thirty years ago, WWE went the extra mile of having confetti and balloons rain down on Luger, a guy who just won via a technicality. WWE then did Luger even dirtier by never following through on making him champion. Instead, the company pivoted to Bret Hart, who the fans actually liked, and Luger was out of the company by the fall of 1995.

Fortunately for Gable, WWE showed restraint this past Monday night and held off on the ticker-tape parade in favor of a more subdued celebration. 

But in my admittedly overly-critical mind, I think it could have been dialed back even more.

Another quick Raw thought:

I like the direction WWE is taking with the Seth Rollins-Shinsuke Nakamura story. Bringing Rollins’ real-life back injury into a story and making it a major weakness for the champion is a clever move by WWE. It instantly provides Rollins with the necessary sympathy a babyface needs. 

I also loved the sit-down promo style WWE produced for Nakamura Monday night. Nakamura spoke Japanese and unsurprisingly looked more comfortable being able to speak in his native language. I hope this is something WWE can produce for him more often as I think it can really help him in the future.