Gunther got some unexpected support as he prepares to face Cody Rhodes for the the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash in Italy this weekend.
The hosts of Netflix Italy revealed that soccer star Roberto Baggio had a personal video message for Gunther while he was a guest on their show.
In the video, Baggio himself said:
“Hi Gunther, it’s Roby. I saw the pictures of you wearing my jersey during training. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I hope all of this brings you good luck for Clash In Italy, and of course for your life in general. Big hug, see you soon, ciao!”
“Thank you, guys! I didn’t expect that! We need to invite him to the event. I need to talk to our people here,” said an excited Gunther in response.
Earlier, when asked if there was a football star he admired, Gunther explained that Roberto Baggio was always one of his favourites.
“I felt so much with Baggio on that day. Sometimes the real heroes are the ones who thing don’t work out fully in the end. That is why I always liked him,” said Gunther of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in which Baggio led the team to the final against Brazil. The final ended 0–0 and went to penalties. Baggio who carried the team on his back the entire tournament by scoring crucial goals against Nigeria, Spain, and Bulgaria failed to score in the penalties giving Brazil the win.
Gunther also told the hosts he is proud to be the one to retire so many great WWE superstars.
“It feels fantastic. You have to put yourself in my shoes. When I was a teenager I played video games with those characters then I find myself in real-life matches with all of those guys like John Cena, Goldberg and AJ Styles. It is surreal moment but you get used to it quickly and you have to be focused in the moment. It is great to be the one who sent them away, It was time for them to go,” he said.
Speaking from Florida, Gunther said he is excited to return to Europe and Italy this weekend.
“When I came up in the indies in Europe there was a brief period of time when Italy was “super hot” for wrestling. There were so many fans in Italy. WWE was doing great. I never really got to go there at that time. I was always mad about that because in general I love going there. I am very excited to come back with WWE. We have done a live event in Bologna. That was a fantastic crowd. A fantastic atmosphere. I am glad we are being back Smackdown too. We have brought the PLE to Italy now,” said Gunther describing the fans as passionate there.
