■The WWE returns to the Save Mart Center in Fresno on Sunday at 7 p.m.

■Record-breaking IC champ Gunther defends the title against Chad Gable.

■Gunther talks about the sacrifice to be a WWE superstar.

The life of a pro wrestling icon means sacrifice.

A WWE star can be on the road most of the week, traveling coast-to-coast and internationally, all while keeping up with training and avoiding injuries.

For Intercontinental champion Gunther, a career training in Europe is finally paying off. Although the wrestling world talks about Roman Reign’s WWE world title reign  —  more than 1,200 days and counting — it is Gunther who has the longevity record.

When Gunther defends the Intercontinental belt in Fresno on Sunday, it will be his record 618th day as champion. The reign long eclipsed the Honky Tonk Man’s 453-day run from 1987 to 1988.

“That’s a great accomplishment. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. But as of right now, I’m still a champion, and I need to be focused on that. And I think once it’s all said and done, I can fully enjoy it,” Gunther said in an interview with Off the Bottom Rope.

The WWE returns to Fresno on Sunday evening at the Save Mart Center, opening bell at 7 p.m. Gunther defends in the semi-main event against Chad Gable.

Gunther, an Austrian native, guarantees the best match of the night.

“Every time I get in the ring with Chad, it’s a very special occasion. He’s a former Olympian (competing as Chad Betts), maybe one of the best athletes,” Gunther said. “It’s hard to catch up with him when it comes to speed and pace, and it’s always a challenge.”

Gunther finds time for workouts and brings his own food, while traveling on the road with his in-ring partner Ludvig Kaiser.

The main event in Fresno is Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a street fight.

Watch Interview with Gunther

Life on the Road

The life of a WWE wrestler means being in a different city each night.

Gunther will leave his U.S.-based home in Orlando on Saturday morning to hit the road.

Saturday, the crew is in Oakland for a live show, before hitting Fresno, then a live “Monday Night Raw” in Anaheim on the USA Network. The crew heads next weekend for a “premier live event” (the fancy new term for pay-per-view) in Perth, Australia.

“We fly over and then arrive, go to the gym, go to the venue, do my match, and then get in the car again. And then we’re actually going to drive to Fresno and stay in a hotel there, and then wake up in the morning and repeat. That’s basically what it is. It’s a very tight schedule. But it’s the life of a wrestler. And that’s what I always wanted to do,” Gunther said.

Gunther recently became a father to a baby boy in December with his wife — former wrestler Jinny Sandhu. He said it is tough to be away from his family.

“That is the downside. And it’s just the price to pay, a little bit. But it’s also the things like my wife, Jinny, she used to wrestle before, so she knows the business. And I got a great backup there. And it’s always hard leaving a little one behind because I don’t want to miss anything. But on the other hand, I’m out there providing a great life for my family and, to sacrifice that you do now and then, the idea is that later on, you can live a life that nobody is able to live after you put the work in,” Gunther said.

Gunther on His Style

Gunther is known as “The Ring General,” with more of a ground-and-pound offense.

“It’s very down to earth, I would say, and very logical and very efficient,” Gunther said of his ring style. “I was never worried about what could I do to that is spectacular.”

While his style is mostly ground-based, Gunther will utilize a top-rope splash but will leave his feet for little else.

“I’m using a big splash off the top rope because I think it makes sense for me and I’m a heavy guy. But besides from that, I just always focused on doing the stuff that’s efficient and makes sense for me,” Gunther said.

Chops are a big part of a Gunther match. His chest and that of his opponent will quickly turn red, then black and blue. Gunther humbly said he has the best chops in wrestling, but credited Dominik Mysterio for throwing a tough chop as well.

Injuries are inevitable in a sport like wrestling. Gunther has torn his meniscus in the past. His pre-match routine includes plenty of calisthenics.

“I always used a lot of bodyweight movements, like regular pushups or body bodyweight squats, different pushup variations and stuff like that stretch your body as well. That keeps your body mobile. That’s something I but I trained in Japan early in my career,” Gunther said.

Gunther is the leader of the Imperium faction, which includes Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. The European trio storms to the ring with a no-nonsense style. But, Gunther rejects the notion there is a Cold War tinge to the heel group.

“When Kaiser and I started the character I have now, is the same I did back in Germany. It was more influenced by those old-school wrestlers back in Germany during tournament times,” Gunther said.

Gunther honed his skills in Germany and England before joining WWE in 2022. He remembers the days when a Vienna promoter limited ring wear to black trunks and black boots.

“Especially in a time where everybody tries to be flashy, tries to stand out with their outfits as with their in-ring style. I always thought it is a breath of fresh air to be the opposite,” Gunther said.

A WrestleMania Dream Deferred

WrestleMania XL is around the corner — April 6 and 7 in Philadelphia. WWE has not announced an opponent for Gunther yet, although recent TV storylines indicate it could be Jey Uso.

“People want to challenge me for the championship. And that’s just the mindset I have when it comes to that right now. I’m not really stressed about who am I going to face at WrestleMania,” Gunther said.

But, his WrestleMania dream match may never come to fruition.

“I always was vocal about my dream match in the past, but that fell through now. I don’t know if we’ll see Brock again if that’s ever going to happen. But I’m wide open when it comes to that as of now,” Gunther said.

That is Brock, as in Brock Lesnar, multiple-time WWE champ, ring dominator, and a major draw. However, Lesnar was indirectly implicated in a recent bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit against now-former WWE chairman Vince McMahon. The WWE swiftly cut ties with McMahon and Lesnar.

A Note About Reigns Reign

Technically, Reigns’ reign as WWE Universal champion — one of three “world” titles recognized by WWE — began in 2020. He is a dual champion, holding the WWE Championship — with a lineage dating to 1963 — since 2022. Seth Rollins is the other “world” title holder, awarded the newly-established World Heavyweight title last year.

A report earlier this week from WrestleTix indicated a near sellout of 7,300 tickets distributed (out of 8,182). The last trip to Fresno on Sept. 24, 2023, at the Save Mart Center, drew a reported 8,200 fans.