Gunther arrived on the May 15 episode of WWE SmackDown expecting a straightforward contract signing with Cody Rhodes for Clash in Italy.
Instead, the situation quickly spiraled after an unexpected interruption turned a guaranteed championship opportunity into a much bigger problem for The Ring General.
With tensions rising in Columbia, South Carolina, one WWE star decided he was tired of waiting for opportunities to be handed out — and business definitely picked up faster than a Money in the Bank cash-in.
Royce Keys crashes Cody Rhodes and Gunther contract signing
Cody Rhodes opened SmackDown by personally setting up the contract signing in the ring. The Undisputed WWE Champion dragged chairs and a table into the ring himself before calling out Gunther to officially finalize their title match for Clash in Italy.
Gunther, however, wasn’t interested in making things simple. The former champion accused Rhodes of always making situations about himself and demanded to be addressed properly before signing anything. Rhodes sarcastically obliged, telling him to “please” sign the contract so he could get “his ass kicked in Italy.”
That hesitation created an opening for Royce Keys to storm onto the stage. Keys declared that if Gunther refused to sign the contract, he gladly would instead.
After marching into the ring, Keys came face-to-face with Rhodes before grabbing the contract pen. Gunther immediately stepped in, leading to a heated shoving match between the two heavy hitters.
The chaos brought out SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, who ruled that Gunther had “overplayed his hand.” Aldis officially voided the guaranteed title opportunity and announced that he would now have to earn it the hard way.
Later that night, Gunther and Royce Keys were set to clash in a high-stakes number one contender’s match, with the winner advancing to face Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash in Italy.
For Royce Keys, it marked the biggest spotlight of his WWE run so far. For GUNTHER, the road to Cody Rhodes suddenly became much less Ring General and a lot more survival mode.
