Sami Zayn ends Gunther's historic Intercontinental Championship reign at WrestleMania 40

In Philadelphia, the home of the iconic movie character Rocky Balboa, it was only fitting for there to be a huge victory by an underdog at WrestleMania 40.

At Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, the fan-favorite underdog Sami Zayn challenged Gunther, who held the WWE Intercontinental Championship since June 10, 2022, bringing him to a total of 666 days entering WrestleMania 40. This surpassed the record previously held by Honky Tonk Man, who defended the Intercontinental title for 454 days.

Well, the 666 figure may have been cursed for Gunther. With the Austrian star toying with Zayn and teasing his wife, that turned out to be his undoing. Zayn hit Gunther with his signature Helluva Kick move as he climbed the top rope. Then, Zayn hit a top rope brainbuster on Gunther on the top turnbuckle. Zayn would hit not one, but two more Helluva Kicks to win the Intercontinental title and end Gunther's historic reign.

Sami Zayn conquers Gunther, ends record-breaking Intercontinental Championship reign at WrestleMania 40

Gunther had proven to be difficult to dethrone for nearly two years. The list of names he has conquered is high-profile, and seemingly endless. Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Shinsuke Nakamura, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, and more. But there is one name that Gunther was not able to add to his list of defeated opponents during his title reign -- Zayn.

Leading up to the match, Zayn had expressed that he had no confidence in beating Gunther. But with some help from Chad Gable, who he defeated last in a gauntlet match on the March 11 episode of Monday Night Raw.

Zayn may very well be the streak-ender at WrestleMania. Just last year at WrestleMania 39, Zayn and Kevin Owens beat The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships, ending their record-breaking reign at 622 days.

With Zayn now the Intercontinental champion, who will be his first challenger? Also, what's next for Gunther? Is the World Heavyweight Championship on his mind? We'll find out in the weeks and months after WrestleMania 40.