The January 12 episode of WWE Raw was headlined by a singles contest between Gunther and AJ Styles. Throughout the bout Styles targeted Gunther’s leg and The Ring General sold the attack as he started limping near the end of the match. The Phenomenal One locked in the Calf Crusher several times as he tried to wear Gunther down.
Near the end of the match AJ released the hold because he thought Gunther had tapped out. He argued with the referee who explained that Gunther didn’t tap out, so the ref looked to the timekeeper as he declared that the match would continue. As the referee was turned around Gunther hit AJ Styles with a low blow then followed up with a powerbomb as he pinned AJ to win the match.
After the match a different camera angle was shown which confirmed that Gunther did tap out, but he tapped out on AJ’s leg in a spot where the referee couldn’t see it. As the show was coming to an end Gunther laughed as he made his way to the back.
