Gunther has had a notable career within WWE. “The Ring General” set up news for the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion and longest generation spent in a Royal Rumble, becoming King of the Ring and demanding situations for the industry heavyweight title at SummerSlam. He completed all this in a 28-month run on the primary list.
Gunther’s dominance in the top pro wrestling promotion is not visible, however, he was not all the time working the contest so easily. Gunther, 36, will proclaim his 20 years as a certified wrestler and then walk away. Through the middle of that career (around 2013 or 2014), Gunther found himself at a crossroads that all but erased the legacy he would later carve out for himself.
“I had a day job, working only night shifts for almost three years and wrestling on the weekends. That took a toll that was hard to sustain,” Gunther told CBS Sports. “My goal was always to make a living from professional wrestling. That was nowhere in sight, so I thought I should quit and focus on a career at my real job.
“I spoke with [Westside Xtreme Wrestling] and he said, ‘Either I run a wrestling school for you and that’s my process, or I think I’ll quit.’ They were glad they did it. They wanted to have a wrestling school. “They hired me and ever since then, specialty wrestling has been my main career.”
Gunther, basically known as WALTER at the time, was synonymous with promotion in Germany. He became one of Europe’s biggest wrestlers, a name that was etched into WWE’s image when the promotion introduced NXT UK in 2016. WWE has emphasized his global success in recent years, regularly touring the industry to perform his monthly pay per view. The events the company refers to as top-tier are live events. One of those events is the inaugural Bash in Berlin tournament on August 31, WWE’s first pay-per-view in Germany.
Most parties involved know if Gunther will defeat Damian Priest on August 3 to become world heavyweight champion at SummerSlam, but most expect Gunther to have a major presence in Berlin regardless. Bash in Berlin will speed up the seven- or eight-hour drive from Vienna, Austria, Gunther’s birthplace.
Gunther clearly remembers fighting in mini-rooms throughout Germany. It’s surreal to think that Gunther could enter the 17,000-capacity Uber Arena as a world champion, having cut his fight teeth in Berlin’s nightclubs.
“When [Ludwig] Kaiser and I were in wXw, we were trying to commit to that and put aside everything else in life to make it big and get it going,” Gunther said. “We did 60 or 70 shows a month. After each show, the big speech was that we worked hard to make professional wrestling in Germany accessible again and create a stage where people could reliably enjoy and be entertained. Obviously I’m not the only reason this event is happening, but I want to state that the fact that I’m in WWE right now is a factor in why they wanted to do a PLE there. “I think it’s a very nice achievement.”
Gunther and his Imperium teammate Kaiser would be skeptical if they had been told a decade ago that they would one day play a role in bringing WWE’s debut pay-per-view to Germany.
“It was very unrealistic,” Gunther said. “The chances weren’t that high and they weren’t for most of my career because WWE didn’t open up to the independent circuit like it did. It changed a lot when they started hiring guys from the indies and being open to the wrestling scene. It’s been a long journey to get here, so now I’m ready to enjoy it.”
Returning to his old home of Berlin as world champion could be a pivotal week in Gunther’s career, but he is no longer hanging the cart before the pony. Gunther will first have to defeat the current champion Priest, a superstar who is slowly discarding the idea that he is a transitional champion who maintains the heat of the name.
“It would be the greatest achievement of my career,” Gunther said. “I think it’s pretty obvious. He’s the world heavyweight champion. It’s the biggest prize you can win in this sport. That would be a big accomplishment but also a big responsibility and a challenge. That’s what I’m here for. I want to be in mixing with the best and in the ring with all of them to prove my worth in that sense.
