Gunther Undergoes Name Adjustment By WWE

If you’ve been a fan of or have been following current WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther for awhile, especially in his Imperium days in NXT UK, then you may be happy with the name adjustment that WWE has recently made.

At WWE’s Extreme Rules Premium Live Event, the Imperium faction is set to face off against the Brawling Brutes in a Six-Man Tag Team Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match. The match is already flashy on paper, but that’s not the only thing that got fans attention.

In the promotional write-up for the match, WWE.com no longer lists Gunther as ‘Gunther,’ instead, they now list the name as ‘GUNTHER.’

To the casual fan, the all-caps presentation may not mean much, but it continues the glory Imperium days in NXT UK when he was known as WALTER. He would also use the name on the independent circuit before signing with WWE.

When the change to WALTER took place earlier this year, many fans were upset. The GUNTHER name adjustment could make things up a little, paying homage to the WALTER label.

The longest-reigning champion in NXT UK history, WALTER was transferred to NXT back in January by WWE, and that wouldn’t be the only thing different. The move would also come along with a name change, seeing WALTER become Gunther. His Imperium partner, Marcel Barthel, also underwent a name change as well, being rebranded as Ludwig Kaiser.

Despite the negative reaction from fans, “The Ring General” has found a lot of success since his name change. Since being called up to WWE Smackdown, he hasn’t lost a match, remaining undefeated with the Intercontinental Championship on his waist. Speaking of the gold, he has held the belt for 112 days and counting.

GUNTHER is next scheduled to take on Sheamus in a Clash at the Castle rematch on October 7’s Smackdown, where he will be defending his WWE Intercontinental Championship.