GUNTHER Says He Expected WWE To Change His Name On Main Roster

Gunther has admitted that he expected WWE to change his name on the main roster since it’s not uncommon in pro wrestling.

During his reign as the Intercontinental Champion, Gunther has defeated some of the best guys in WWE such as Sheamus, Braun Strowman, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio and many others. The leader of Imperium – a group he leads with Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci – has been a dominant force since going to the main roster in April 2022.

Prior to the name change to Gunther, he was known as WALTER because his real name is Walter Hahn. It was a name that he used prior to his WWE career, so when he was in WWE NXT UK and WWE NXT from 2019 to early 2022 he was known as Walter there as well.

When he became Gunther in early 2022, a lot of fans complained about it because he had been using Walter as a wrestling name for so many years. It’s like when a wrestler has their name shortened. A lot of fans don’t like seeing the change even though it’s something they will eventually get used to.

During an appearance on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Gunther admitted that he would have preferred to keep Walter, but the name change didn’t bother him that much.

“Would I have preferred to keep Walter? Yeah, of course I would have preferred that, but on the other hand, if you look at a wrestler’s career, like a name change is nothing uncommon. That happens, so I was realistic about it. For me, it was also clear it’s my real name and the WWE has obviously an interest in whoever they put on the television to put their original stamp on it, if that makes sense, so I expected it.”

“At the end of the day, if Gunther would be my real name and they would have changed it to Walter, the reaction would have been exactly the same.”

Gunther doesn’t have a WrestleMania 39 opponent right now, but he will have one next week. That’s because of the March 3rd Smackdown, WWE announced that Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Karrion Kross & LA Knight will be in a match with the winner earning a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Title for a match at WrestleMania 39.