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Gunther Opens Up on WWE Changing His Name From Walter; ‘I Kind of Got Warning..’
WWE superstar Gunther has spoken up on his name change in WWE. Read on to know what The Ring General thinks of this decision by the company.
WWE seemingly annoyed a lot of wrestling fans when they changed the name of renowned wrestler, Big Wan Walter to Gunther. Walter Hahn (his real name) wasn’t a new rookie in the roster but an acclaimed wrestler since 2005, who had come after wrestling in some biggest promotions in the wrestling world.
When Walter made his debut at WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool tour in 2019, he started with his previous name only. But it was in January 2022, when he finally made his WWE NXT debut, WWE changed his ring-name to Gunther. The decision was frowned upon by the fans, but slowly and steadily they adjusted to it.
And how Gunther has himself spoken on WWE changing his name. In a short-conversation with Chris Van Vliet, The Ring General said that he kind of knew about it, that this was going to happen, and he is okay with it.
What does Gunther say on WWE giving him a new ring name?
The former Intercontinental Champion said that he kind of expected it, as he was given a warning beforehand. “I expected it. I kind of got a warning that this might happen but I was fine with it. At the end of the day, it was reasonable to me. Since Walter is my legal name, Gunther is gonna make me way more money than Walter did. There are not many wrestlers that claim they only had 1 name in their whole career, and I got away with Gunther for a long time,” he said.
In fact, it wasn’t also Gunther, but Gunther Stark which was first proposed by the WWE. But ‘Stark’ was later removed after a backlash from the fans who said that Google’s top result for Gunther Stark was that of a German U-Boat Commander for the Second World War.
Gunther has previously also spoken about his name change saying that it’s time to leave the past behind and usher into a new era. He said that it was his desire to stand on his two feet, create a new legacy, and then put the Walter persona behind him.
However, he added that his name ‘Walter’ was given to him by his parents, in the honor of family patriarch, his grandfather, the man who introduced him to this sport.
Gunther to face Damian Priest for World Heavyweight title at SummerSlam
After creating a record of 666 days of staying as the Intercontinental Champion, The Ring General is on his way to make history at SummerSlam on August 4. Gunther had secured this spot by beating Randy Orton at King of the Ring tournament, which culminated in Saudi Arabia on May 25, 2024.
And much to the delight of his fans, there are extremely high chances of Gunther beating Priest at the mega event, and then going into the Survivor Series defending that title. The upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW will see the two superstars confronting each other.
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