Gunther is one of the biggest new stars on the WWE main roster, with his old-school style and presentation making him a must-see performer.
Previously known as Walter on both the independent scene and with NXT UK, the Austrian has been successful in every promotion he has worked for, namely WXW, Progress Wrestling, Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Since his move to SmackDown from NXT UK in April, Gunther has quickly made an impact with his Imperium teammates. He is the current Intercontinental Champion having defeated Ricochet just two months into his main roster run.
Following up on his much-acclaimed bout with Sheamus at Clash at the Castle, Gunther and Imperium will battle the Celtic Warrior’s group, the Brawling Brutes, in a “Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook” match at Extreme Rules this Saturday.
With this in mind, there is probably some things about the Intercontinental Champion that fans remain unaware of, so GiveMeSport takes you through 10 things you didn’t know about Gunther…
He played football in his youth
Growing up in Vienna, the real-life Walter Hahn played football from the age of six. Unsurprising given his size, he was a goalkeeper. In his teens, his goals shifted to becoming a professional wrestler.
Gunther is the leader of Imperium
He was a wrestling trainer
Gunther cut his teeth as a professional wrestler with German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling (WxW). He continued to wrestle here for much of the next 10 years and was head trainer of the promotion’s wrestling academy until early 2020.
He wrestled Sami Zayn prior to WWE
While in WxW, Gunther was a three-time Unified World Wrestling Champion. His second reign lasted for 383 days but was ended in May 2012 by El Generico, now better known as Sami Zayn.
His ring name in his UK wrestling debut
Debuting in the UK for Progress Wrestling, he went by the modified ring name of “Big Daddy Walter." He wrestled in the 2015 Super Strong Style 16 Tournament, losing in the first round.
Gunther was NXT UK Champion for 870 days
He is a former PWG World Champion
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla was long viewed as a haven for independent wrestling, and the then-Walter made his way to the promotion in 2017. He went on to win a title also won by the likes of Kevin Owens, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole in April 2018, holding the title for 181 days.
He was the longest serving champion in WWE for over 30 years
At NXT Takeover: Brooklyn in April 2019, Gunther defeated Pete Dunne/Butch for the NXT UK Championship. He would hold the title for 870 days until August 2021, making him the longest serving champion in WWE since Hulk Hogan in 1988.
Why it took so long for him to come to America
During his time with NXT, Gunther largely wrestled on the UK brand with sporadic appearances on the US show. He had little desire to move to America as he was very settled in Germany. A promised main roster mega push and the finances that come with that is likely what swayed him.
He won Match of the Year in 2020
Gunter had many excellent matches during his NXT UK title reign, none more notably than his bout with Ilja Dragunov on the October 29th, 2020 edition of NXT UK. The match won CBS match of the year for 2020.
Gunther and Sheamus had an epic match at Clash at the Castle
He has made history in WWE
When he joined WWE, Gunther became the first Austrian to ever sign with the company. As a result, he is also the only Austrian to ever win the Intercontinental Championship, and alongside Santino Marella, the only mainland European to capture the title.
He is married to a fellow WWE superstar
In July of this year, Gunther tied the knot with NXT UK superstar Jinny. With NXT UK transitioning to NXT Europe, it will be interesting to see whether she stays in Europe or joins her husband in the company’s US ranks.