| Gunther | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Gunther_2024_(cropped).jpg) Gunther in 2024 | |
| Birth name | Walter Hahn |
| Born | 20 August 1987 Vienna, Austria |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Daddy Walter Big Van Walter Herr Shark[1] Gha-cha-ping Gunther Walter |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Vienna, Austria[1] |
| Trained by | Michael Kovac[1] Riki Choshu Tatsuhito Takaiwa[1] Tomohiro Ishii[1] |
| Debut | 19 November 2005[1] |
Walter Hahn (born 20 August 1987) is an Austrian professional wrestler. As of January 2019, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Gunther, and is the reigning World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is one-half of Imperium, the incumbent King of the Ring, and a former one-time and longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion. Best known by his "Ring General" (German: Der Ringgeneral) gimmick, he is characterized by his stiff wrestling style (inspired by the likes of Stan Hansen and Kenta Kobashi[3]), and his wrestling philosophies which are signified by the "Die Matte ist Heilig" (English: "The Mat is Sacred") motto.[4] As a wrestler, Hahn has been consistently praised and regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world by industry journalists[5][6][7] and fellow wrestlers[8][9][10] alike.
Hahn is best known for his tenure in Germany with Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) as well as various German independent promotions, competing as Big Van Walter, Big Daddy Walter and mononymously as Walter (also stylized in all caps). Early in his early career, he competed in Japan for Big Japan Pro-Wrestling (BJW) and Pro Wrestling ZERO1 under the Big Van Walter gimmick, as well as the short-lived Gha-cha-ping. In wXw, he was a three-time Unified World Wrestling Champion and a four-time wXw World Tag Team Champion. He became one of the promotion's most respected figures throughout his tenure, leading him to become the head trainer of the wXw Wrestling Academy upon its opening in 2015 until 2020. Walter also became a popular figure on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland respectively; among the independent promotions he competed in were Progress Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Over the Top Wrestling (OTT), where he held their respective world championships between 2018 and 2019.
In November 2018, Hahn was reported to have signed with WWE. He was assigned to the NXT UK brand, a sister brand of the American-based developmental brand NXT, and subsequently won the NXT United Kingdom Championship, holding the title in a 870-day reign, which was the longest for the now-defunct title, and is the eighth overall longest singles title reign for any WWE championship. In January 2022, Hahn moved over to the primary NXT brand in America, where his ring name was changed to Gunther, before being promoted to the main roster on SmackDown in April that year. He won the WWE Intercontinental Title, holding it for 666 days and losing it at WrestleMania 40, setting the title's record for both the longest singular reign and the most cumulative days as champion, whilst also being recorded as the tenth longest singles championship reign of any WWE title. After moving to the Raw brand in 2023, he went on to win the King of the Ring tournament and won the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam in August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Gunther". Cagematch. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Gunther WWE profile". WWE. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (24 January 2020). "Hard-Hitting WALTER Dominates on Two Continents". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Jung, Benjamin (28 March 2023). "GUNTHER – Die Matte ist heilig! Sein Werdergang und der Weg Richtung WRESTLEMANIA *W-I Special* (Inkl. Free-Matches!) | Wrestling-Infos.de" (in German). Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Andrew (14 November 2023). "Gunther's Definitive 14 Best WWE Matches, Ranked". TheSportster. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
Gunther has emerged as one of the most dominant WWE superstars of all time, and ever since joining the company his list of incredible matches has only continued to grow. Whether it be in NXT or on the main roster, Gunther has stolen the show on multiple occasions.
- ^ Hamflett, Michael (4 December 2023). "10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
Gunther's Intercontinental Championship run becoming the longest reign in company history summed up his and WWE's success with what has been an all-timer tenure. ... Gunther simply doesn't have bad matches. And if he did, they'd be collector's items in their own right and worthy of mention on those terms. ... The exact number of people in WWE better than him matches the exact number of people he thought could make it there - zero.
- ^ Callow, Marc (31 August 2021). "WALTER Has A Case For Being The Best Wrestler In The World Right Now". TheSportster. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
Few wrestlers can command a certain assurance of quality like him, with even fewer being able to tout such a unique in-ring style and aura that WALTER possesses. ... The style in which WALTER wrestles is so unique and captivating that it immediately puts him in the upper echelon of performers. WALTER's brutal delivery of moves, especially from his patented chops, means that every match he has looks like a real fight. The way he dominates matches, only to give great catharsis when he eventually sells for his opponent, is one of the best dynamics in wrestling. ... A 'WALTER match' has become synonymous with 'match of the year candidate,' which is something any wrestling fan should look forward to.
- ^ Tessier, Colin; Defelice, Robert. "Saxon Huxley: Gunther Is One Of The Best Wrestlers In The World, I Wish I Got To Work With Him More | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
I think he's one of the best wrestlers in the world. I wrestled him one time on TV, and I wish we could have done it more. He's someone I look up to. Tyler Bate, I think, is one of the best wrestlers in the world. I got to do a little bit with him and tag matches, but we never really got to do it one-on-one. Ilja Dragunov, fantastic. Jordan Devlin, incredible. He's just brilliant. He can do things that people can't do. I'm glad he's getting the platform now to show everyone what he's going to do.
- ^ Bajpai, Anutosh (8 September 2023). ""It Was Magic": Corey Graves Mesmerized by Gunther vs Chad Gable on Raw". SEScoops | WWE News, Wrestling Analysis, Event Coverage, Results & Interviews. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
You've got Gunther, who I say it all the time on this show, and I believe it more and more every week. Here's your headline for the week. Corey Graves says 'Gunther is the best professional wrestler on the planet Earth right now. Period.'
- ^ "Daniel Garcia - WALTER Is One Of The "Best Wrestlers In The World"". itrwrestling.com. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
Wrestling WALTER was great. He's somebody who I truly believe is one of the if not the best wrestler in the world today. I really admire his style and I really admire his views on professional wrestling. And so to be able to go in the ring with somebody who you look up to that much, it always means a lot. And it's always going to be a great learning experience.