Gunther (wrestler)

Gunther
Gunther in 2024
Birth nameWalter Hahn
Born (1987-08-20) 20 August 1987 (age 36)
Vienna, Austria
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2023)​
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Big Daddy Walter[1]
Big Van Walter[1]
Gha-cha-ping[2]
Gunther[1]
Man Mountain Walter[2]
Pater Walter[2]
WALTER[1]
Walter Hahn[1]
Billed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[3]
Billed weight250 lb (110 kg)[4]
Billed fromVienna, Austria[1]
Trained byMichael Kovac[1]
Riki Choshu
Tatsuhito Takaiwa[1]
Tomohiro Ishii[1]
Debut19 November 2005[1]

Walter Hahn (born 20 August 1987) is an Austrian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Gunther. He is one-half of Imperium, the incumbent King of the Ring, and a former one-time and longest reigning Intercontinental Champion. Perhaps 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[5]), and his wrestling philosophies which are signified by the "Die Matte ist Heilig" (English: "The Mat is Sacred") motto.[6]

For most of his career, he wrestled predominantly in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) as Big Van Walter, Big Daddy Walter, and mononymously as Walter (also stylized in all caps). In wXw, he became 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.[7] Walter also became a popular figure on the independent scenes in Europe and the United States; among the promotions he wrestled in on the independent circuit were Progress Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Over The Top Wrestling (OTT), where he held their world championships between 2018 and 2019. He also wrestled in Japan with Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Zero1.

At NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool on 12 January 2019, Hahn made his surprise WWE debut as Walter, debuting at the end of the event to confront then-NXT United Kingdom Champion (then WWE United Kingdom Champion) Pete Dunne. After being confirmed to have been signed to WWE, he was aligned with the NXT UK brand and, subsequently, won the NXT United Kingdom Championship at NXT TakeOver: New York. Walter's 870-day reign, which concluded at NXT TakeOver 36 against Ilja Dragunov, was the longest for the now-defunct title, and is the eighth overall longest singles championship reign for any competitor in WWE history.[8]

In January 2022, Hahn moved over to the primary NXT brand, where his ring name was changed to Gunther, before being promoted to the main roster on SmackDown in April that year, where he won the Intercontinental Championship in June. His reign of 666 days set 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 for any wrestler in WWE history.[8] On 25 May 2024, he won the King of the Ring tournament.

As a wrestler, Hahn has been consistently praised and regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world by writers[9][10][11] and fellow wrestlers[12][13][14] alike.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Gunther". Cagematch. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "8 Things You Didn't Know About WWE Wrestler Gunther's Time On The Indies". TheSportster. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Gunther WWE profile". WWE. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Gunther/WALTER profile". Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  5. ^ Barrasso, Justin (24 January 2020). "Hard-Hitting WALTER Dominates on Two Continents". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Trainer – Wrestling Academy – Die Wrestling Schule in Deutschland". Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  8. ^ a b O'Neill, Shane (20 September 2022). "The Longest Title Reigns In WWE History". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Hamflett, Michael (4 December 2023). "10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023". WhatCulture. 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.
  11. ^ Callow, Marc (31 August 2021). "WALTER Has A Case For Being The Best Wrestler In The World Right Now". TheSportster. 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.
  12. ^ 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. 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.
  13. ^ 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. 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.'
  14. ^ "Daniel Garcia - WALTER Is One Of The "Best Wrestlers In The World"". itrwrestling.com. 3 May 2021. 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.