Gunther, Marcel Barthel Debut On 4/8 WWE SmackDown
And Barthel has a new name
Apr 9, 2022
Two members of NXT's Imperium have arrived on WWE SmackDown, one of whom has been issued a brand new name.
Gunther wrestled on the April 8 broadcast, winning in a squash over Joe Alonzo.
For the match, Gunther was accompanied by Marcel Barthel, who is now known as Ludwig Kaiser.
An earlier story from Fightful Select reported Barthel's name change as simply "Ludwig", while later noting (prior to the actual debut) that Barthel was listed internally as "Ludwig Klaus", before WWE decided on Kaiser as the surname.
Gunther himself is no stranger to changing one's name, having wrestled as WALTER up until earlier this year, before announcing his new name during a segment on NXT.
Barthel, along with Fabian Aichner, reigned as NXT Tag Team champions up until last Saturday, when they dropped the belts to MSK in a triple threat match at NXT's Stand and Deliver in Dallas. Aichner walked out on Barthel on this past Tuesday's NXT broadcast.
Fightful's report goes on to say that Aichner is not expected to be part of Gunther and Kaiser's SmackDown group, though plans could always change.
