Gunther Comments On His WWE Name Change

While he would debut for NXT UK in 2019 under the name Walter, Austrian pro wrestler Walter Hahn would have his name changed in January 2022 to Gunther due to WWE’s policy of wanting to own talents ring-names. And while this was initially controversial, especially as initially he was going to have the surname “Stark,” which meant he would share a name with a Nazi U-boat commander, over time, it has become accepted by most.

And now, while being interviewed by Fightful Select , the current World Heavyweight Champion and King of the Ring has addressed his name change, noting that most people now know him by his new name.

“It always happens. It’s just a matter of waiting it out. If you become successful with it, more people know me as Gunther than Walter now.”

Gunther

36-year-old Gunther, real name Walter Hahn, broke into the business in 2005 and signed with WWE in 2019 after making his name in Europe. Subsequently, he became the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history at 666 days, having defeated Ricochet on SmackDown for the championship in June 2022. However, his greatest career achievement occurred at this past weekend’s SummerSlam when he defeated Damian Priest for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.