Gunther looks almost unrecognisable compared to the man he once was.
The wrestler previously known as WALTER would announce his name change on an episode of NXT. As it turned out, this was only stage one of his transformation. Through hard work and dedication, The Ring General would lose more than 60 pounds and would become even more physically impressive and dominant than the hard-hitting wrestler who dominated the European independent scene:
— GUNTHER (@Gunther_AUT) June 18, 2022
While the Intercontinental Champion has gotten himself in amazing shape, it was very much a team effort as fellow Imperium members Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser have also put in the extra work in the gym. As it turns out, it was the other members of Imperium who inspired the leader to make the change.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, the Intercontinental Champion revealed that Vinci and Kaiser made the decision to get in better shape during the pandemic. With The Ring General expecting a main roster call-up in the near future, he felt it was time to alter his diet:
“The first step was like, during COVID, we have a friend that is a bodybuilder and he’s coaching people. I think he owns a gym now and runs it and stuff. He started to help Kaiser and Gio with their diet a little bit and they were following a diet and they got in incredible shape. So we had that guy around and I was never really, that’s the one thing I have to say. Usually, I was always on top of things in my adult life, but the diet is always something I kind of like neglected because I was good the way I was.
But when I signed for the main roster and I knew, okay, moving over now I know I’m gonna be on national TV I thought okay, let’s bring the best version of yourself you can. You’re going to be in front of millions of people every week. I think that step is necessary now. I’m glad I did it. I feel like the independent wrestler Walter that was a little bit bigger and looked like a butcher from the next-door shop, that was cool.
I think that was fine for then and I feel like for the wrestling enthusiasts on the independent market, like when you think back like Stan Hansen or Terry Gordy, like the bigger guys, I think it has its place in wrestling a little bit, but I felt like it was time to make a step and progress.”
Gunther also spoke to Inside The Ropes over SummerSlam weekend to discuss his weight loss along with a wide variety of topics:
Gunther Unable To Compete Internationally
Born in Austria and currently working in the United States of America, The Intercontinental Champion currently has travel restrictions in place. It was recently reported that Gunther is unable to leave the country for the next 6 months as he recently competed on a WWE overseas tour, making him unavailable for the Elimination Chamber event in Australia in February. When asked about the Bash In Berlin event in August, Gunther addressed the specifics of his international restrictions.
H/t to Wrestling News.