Ludwig Kaiser splits from Gunther to pursue solo WWE push

WWE star Ludwig Kaiser said he and stablemate Gunther jointly decided to separate their on‑screen partnership so Kaiser could pursue a larger role, and described the move as a calculated risk during a recent appearance on the Kennt jeder podcast with Hamad Firdousi. Kaiser traced the decision to their shared history in Germany and said stepping away from Gunther was necessary for his own growth in the United States.

Kaiser recounted that the alliance began in Westside Xtreme Wrestling, where the three men performed as Ringkampf before WWE repackaged them as Imperium in its NXT UK and NXT brands. He said the original group featured distinct characters: Timothy Thatcher as the enforcer, Kaiser as the arrogant younger member, and WALTER, now known on WWE television as Gunther, as the dominant centerpiece. The trio reunited briefly on the main roster after Giovanni Vinci was called up, but Vinci was later removed from the stable and the partnership narrowed to Gunther and Kaiser.

"We were all on the same level, but with different characters," Kaiser said on the podcast. "Gunther was the main guy and I was part of the tag team. Gunther is insane, he unlocks something in people that...