GUNTHER Says His Previous Physique Wouldn’t Have Translated Well To WWE’s Mainstream Audience

GUNTHER has revealed why he chose to drop weight.

When GUNTHER, then known as WALTER, came up to the WWE main roster in 2022, the star had completed a stunning body transformation. During his time on the indies and in NXT, the Austrian was known for a much more stocky physique, used to overpower opponents, but his switch saw him come into matches with a much leaner build, and the star has now explained why he made the change.

Speaking with Enry Lazza, GUNTHER revealed his body transformation was because he didn’t think WWE’s mainstream audience would understand his previous physique.

“In my case, I never felt uncomfortable before or anything. And my wrestling idols were butcher-looking heavyweights from America that went to Japan and beat up all of the Japanese babyfaces. They were all, to call it, barrel-chested with a little bit of gut. But obviously, WWE, we’ve expanded so much and now with Netflix, there’s such a different viewership on it and so much wider. So I thought [transforming his body] was gonna be necessary. When I went to the main roster, I made the call. I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time to change.’ Because that’s a difference. Up until WWE, I only wrestled for hardcore wrestling fans basically, and they can understand. But in reality for the mainstream audience, I would have looked like somebody out of shape and doesn’t look like a champion. So I knew I had to adjust that and had to find a way to still stay myself, but just give it a fresh look.”

-GUNTHER

Shortly after his main roster arrival, GUNTHER captured the Intercontinental Championship, going on to hold the gold for a record-setting 666 days. This helped to dispel any concerns that dropping weight would change how the company saw him moving forward.

While many fans have fond memories of GUNTHER prior to the change, his transformation has ushered in a new era of his career. Nowadays, the 38-year-old is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, being firmly established as one of the top names across the entirety of WWE. In fact, the star looks nest in line to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on GUNTHER as soon as we hear more.

If you use the quote above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to WrestlePurists.com for the transcription.