It’ll come as a surprise to nobody that WWE have come under fire since re-branding one of NXT 2.0’s hottest stars as Gunther Stark. Concerns immediately arose once fans pointed out that the name was directly linked to a Nazi German U-Boat officer of the same name, making WALTER’s new name a hell of a lot more controversial than originally intended. The trademark has since been dropped by WWE, who have instead opted to simply go with the name ‘Gunther’ for the foreseeable future. Much to fans dismay.
WALTER emerged as ‘Gunther’ on this week’s episode of NXT 2.0, defeating Roderick Strong in the show’s main event. This seemingly is setting up a faction war between Imperium and The Diamond Mine, a concept which could have been quite exciting if it weren’t tainted by this horrific name change.
WWE haven’t had the best history at renaming established indie stars, just take a look at the ‘Bearcat’ debacle with Keith Lee, but this still takes the cake for being one of the most poorly received in recent memory.
WALTER will hopefully survive as Gunther long enough to keep the fan’s faith in his ability. He’s a certified star in the ring, here’s hoping WWE don’t drop the ball entirely.
READ NEXT: 15 Best Wrestling Games That Will Receive 5 Stars From Dave Meltzer
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
