Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Gunther (wrestler)

Discover the career path of Gunther (wrestler), from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Gunther, formerly known as Walter Hahn, is an Austrian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. Performing on the Raw brand, he is the reigning King of the Ring and a member of Imperium with Ludwig Kaiser. A former World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther is best known for his record-breaking 666-day reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion, solidifying his place as the longest-reigning champion in the title's history.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

November 2005: First Recorded Wrestling Match

On November 19, 2005, Walter Hahn, using the ring name Big Van Walter, had his first recorded wrestling match in Bern, a tag team match where he and SigMasta Rappo lost to the High Class Catch Club.

March 2006: First Singles Match

On March 25, 2006, Walter Hahn had his first singles match in Bad Vöslau, defeating Sigi The SwissTank.

December 2006: Training at ZERO1-MAX Dojo

In December 2006, Walter Hahn began training at the ZERO1-MAX dojo in Japan under heavyweight trainers Riki Choshu, Tomohiro Ishii, and Tatsuhito Takaiwa.

January 2007: Debut as Gha-cha-ping

On January 17, 2007, Walter Hahn debuted as Gha-cha-ping, a wrestling gimmick based on the Hirake! Ponkikki character Gachapin, teaming with Raaber to defeat Otani and Rikiya Fudo.

May 2007: Westside Xtreme Wrestling Debut

In May 2007, Walter debuted in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) as Big Van Walter.

July 2007: Inter-promotional Tour with BJW, wXw and CZW

In July 2007, Walter participated in an inter-promotional tour with BJW, wXw, and CZW wrestlers on a "World Triangle Night" showcase tour.

2008: Returns to Japan

In 2008, Hahn returned to Japan, performing as Big Van Walter for two shows with the Makehen promotion. He teamed with Lance Archer in one match and Daisuke Sekimoto in another.

March 2010: Wins 16 Carat Gold Tournament

In March 2010, Walter won the 16 Carat Gold tournament and the Unified World Wrestling Championship.

March 2010: North American Debut

On March 13, 2010, Walter made his North American debut in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at Combat Zone Wrestling's "Walking On Pins And Needles" event.

January 2011: Loses Championship to Sekimoto

On January 15, 2011, Walter lost the Unified World Wrestling Championship to Daisuke Sekimoto, but regained it on May 2.

2011: Involvement with Big Japan Pro Wrestling

In 2011, Walter participated in shows with Big Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Ryuichi Kawakami and winning the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship for the second time by defeating Daisuke Sekimoto.

April 2012: Teaming with Sekimoto

In April 2012, Walter teamed with Sekimoto to defeat Yoshihito Sasaki and Yuji Okabayashi in Japan.

May 2012: Loses Championship to El Generico

On May 19, 2012, Walter lost the Unified World Wrestling Championship to El Generico.

May 2012: Loss Against Sasaki

On May 5, 2012, Walter was defeated by Sasaki in a match to crown the inaugural BJW World Strong Heavyweight champion in Yokohama.

2012: Became Fluent in English

Around 2012, Gunther became fluent in English as wXw expanded its roster to include more wrestlers from English-speaking countries, forcing him to improve his speaking skills.

2012: Partnership with Robert Dreissker

In 2012, Walter started a partnership with Robert Dreissker, being dubbed "The AUTsiders".

March 2013: Wins wXw World Tag Team Championship

On March 3, 2013, Walter and Robert Dreissker defeated Jay Skillet and Jonathan Gresham to win the wXw World Tag Team Championship.

October 2013: Competes at World Triangle League

In October 2013, Walter competed at the World Triangle League tournament with CZW and BJW wrestlers, losing his block to Daisuke Sekimoto.

2014: Wrestling as Big Van Walter

From the beginning of his career in 2005 until 2014, Hahn went by the ring name Big Van Walter.

2014: Ring Name Change and Championship Win

In 2014, Walter changed his ring name to Big Daddy Walter and won his third Unified World Wrestling Championship in July after defeating Tommy End.

January 2015: Loses Title Against Karsten Beck

In January 2015, Walter lost the Unified World Wrestling Championship against Karsten Beck, in a match where Vince Russo appeared as the special referee.

2015: Co-owned Ringkampf Apparel

In 2015, Gunther co-owned the Ringkampf Apparel clothing brand with Marcel Barthel and Axel Tischer, which sponsored wrestlers such as Timothy Moura, Raquel Lourenço, Fabian Aichner, and Jeff Cobb.

2015: Becomes Head Trainer at wXw Wrestling Academy

In 2015, Walter became the head trainer of the wXw Wrestling Academy upon its opening, a position he held until 2020.

2015: Super Strong Style 16 Tournament

In 2015, Walter participated in Progress Wrestling's Super Strong Style 16 Tournament, but was unable to win.

2015: Ringkampf Apparel Brand Release

In 2015, Walter, along with Axel Dieter Jr., Axel Tischer, and Christian Michael Jakobi, released an apparel brand entitled Ringkampf.

2016: Formation of Ringkampf Stable

In 2016, Ringkampf evolved into a full-on stable with Walter, Timothy Thatcher, Axel Dieter, and Christian Michael Jakobi, sharing the motto "Die Matte Ist Hellig".

2016: Progress Atlas Champion

In 2016, Walter participated in Progress Wrestling's Super Strong Style 16 Tournament, but was unable to win.

January 2017: Loss to Jurn Simmons

On January 28, 2017, at a show in London, Walter was defeated by Jurn Simmons in a match for the top contendership.

April 2017: Failed Championship Attempts and WWE Signing

In April 2017, it was announced that Axel Dieter Jr. would be leaving wXw to sign with WWE. On April 8, Walter also failed to win the Unified World Wrestling Championship in a four-way match in Dresden.

June 2017: Unified World Wrestling Championship Match

During June 2017, specifically on June 6, Walter was unsuccessful in his attempt to capture the Unified World Wrestling Championship, losing to Jurn Simmons in a singles match in Erfurt.

October 2017: Failed Unified World Wrestling Championship Attempt and Tag Team Title Defense

On October 15, 2017, Walter was unsuccessful in winning the Unified World Wrestling Championship in a four-way match. On November 3, Walter and Thatcher successfully defended their World Tag Team Championship.

October 2017: wXw World Tag Team Championship Win

On October 5, 2017, Walter defeated Thatcher in an "AMBITION rules" match at Inner Circle 4 during the World Tag Team League weekend. Walter and Thatcher won the wXw World Tag Team Championships, marking Walter's third reign.

2017: PWG Debut

In 2017, Walter made his PWG debut during the Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he was eliminated by Keith Lee in the opening round.

October 2018: Unsuccessful Championship Attempts

In October 2018, Walter failed to win the World Tag Team League with Thatcher, despite wins in their block, and he failed to win the Shotgun Championship against Marius Al-Ani in Hof.

November 2018: Signs with WWE and Joins NXT UK

In November 2018, Walter signed with WWE and was assigned to its NXT UK brand. He subsequently won the NXT United Kingdom Championship.

November 2018: Signed with WWE

In November 2018, it was reported that Walter had signed a deal with WWE and was assigned to the NXT UK brand.

2018: WXW Unified World Wrestling Championship Match and Tag Title Loss

During the 16 Carat Gold 2018 weekend, Walter competed in a wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship match but lost to Ilja Dragunov. The next day, Walter and Thatcher lost their tag titles.

2018: Championship Wins on the Independent Circuit

In 2018, Walter started holding world championships in promotions such as Progress Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Over the Top Wrestling (OTT).

January 2019: NXT UK Debut

On January 12, 2019, at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, Walter made his surprise debut, confronting WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne. He joined Imperium during his time in NXT UK.

March 2019: Loss in 16 Carat Gold Tournament Finals

During the 2019 16 Carat Gold tournament, which took place between March 8 and March 10, Walter was defeated by Lucky Kid in the finals.

August 2019: AMBITION 11 Tournament Win

On August 8, 2019, Walter won the AMBITION 11 tournament in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

2019: Championship Wins on the Independent Circuit

In 2019, Walter continued to hold world championships in promotions such as Progress Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Over the Top Wrestling (OTT).

2019: Competition at BJW's Ryogokutan

In late 2019, Walter competed at BJW's Ryogokutan show, teaming with Sekimoto to defeat Okabayashi and Yuji Hino.

October 2020: NXT UK Title Defense

On October 29, 2020, Walter successfully defended his NXT UK title against Ilja Dragunov.

2020: End of Ringkampf Apparel Ownership

In 2020, Gunther's co-ownership of the Ringkampf Apparel clothing brand with Marcel Barthel and Axel Tischer concluded.

2020: Leaves wXw Wrestling Academy

In 2020, Walter ended his time as head trainer at the wXw Wrestling Academy

February 2021: Longest-Reigning NXT UK Champion

On February 19, 2021, Walter became the longest-reigning NXT United Kingdom Champion, surpassing Pete Dunne's record.

December 2021: Final wXw Match

On December 18, 2021, Walter had his final wXw match, defeating Cara Noir at their 21st Anniversary show.

January 2022: Moves to NXT and Renamed Gunther

In January 2022, Walter moved to the NXT brand, and his ring name was changed to Gunther.

2022: Intercontinental Championship Win

In 2022, Gunther debuted on SmackDown and defeated Ricochet to win the Intercontinental Championship, becoming the first Austrian to win the title. He retained the title against Sheamus at Clash at the Castle on September 3.

2023: Intercontinental Title Defenses

In early 2023, Gunther continued his reign as Intercontinental Champion, successfully defending the title against Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Braun Strowman, and Madcap Moss on various SmackDown episodes.

2023: Longest Intercontinental Championship Reign

Throughout 2023, Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship, breaking The Honky Tonk Man's record of 454 days and becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion on September 11. He retained the title against The Miz at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 25.

2024: Wins King of the Ring and World Heavyweight Championship

In 2024, Gunther won the King of the Ring tournament and the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.

January 2025: Championship Retained and WrestleMania 41 Challenge Accepted

In January 2025, specifically on January 25, Gunther retained his title against Jey Uso. The week after, Uso chose Gunther as his championship opponent at WrestleMania 41. However, on April 19 during Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 Gunther lost his title to Uso