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's Raw brand. Known as 'Der Ringgeneral,' his character embodies a strict wrestling style and philosophy, epitomized by the motto 'Die Matte ist Heilig.' He is the current World Heavyweight Champion in his record-setting second reign. Gunther is known for his dominant presence and stiff wrestling style.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

November 2005: First Recorded Wrestling Match

On November 19, 2005, Walter Hahn had his first recorded wrestling match in Bern, teaming with SigMasta Rappo (Sigi The SwissTank) against the High Class Catch Club (Baron von Hagen and Adam Polak). Walter was 18 years old at the time.

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, teaming with Raaber (as Bambikiller) to defeat Otani and Rikiya Fudo.

May 2007: Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) Debut

Immediately following his tour in ZERO1-MAX, Walter made his Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) debut on May 4, 2007, as Big Van Walter.

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

In July 2007, Walter Hahn took part in an inter-promotional tour with BJW, wXw and CZW wrestlers on a "World Triangle Night" showcase tour. On July 27, Walter and fellow wXw wrestlers Robert Dreissker and "Bad Bones" John Klinger lost to Okabayashi, Sekimoto and Sasaki. Walter and Dreissker defeated Sasaki and Shinya Ishikawa a day later. On July 29, he and Klinger defeated Okabayashi and Sekimoto, and then defeated Okabayashi in a singles match hours later. On July 30, he and Dreissker failed to win the wXw World Tag Team Championships, losing to the Sumerian Death Squad (Tommy End and Michael Dante).

2008: Return to Japan with Makehen promotion

In 2008, Walter Hahn returned to Japan, ditching the Gha-cha-ping gimmick and going as Big Van Walter, for two shows for the Makehen promotion.

March 2010: 16 Carat Gold Tournament Win

In March 2010, Walter won the 16 Carat Gold tournament, becoming the youngest winner of the tournament at the time at 22 years old. He defeated Zack Sabre Jr. via disqualification to win 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 Unified World Wrestling Championship

On January 15, 2011, Walter lost the Unified World Wrestling Championship to Daisuke Sekimoto. He later regained the title on May 2 during a Big Japan Pro Wrestling card in Tokyo's Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.

2011: Participates in shows with Big Japan Pro Wrestling

In 2011, Walter Hahn took part in numerous shows with Big Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Ryuichi Kawakami on April 28 at Korakuen Hall. He then defeated Daisuke Sekimoto on May 2 to win the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship.

April 2012: Returns to Japan and teams with Sekimoto

In April 2012, Walter Hahn returned to Japan, teaming with Sekimoto to defeat Yoshihito Sasaki and BJW Strong ace Yuji Okabayashi.

May 2012: Loses Unified World Wrestling Championship against El Generico

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

May 2012: Defeated by Sasaki

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

2012: Partnership with Robert Dreissker

In 2012, at 16 Carat Gold, Walter started a partnership with fellow Austrian wrestler Robert Dreissker, being dubbed "The AUTsiders" later on.

March 2013: Win wXw World Tag Team Championship

On March 3, 2013, Walter and Dreissker defeated Jay Skillet and Jonathan Gresham to win the wXw World Tag Team Championship at day three of 16 Carat Gold, after Walter failed to win his third Unified World Wrestling Championship against Axel Tischer the previous day.

October 2013: Competition at World Triangle League tournament

In October 2013, Walter competed at a ceremonial World Triangle League tournament with CZW and BJW wrestlers. He lost his block by losing to eventual overall winner Daisuke Sekimoto on the third day of the tournament after defeating Drake Younger and Kim Ray on the first and second days respectively.

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.

2014: End of Big Van Walter ring name

Until 2014, Walter went by the ring name Big Van Walter.

January 2015: Championship Loss

In January 2015, Walter lost the Unified World Wrestling Championship against Karsten Beck after 174 days as champion, in a match where Vince Russo appeared as the special referee.

2015: Co-owned Ringkampf Apparel clothing brand

In 2015, Walter Hahn 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: Head Trainer at wXw Wrestling Academy

In 2015, Walter became the head trainer of the wXw Wrestling Academy, solidifying his role as one of the promotion's most respected figures.

2015: Participated in Progress Wrestling's Super Strong Style 16 Tournament

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

2015: Release of Ringkampf Apparel Brand

In 2015, Walter, alongside 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 consisting of Walter, Timothy Thatcher, Axel Dieter, and Christian Michael Jakobi. They began sharing the motto, "Die Matte Ist Hellig" (German: "The Mat is Sacred").

2016: Participated in Progress Wrestling's Super Strong Style 16 Tournament

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

January 2017: Loss to Jurn Simmons

In January 2017, specifically on the 28th, Walter lost a top contendership match to Jurn Simmons at a show in London.

April 2017: Axel Dieter Jr. Signs with WWE

In April 2017, it was announced that Axel Dieter Jr. would be leaving wXw to sign with WWE.

June 2017: Failed Unified World Wrestling Championship bid

In June 2017, Walter was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the Unified World Wrestling Championship against the defending champion, Jurn Simmons.

October 2017: Wins wXw World Tag Team Championships

In October 2017, Walter and Thatcher won the wXw World Tag Team Championships, marking Walter's third overall reign. They defeated David Starr and Jurn Simmons in the finals of the World Tag Team League tournament to win the titles.

October 2017: Failed Unified World Wrestling Championship attempt

On October 15, 2017, Walter was unable to win the Unified World Wrestling Championship in a four-way match against champion John Klinger, Ilja Dragunov, and Jurn Simmons in Leipzig.

2017: PWG Debut and World Championship Win

In 2017, Walter made his PWG debut during the Battle of Los Angeles tournament and later won the PWG World Championship from Keith Lee.

October 2018: Failed Shotgun Championship attempt and World Tag Team League

In October 2018, Walter failed to win the Shotgun Championship and the World Tag Team League.

November 2018: Signing with WWE and NXT UK debut

In November 2018, Walter signed with WWE and was assigned to the NXT UK brand.

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: World Championships in British, Irish and American Independent Circuits

In 2018, Walter won world championships in Progress Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Over the Top Wrestling (OTT).

2018: Loss of Tag Titles at 16 Carat Gold

In 2018, during the 16 Carat Gold weekend, Walter and Thatcher lost their tag team titles to John Klinger and Da Mack.

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.

March 2019: Loss in 16 Carat Gold Tournament Finals

In March 2019, during the 16 Carat Gold tournament, Walter lost in the finals to Lucky Kid after defeating David Starr, Fenix, and Avalanche in previous rounds.

August 2019: Wins AMBITION 11 Tournament

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

2019: World Championships in British, Irish and American Independent Circuits

In 2019, Walter held world championships in Progress Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), and Over the Top Wrestling (OTT).

2019: Competition at BJW's Ryogokutan 2019

In late 2019, Walter teamed with Sekimoto to face Okabayashi and Yuji Hino at BJW's Ryogokutan 2019 show at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, winning the match.

October 2020: Defeats Ilja Dragunov

On the 29th October 2020 episode of NXT UK, Walter defeated Ilja Dragunov in a highly praised title defense.

2020: Stopped owning Ringkampf Apparel clothing brand

In 2020, Walter Hahn stopped co-owning the Ringkampf Apparel clothing brand with Marcel Barthel and Axel Tischer. The brand sponsored wrestlers such as Timothy Moura, Raquel Lourenço, Fabian Aichner, and Jeff Cobb.

2020: End of wXw Wrestling Academy Tenure

In 2020, Walter concluded his tenure as the head trainer of 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 of 685 days.

December 2021: Final wXw Match

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

January 2022: Move to NXT and Name Change

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

February 2022: NXT In-Ring Debut and Name Change to Gunther

On the 18th February 2022 episode of NXT, Walter made his in-ring debut, defeating Roderick Strong, after which his ring-name was changed to Gunther.

2022: Main Roster Debut and Intercontinental Championship Win

In 2022, Gunther made his main roster debut on SmackDown and defeated Ricochet to win the Intercontinental Championship, becoming the first Austrian to win the title.

2023: Continued Intercontinental Championship Reign

In 2023, Gunther continued his reign as Intercontinental Champion, defending the title against multiple challengers and breaking the Honky Tonk Man's record for the longest reign. He was also drafted to the Raw brand as part of the WWE Draft.

January 2025: Gunther retains title against Jey Uso

In January 2025, at Saturday Night's Main Event, Gunther defeated Jey Uso to retain his title. This occurred a week after Uso won the Royal Rumble match and chose Gunther as his championship opponent at WrestleMania 41.