Career Timeline of Ludwig Kaiser: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Ludwig Kaiser, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Ludwig Kaiser, formerly known as Marcel Barthel and Axel Dieter Jr., is a German professional wrestler currently signed to WWE's Raw brand. As Ludwig Kaiser, he is a prominent member of the Imperium stable, alongside Gunther. Before joining WWE, he achieved significant success in the German wrestling scene, most notably with Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). During his time there, he became a two-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time Unified World Wrestling Champion. He also had stints wrestling in the UK for Progress Wrestling, showcasing his talent internationally before his WWE career.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

March 2008: Debut as Axel Dieter Jr.

On March 1, 2008, Barthel debuted under the ring name Axel Dieter Jr. at NFC New Years Fight Night II, wrestling Da Mack to a time limit draw.

January 2009: Debut for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw)

In January 2009, Axel Dieter Jr. made his debut for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), losing to Dan Marshall.

July 2012: Reunion with Da Mack in wXw

In July 2012, Axel Dieter Jr. and Da Mack teamed up in wXw, defeating Walter and Michael Isotov. They later formed a regular team known as Hot & Spicy.

November 2013: wXw World Tag Team Championship Win

On November 16, 2013, Axel Dieter Jr. and Da Mack, as Hot & Spicy, defeated The AUTsiders (Walter and Robert Dreissker) to win the wXw World Tag Team Championship.

March 2014: Loss and Reclaiming of wXw World Tag Team Championship

In March 2014, Axel Dieter Jr. and Da Mack lost the wXw World Tag Team Championship to Matt Striker and Trent? on March 15, but they won them back in a rematch the following day on March 16.

November 2014: Unsuccessful Challenge for wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship

On November 22, 2014, Axel Dieter Jr. unsuccessfully challenged Walter for the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship.

February 2015: Four Nations Cup Winner

In February 2015, Axel Dieter Jr. participated in the Four Nations Cup, defeating Timothy Thatcher in the final to win the tournament.

March 2016: 16 Carat Gold Tournament Final Loss

In March 2016, Axel Dieter Jr. participated in the 16 Carat Gold Tournament, defeating Drew Galloway in the semi-final but losing to Zack Sabre Jr. in the final.

January 2017: Progress Wrestling Debut

On January 15, 2017, Dieter, representing wXw and Ringkampf, made his debut for Progress Wrestling in the UK alongside Walter, defeating The London Riots (James Davis and Rob Lynch).

March 2017: Loss of wXw Unified World Wrestling Title

In March 2017, Axel Dieter Jr. was defeated by Jurn Simmons, losing the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title.

2017: Signing with WWE

In 2017, Barthel signed with WWE under his real name and was assigned to WWE's developmental territory NXT in June, where he lost to Roderick Strong at a live event.

August 2018: NXT Television Debut

On August 8, 2018, Barthel made his television debut on NXT in a losing effort against Keith Lee.

October 2018: Return to wXw Confirmed

On October 30, 2018, it was confirmed that Barthel, as Axel Dieter Jr., would return to wXw as part of their 18th Anniversary Show on December 22.

December 2018: Progress Wrestling Appearance

On December 30, 2018, Barthel made a surprise appearance at Progress' Unboxing event, where he was defeated by Eddie Dennis.

March 2019: 16 Carat Gold Tournament Participation

In March 2019, Axel Dieter Jr. participated in the 16 Carat Gold Tournament, defeating Marius Al-Ani in the first round before being eliminated by Lucky Kid in the quarter final. He also reunited with Da Mack.

May 2020: NXT Tag Team Championship Win

On May 13, 2020, Barthel and Fabian Aichner defeated Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, marking a significant achievement in their WWE careers.

April 2022: Loss of NXT Tag Team Championship

On April 2, 2022, at NXT Stand & Deliver, Barthel and Aichner lost the NXT Tag Team Championship back to MSK in a triple threat match also involving the Creed Brothers.

2023: Drafted to the Raw Brand

In 2023, Ludwig Kaiser and his Imperium stablemates Gunther and Vinci were drafted to the Raw brand as part of the WWE Draft.

April 2024: Attacking and Kicking Out Vinci from Imperium

On the April 23, 2024 episode of Raw, Ludwig Kaiser attacked Vinci and kicked him out of Imperium after they lost to The New Day.

November 2024: Return to wXw

On November 23, 2024, Barthel, under the name Ludwig Kaiser, made his return to wXw at Broken Rykes for the first time since 2019.

February 2025: Royal Rumble Elimination

At the Royal Rumble on February 1, 2025, Ludwig Kaiser entered the eponymous match as the 13th entrant but was quickly eliminated by Penta in six seconds.