The real reason ex-WWE chairman founder Vince McMahon changed Gunther’s name from Walter

It’s been a few years, but when Walter joined the main roster, he was renamed Gunther, and this call was allegedly made by WWE’s former executive chairman Vince McMahon.

The Wrestling Observer (via Cageside Seats) reports that McMahon changed Walter’s name to Gunther out of the belief that “people might start calling him Wally.”

He did not believe that “Wally” would help the “Ring General” become a “main event foreign menace heel.” Whether the reasoning was right or not, Gunther has become one of the top heels in the company. Over the last year, he has retired legends like Goldberg, AJ Styles, and, most notably, John Cena.

When was Walter’s WWE ring name changed to Gunther by Vince McMahon?

Gunther’s real name is Walter Hahn. For years, he was known on the indies by his first name. He terrorized various professional wrestling promotions, even holding the NXT UK Championship for 870 days.

In January 2022, he would make his debut in NXT after spending years in NXT UK with a new ring name: Gunther. He had also lost weight and slightly changed his physical appearance.

He would then make his main roster debut in April 2022 alongside another renamed Superstar, Ludwig Kaiser. Within a couple of months, he would beat Ricochet to win the Intercontinental Championship.

This title reign would last 666 days before he dropped the championship to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40. During his reign, he had banger title defenses against the likes of Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, and Chad Gable.

After losing the Intercontinental Championship, Gunther moved to the main event scene. He would defeat Damian Priest to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at SummerSlam 2024.

In addition to the several legends he has retired, Gunther has won two main roster world championships in his short career. Additionally, he is a former Intercontinental Champion and a King of the Ring winner (in 2024).

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