Although WWE might be the biggest name in professional wrestling, there are a huge number of stars who have found success without ever stepping into the ring for the sports entertainment giant.
While the likes of Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada have thrived in New Japan Pro-Wrestling in recent years, there are numerous others who have carved acclaimed careers for themselves away from WWE.
Speaking in a new interview, Intercontinental Champion Gunther has revealed that he almost added his name to that list.
Living In The United States Didn’t Appeal To Top WWE Star
The star formerly known as WALTER signed with WWE in 2019 and appeared in NXT UK and NXT before arriving on SmackDown in April 2022. However, prior to joining the company he had established himself as a star of the European wrestling scene, notably in Germany.
In conversation with Nick Talbot of My San Antonio, Gunther revealed that he was initially hesitant about heading to WWE. The Austrian star feared he wouldn’t be a good fit, while he enjoyed living in Europe and being close to his family.
“There definitely were some even before I actually started with WWE. I had my reservations for it because was unsure if I was a fit for them and did it really fit to me as well. I really was enjoying building up something in Europe or in Germany. We were really building up a foundation for wrestling in the country again because it was broken down for so long. So, I took a lot of pride in that. But obviously, time moves on and time changes. You’ve got to go with the times a little bit.
Living in America was never something I was too big into. I love Europe. And I like the lifestyle in Europe. I like to be close to family and stuff. But I think I just outgrew the circumstances there and I just had to move on. I think it came to a point in my career where it was like, ‘Okay, you either make that next step now or just gonna be stagnant for the rest of it.’ And looking back, I’m glad I did it.”
Gunther is yet to taste defeat in singles action since making his main roster debut on SmackDown. The star will be back in action on the December 13th edition of the blue brand when he defends his Intercontinental Title again Braun Strowman.