Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser have arrived on SmackDown and immediately sent out a warning to the rest of the roster!
Ahead of SmackDown it was reported that two members of Imperium would be making their debuts on the blue brand. However, that same report noted that one of the NXT 2.0 stars would be undergoing a name change.
Appearing on the SmackDown stage, Ludwig Kaiser, formerly known as Marcel Barthel, announced the arrival of Gunther.
After a commercial break, Gunther was in the ring and ready to take his frustration out on Joe Alonzo.
Unfortunately for Alonzo, he was demolished in short order. Gunther flattened his opponent with a series of strikes and a big boot, before finishing the job with a powerbomb.
Consider the #SmackDown locker room on notice.@Gunther_AUTpic.twitter.com/naBkGhg2Xx
— WWE (@WWE) April 9, 2022
It is currently unclear what the future holds for Fabian Aichner, who was the third member of Imperium as he didn’t appear on SmackDown. Aichner was last seen walking out during a tag team match on NXT 2.0 leaving his partner to be demolished by The Creed Brothers.
Meanwhile, Barthel joins an ever growing list of stars who have undergone name changes in recent months. After debuting in NXT 2.0, WALTER was renamed Gunther, and Pete Dunne was recently called up to the main roster under the name Butch.
In addition, Elias returned to WWE television on the most recent episode of Monday Night Raw with a new look and going by the name Ezekiel.
Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser weren’t the only NXT 2.0 stars to make their SmackDown debuts as they were quickly joined by Raquel Gonzalez, who is now known as Raquel Rodriguez. The former NXT Women’s Champion was cutting a promo backstage when she was interrupted by Los Lotharios.