Former WWE Superstar Keith Lee has reacted to WALTER’s apparent name change with the Austrian star now firmly part of the NXT 2.0 roster.
After years of dominance in NXT UK since joining the brand, former NXT UK Champion WALTER announced that he was exiting the brand earlier this month.
On the January 18th episode of NXT 2.0, WALTER made his way to the former black and gold brand to take on Roderick Strong, a match that came about after the Austrian leader of Imperium got into a confrontation with Diamond Mine manager Malcolm Bivens and shoved him against a set of lockers. In the end, WALTER was victorious after a vicious powerbomb to Strong, pinning him in the middle of the ring.
After the match, the former NXT UK standout, who is more known for his in-ring power than his promo skills, surprisingly asked for a microphone and made a declaration, stating “The winner of this match is Gunther!” before slamming the microphone down and defending himself against an attack from the members of Diamond Mine. His Imperium stablemates came to his aid.
Now former NXT North American Champion Keith Lee has reacted to the apparent name change that has been widely criticised by fans. Taking to social media, Lee conveyed a message of sorrow to the man who may formerly have been known as WALTER:
“Man….if what I’m hearing is real…. Poor Walter.”
Man….if what I'm hearing is real….
Poor Walter.
— Selective Lee (@RealKeithLee) January 19, 2022
Keith Lee knows something about name changes in WWE as he was given the nickname “Bearcat” towards the end of his time in the company.
The declaration of the star’s new name comes after news emerged that WWE had filed a trademark for the name Gunther Stark for the category of entertainment services. While trademark filings are standard fare in WWE, this particular name sparked controversy as Gunther Stark is the name of a U-Boat commander who served in World War II in the Kriegsmarine, the navy of Nazi Germany.