WWE had rebranded WALTER as Gunther, and it came down to Vince McMahon’s fear of an unflattering nickname rather than anything to do with wrestling ability or marketability.
Dave Meltzer recently explained why the name switch has stayed a talking point among fans since the day it happened.
WALTER arrived in WWE with a reputation already built under that name on the independent scene and in NXT UK, which made the rebrand a divisive one from the outset.
Responding to a fan on social media, Meltzer said McMahon simply did not think “WALTER” fit a top villain.
According to Meltzer, the concern was that the name would get shortened in a way that undercut the character.
The reason for the change was Vince. He believed that people might start calling him Wally and that is not a name he wanted for a main event foreign menace heel,” Meltzer wrote.
The reasoning, as Meltzer frames it, had nothing to do with in-ring credibility and everything to do with protecting the aura of the heel character. McMahon wanted a name that could not be softened into something friendly.
Whatever fans made of the change, Gunther has remained a fixture in WWE’s top storylines.
