Gunther Reveals What Prompted Him to Transform His Physique for WWE Main Roster Switch
Gunther had a very clear path in his mind about how he wanted to be perceived by the wrestling masses upon his WWE main roster switch.
Follow Us
Gunther [via- Cageside Seats]
Gunther has revealed his motivations behind undergoing a physical transformation in his wrestling career. For his time on the independent circuit spilling over to WWE in NXT UK, he remained a butch-looking heavyweight because he grew up watching those barrel-chested men in wrestling. He therefore embarked on building a career around those figures.
However, it had to change once it was time for Gunther to be called up to the main roster in WWE. That juggernaut has an amalgam of different fan preferences, which diversified even further when WWE struck an agreement with Netflix. Since there was bound to be an influx of casual viewers alongside diehard wrestling fans, ‘The Ring General’ thought it was necessary for him to lose weight.
GUNTHER says his weight loss upon moving to WWE main roster was due to him not believing that the wider WWE audience would understand his heavier physique:
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) May 14, 2026
"I was the person I wanted to be a lot, because in my case I never felt uncomfortable before or anything, and my wrestling… pic.twitter.com/wVRfIX08iC
He had decided to get lean prior to his WWE main roster switch in April 2022. The Vienna-born wrestler kept his burly physique for years, performing in front of wrestling diehards, who understood the intrigue of it. However, when he got to know he was getting promoted to the main roster, Gunther knew he had to switch it up and transform himself.
Should he have remained out of shape, the larger WWE audience wouldn’t have taken him seriously as someone who had the look of a champion, as admitted by the man himself in a recent interview with Enry Lazza. The erstwhile Walter knew he had to make that adjustment while retaining all other elements of himself. But the journey wasn’t easy.
He had to constantly fight his “schweinehund”, which is German for a pig dog that sits as a devil on one’s shoulder and makes one do all the wrong things. So that’s what he had to fight for the most to remain disciplined until it became a part of his routine.
It has been over four years since he officially arrived on the main roster in WWE. He has captured the world title twice in the meantime, had the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in the company’s history, and retired John Cena, which trumps everything he’s accomplished as a pro wrestler.
Gunther wants Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship after trade to SmackDown
After dispatching Seth Rollins at this year’s WrestleMania after a Bron Breakker run-in, Gunther turned his attention toward putting some gold around his waist once again. He hasn’t held a championship belt since losing the world heavyweight title to Jey Uso at last year’s WrestleMania.
Though Gunther first teased chasing the world title that’s currently held by Roman Reigns on Raw, that direction seems to have been dropped owing to some major creative tweaks of late. ‘The Ring General’ ambushed Cody Rhodes a couple of weeks ago and left him unconscious.
Last Friday on SmackDown, Paul Heyman negotiated a trade for Gunther and helped prepare the draft for the Austrian’s world title showdown with Rhodes at Clash in Italy. That was the favor Heyman owed Gunther as he saved the WWE Hall of Famer from Rollins before WrestleMania. Gunther tried sneak attacking the ‘American Nightmare’ after Heyman walked away from Rhodes.
The latter, however, intercepted the ambush and got his lick back on the former leader of Imperium. ‘The QB1’ claimed that Gunther retiring the likes of Goldberg, AJ Styles, and John Cena didn’t scare him at all. After numerous failed attempts to get the edge over Rhodes, Gunther finally retreated. Their story is set to advance on this week’s episode of SmackDown from Columbia.
Also Read:
Vibhor Pal
(3522 Articles Published)