Gunther reflects on nearly quitting pro wrestling while working a day job on the side: ‘That took a toll’

Gunther has had a remarkable run in the WWE. “The Ring General” set records for longest reigning intercontinental champion and the longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match, became King of the Ring and challenges for the world heavyweight title at SummerSlam. He accomplished all this in a 28-month main roster run.

Gunther’s dominance in professional wrestling’s marquee promotion is rarely seen, but he wasn’t always running over the competition so effortlessly. Gunther, 36, will celebrate two decades as a professional wrestler next year. During the halfway mark of that run — around 2013 or 2014 — Gunther found himself at a crossroads that nearly erased the legacy he would later carve out.

“I had a day job working only night shifts for nearly three years and wrestling on the weekends. That took a toll that was hard to sustain,” Gunther told CBS Sports. “My goal was always to make a living off professional wrestling. That was not in sight so I thought I should call it quits and focus on a career in my real job. 

“I spoke with [Westside Xtreme Wrestling] and said, ‘Either I run a wrestling school for you and that’s my job, or I think I call it quits.’ They were happy to do that. They wanted to have a wrestling school. They employed me and since then, professional wrestling has been my main profession.”

Gunther, known primarily as WALTER at the time, was synonymous with Germany’s promotion. He became one of Europe’s premier wrestlers, a reputation that caught WWE’s eye when the promotion launched NXT UK in 2016. WWE has emphasized its global reach in recent years, often traveling the world to produce its monthly pay-per-view events, which the company refers to as premium live events. One of those events is the inaugural Bash in Berlin event on Aug. 31, the first WWE PPV in Germany.

Only the parties involved know if Gunther will defeat Damian Priest on Aug. 3 to become world heavyweight champion at SummerSlam, but most expect Gunther to have a significant presence in Berlin regardless. Bash in Berlin will take place a seven or eight-hour drive from Gunther’s birthplace of Vienna, Austria.

Gunther distinctly remembers wrestling in small venues throughout Germany. It’s surreal thinking Gunther might enter the 17,000-capacity Uber Arena as world champion, having cut his teeth wrestling in Berlin nightclubs.

“When [Ludwig] Kaiser and I were in wXw, we were trying to commit to that and set everything else in life aside to make that big and get it going,” Gunther said. “We ran 60 or 70 shows a month. After every show, the big speech was that we worked hard so professional wrestling in Germany would become accessible again and to make a scene that people could enjoy and reliably be entertained. I’m obviously not the only reason this event is happening, but I want to claim that my being in WWE right now is a factor for why they wanted to do a PLE there. I think it’s a very nice accomplishment.”

Gunther and his Imperium stablemate Kaiser would have been skeptical if you had told them a decade ago they’d one day play a role in bringing WWE’s debut PPV to Germany.

“It was highly unrealistic,” Gunther said. “The chances weren’t that high and they weren’t for most of my career because WWE didn’t open up the way they have to the independent circuit. It changed a lot when they started signing guys from the indies and being open to the worldwide wrestling scene. It’s been a long ride to get here so now I’m ready to enjoy it.”

Returning to his longtime home of Berlin as world champion would be a seminal moment in Gunther’s career, but he’s not putting the cart before the horse. Gunther must first defeat reigning champion Priest, a superstar who’s slowly picking away at the notion that he’s a transitional champion who’s keeping the title warm.

“It’d be the biggest achievement of my career,” Gunther said. “I think that’s quite obvious. It’s the world’s heavyweight champion. It’s the biggest prize there is to win in this sport. That would be a huge accomplishment but also a big responsibility and challenge. That’s what I’m here for. I want to be in the mix with the best and in the ring with all of them. To prove myself in that regard.”