One of the most-talked-about news stories of the week in the wrestling business has been the bizarre decision to change Walter's name. The Austrian Superstar officially made his move to the US permanent this week by competing in NXT's main event and defeating Roderick Strong. After the match, Walter snatched the mic away from the ring announcer and declared Gunther was the winner of the match, revealing his name change to the world.
Gunther McGillibuddy
Never one to pass up on an opportunity to take a shot at his former employers, Cody Rhodes decided to keep the name change news train going by referencing it on Dynamite. Rhodes returned to AEW this week to let fans know his plans for the TNT Title, of which there are now two thanks to him missing a title defense earlier this month.
During the build to revealing one true champion will be decided in a ladder match at Beach Break, Rhodes ran down a few members of the roster and made it clear AEW doesn't force new signings to change their names. “I know we're not in the business of renaming people Gunther McGillibuddy, but showing up in AEW and calling yourself Brody takes balls” Rhodes said.
Being Called Brody In AEW
Not only is that a dig at Walter being renamed Gunther, but it's also a reference to Curtis Axel having to change his name in WWE. Axel was called Michael McGillicutty in NXT before being renamed and repackaged when he made the move to the main roster. As for the Brody reference, that is a nod to Brody King who officially arrived in AEW last week. Sticking with the name Brody is a bold decision, as Rhodes quite rightly said, due to connections Brodie Lee has to AEW.
As for Walter's name change, a trademark filed by WWE suggests it could have been much worse. The trademark filing was for the name Gunther Stark, a name Walter would have shared with a Nazi U-boat commander had WWE gone through with using the last name too. Despite the dark background attached to the name being the first thing that pops up on Google when you search for it, at least prior to this week, WWE didn't realize the issue prior to filing for the trademark. Thankfully it realized before having Walter use the full name on NXT TV.