WWE appears to be done with Imperium, at least when it comes to NXT. The faction has been broken up without much warning and spread across various brands. That's after the stable's formation and dominance in NXT UK, transition to NXT, and a lengthy reign with the black and gold brand's Tag Team Titles since making that move. Now Gunther and Marcel Barthel call SmackDown home, Fabian Aichner has been left to his own devices in NXT 2.0, and Alexander Wolfe is no longer a WWE Superstar.
Although it has technically been a long time since the formation of Imperium, in a way it feels like the quartet was only just getting started. No offense to NXT UK, its Superstars, and its fans, but the brand is a pretty minor part of the massive WWE umbrella. The majority of those who watch WWE programming had probably never seen them perform, outside of the odd appearance on a TakeOver and Gunther's cameo showings on the main roster when he was still going by Walter. In fairness, if you want to take him or any of Imperium seriously moving forward, those cameos are probably best forgotten.
Imperium In NXT 2.0
Although Imperium was one of the many acts with an on-screen presence when NXT became NXT 2.0, WWE made it clear very quickly that the group would be a part of the new-look brand by making Aichner and Barthel its champions. A strong choice and one that should have arguably led to every member of Imperium being draped in gold. Every division in NXT needed to be rebuilt after the revamp, and putting the Tag Team Titles on a duo as technically sound as Barthel and Aichner made all the sense in the world.
The decision also did exactly what it was presumably supposed to do. Increased the stock of the tag division. Duos like MSK and The Creed Brothers were elevated by having matches with Imperium and almost undoubtedly learned a lot along the way. With Undisputed Era gone, a stable on which the final years of NXT was arguably built, Imperium was stepping up into the vacuum that had been left behind. It might even have been viewed as a long-term plan for Diamond Mine to eventually assume that position once Imperium imploded or received a call from the main roster.
Imperium Implodes
In an ideal world, that implosion or promotion would be a long way off. However, both have already happened with pretty much no build-up. Aichner bailed on Barthel midway through a match against The Creeds. Not only was there no build-up to that happening, but there was also no fallout. The abandoned Barthel instead appeared with Gunther on SmackDown a short while after and fans who watch both the blue brand and NXT 2.0 were left to fill in the blanks.
Hardened WWE fans are used to having to fill in the gaps. That isn't the only issue here though. Certain elements of NXT, which fans of the old black and gold version are still trying to get to grips with, have taken a few steps back as a result. Poor Aichner for starters who hasn't been seen since. He presumably won't be joining Barthel and Gunther on SmackDown after his last act on NXT TV at this point was leaving his German partner high and dry. Perhaps he had heard the news that the other two-thirds of Imperium would be moving on without him and that's how he reacted. Again, filling in the gaps WWE has decided to leave blank.
Two Steps Back For The Tag Division
Above all else is the backslide of what was starting to become a pretty entertaining tag division. Imperium's work was not done, and by no fault of WWE in fairness, the division has also lost MSK at the same time. Now the brand has been left with The Creeds, a team too inexperienced for WWE to pull the trigger on, Pretty Deadly who have been brought over from NXT UK to fill the new gaps, and Legado Del Fantasma, the one team that definitely has a bright future and might well be the new favorites to become the new Undisputed Era. Plus Grizzled Young Veterans but for some reason they only show up once a month.
As for the two remaining members of Imperium who suddenly find themselves on the main roster it's unclear why their call-up was fast-tracked, and why Aichner was deemed not good enough to be a part of the group's next chapter. There's a real risk Barthel and Gunther become the next Sanity and aren't even included in anything of any substance before fading into obscurity. On the bright side, as The Viking Raiders have exhibited, if that does happen, there is a clearer way back to NXT than there was before the brand underwent a facelift.
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