It's not every week the names Walter and Gunther are trending, but they probably were at points over the last few days. Walter wrestled his first match in NXT since leaving NXT UK. The former NXT UK Champion wrestled and won a terrific main event against Roderick Strong. After the match, the Austrian revealed to the world that he will be known as Gunther moving forward.
Waller Sounds Too Much Like Walter
That explained the trademark filing discovered earlier in the week for the name Gunther Stark. However, shortly after that discovery, fans highlighted the name Gunther Stark is synonymous with a Nazi U-boat commander who served during World War 2. While not confirmed by WWE, and it probably never will be, it's assumed the Stark was dropped following the discovery and Walter will simply be Gunther moving forward.
If you ask Grayson Waller, the young upstart will tell you he's the reason Walter has undergone a name change. “Walter was just too close to Waller, so I spoke to my lawyers,” Waller tweeted shortly after wrestling Twitter was set ablaze by Walter's announcement. It's certainly no secret Vince McMahon doesn't like having Superstars with the same name on his brand at the same time. This was probably just a joke, and a pretty funny one, on Waller's part, though.
The Name Change Is Now Official
Name changes in WWE are commonplace, but they aren't always permanent. There was an outside chance Walter would appear on NXT next week and be referred to as Walter again. However, the alteration to his page on WWE.com would suggest otherwise. It now reads Gunther which suggests the new moniker is here to stay. As for the Stark surname, WWE has apparently already abandoned that trademark, thank goodness.
Name changes are one of the many quirks Vince McMahon has that fans might never know about in full. Sometimes wrestlers change their names after they sign which sort of makes sense. A fresh start and giving them an IP WWE can claim ownership of. What remains unclear is why some wrestlers, like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, get a pass. What's even less clear is why McMahon decides to change up someone's name months, if not years after they sign, as is the case for Walter.