GUNTHER Reflects On Going From Small Shows In Germany To WWE Bash In Berlin

From wrestling at small venues around Berlin to leading Germany's top promotion, wXw, new World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER conquered the European indies before extending his rule to WWE. Later this month, he'll be headlining WWE's next historic live event, Bash In Berlin, coming home with world title gold in hand. With Ludwig Kaiser by his side once more, it's apparent the duo have put Germany on the map as a WWE destination, an accomplishment GUNTHER reflected on in an interview prior to SummerSlam.

"When 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 to CBS Sports. "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."

Although GUNTHER doesn't want to take full credit, the thought of having him and Kaiser's name on the marquee seems dreamlike, especially when European promotions rarely received calls from WWE on acquiring talent decades ago.

"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."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "CBS Sports" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.