Gunther Says This WWE Hall Of Famer Convinced Him To Join After Declining Twice

GUNTHER is now well established as a WWE star, with six years under his belt at the company. However, for many years before joining the promotion, the man previously known as WALTER didn't think he'd ever wrestle there. Appearing on "The Ariel Helwani Show," GUNTHER revealed he'd been contacted by William Regal prior to signing and said no twice.

"I never saw myself there," GUNTHER explained. "I always thought, 'What I [have] to offer is me, and that's all I got.' And I'm happy to work on myself and I'm happy to improve on myself, but in the core, it's always going to be me. And I was never interested in — I don't know — portraying somebody else's fantasy."

It was Paul "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" Levesque who eventually changed GUNTHER's mind. Triple H presented GUNTHER with a plan for how he'd be presented within the company, and the offer allowed GUNTHER to spend some more time in Europe before eventually moving to the United States. The wrestler said this appealed to him as it allowed him to ensure the wrestling school he ran was in good hands.

"At the end, it was — okay, you're a certain age. You've got to think about your future and where you can make the most money," GUNTHER continued. "I had a lot of trust in Hunter and Hunter's vision."

Since joining WWE, GUNTHER has had record-breaking reigns with the WWE NXT U.K. Championship as well as the WWE Intercontinental Championship. He currently holds the World Heavyweight Championship, and is set to defend the title against Jey Uso at WWE WrestleMania 41.

In the interview with Helwani, GUNTHER stated that he signed a new contract with WWE late last year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.