Ludwig Kaiser has revealed that the on-screen separation of the Imperium faction was not a decision made solely by WWE creative, but a mutual agreement between himself and GUNTHER. Speaking on the Kennt jeder podcast, Kaiser explained the reasoning behind the quiet split, which saw the duo simply stop appearing on television together without any formal turn or breakup angle.
Kaiser explained that while he and GUNTHER have been linked for years, their roles in different groups have varied. “I think I have never said this in public, but it was GUNTHER’s and my idea,” Kaiser stated. “Imperium originated in wXw as Ringkampf, even though it was set up differently. We were all on the same level, but with different characters. Timothy Thatcher was the roughneck for the dirty work. I was the arrogant young boy. WALTER was the slaughterer to kill everyone. Imperium was a different dynamic. GUNTHER was the main guy and I was part of the tag team.” Henoted the immense talent of his former partner, noting that “GUNTHER is insane, he unlocks something in people that only few can,” and that his job in Imperium was to “make his act better and not take anything away.”
However, Kaiser admitted that he reached a point in his career where he wanted to achieve more on his own. “But at some point, you want more, and you get to a point where you want more. But if you keep walking behind GUNTHER, I remain the tag team guy. We realized something needs to change, so we did,” he explained. He spoke about the risk involved in branching out on his own but expressed confidence in his ability to succeed. “Of course, there is a risk, but in America, you need to bank on yourself and on your skills. You need to have the balls to do that. You will get that chance. You need to use it. I would say for myself I did just that.”
Since the split of Imperium, Ludwig Kaiser has been portraying the masked luchador El Grande Americano, a character that was originally played by Chad Gable before he was injured. As El Grande Americano, Kaiser has been heavily involved in storylines with Dominik Mysterio. Meanwhile, GUNTHER has been off WWE television since losing the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk at SummerSlam earlier this year.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Kennt jeder with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
