WWE has no internal heat on Ludwig Kaiser over his recent battery arrest, but sources within the company believe the wrestler will eventually be dismissed based on the information they’ve received, per a new Fightful Select report.
Per Fightful Select, Kaiser, real name Marcel Barthel, is not currently facing any internal WWE disciplinary heat over the arrest. However, sources within the company believe Kaiser will eventually be dismissed based on the broader information they’ve received about the incident.
Kaiser was arrested for misdemeanor battery over the April 24 incident in Orlando. Per the affidavit, Kaiser attacked a fellow male resident of his apartment complex after the victim told Kaiser and his female companion to “please have some manners” following alleged “uncontrollably intimate” elevator behavior. Kaiser was identified through security footage and a photographic lineup. He turned himself in on May 20 and posted a $1,000 bond, with court records listing GUNTHER (real name Walter Hahn) as the bond depositor. Kaiser’s travel motion was filed with state non-objection, putting him on track to compete at AAA Noche de los Grandes on May 30.
The new Fightful reporting addresses a separate element of the story that has been circulating. The recent narrative about Kaiser defending himself and Andrea Bazarte from alleged ICE comments was planted within the wrestling media ecosystem, per Fightful’s sources.
“After the ICE story became public, an unfamiliar number reached out to several members of the wrestling media with the story, as opposed to Kaiser or Andrea themselves, or a member of WWE’s team.”
The internal WWE talent response has been mixed. Per the Fightful reporting, some wrestlers found the “defense” narrative surrounding the incident unbelievable. Some felt that the 35-year-old should have simply removed himself from the situation rather than escalating to physical confrontation.
JBL on Something to Wrestle separately took a strong defense position on Kaiser, calling the alleged victim “a punk ass bitch” and saying he is “100% behind Kaiser.” The JBL framing represents the more public AAA-side veteran endorsement of Kaiser, with JBL having been the lead AAA commentator and reportedly likely to be named AAA GM on Saturday.
The Kaiser-Gable mask vs mask match on May 30 will be Kaiser’s most-visible public appearance since his arrest. WWE has not officially commented on the Kaiser situation.
