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Ludwig Kaiser

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Ludwig Kaiser
Kaiser in 2018
Birth nameMarcel Barthel
Born (1990-07-08) 8 July 1990 (age 34)
Pinneberg, Germany
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Axel Dieter Jr.
Ludwig Kaiser
Marcel Barthel
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1]
Billed weight209 lb (95 kg)[1]
Billed fromHamburg, Germany[2]
Trained byAxel Dieter
Christian Eckstein
Karsten Kretschmer
Debut1 March 2008

Marcel Barthel (born 8 July 1990) is a German professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ludwig Kaiser and is a member of Imperium alongside Gunther. He previously wrestled under the ring name Axel Dieter Jr. in Germany, most notably for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he became a two-time World Tag Team Champion and one-time Unified World Wrestling Champion. He also wrestled in the UK for Progress Wrestling.

Early life

[edit]

Barthel was born in Pinneberg on 8 July 1990.[2] He is a second-generation professional wrestler; his father, Axel Dieter (1933–2015),[3] was later at ringside for his championship win in Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) when he became one half of the wXw World Tag Team Champions.[4] His father was also a child soldier during World War II, fighting first for Nazi Germany before defecting to France, all before he was 12 years old.[5] He later joined the French Foreign Legion.[5]

Professional wrestling career

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Independent circuit and wXw (2008, 2012–2019, 2024)

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Barthel was trained by his father Axel Dieter, Christian Eckstei, and Karsten Kretschmer.[6] He debuted under the ring name Axel Dieter Jr. at NFC New Years Fight Night II on 1 March 2008, wrestling Da Mack to a time limit draw.[1] He made his debut for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in January 2009, losing to Dan Marshall.[7] He did not have his next match in wXw until July 2012, when he and Da Mack defeated Walter and Michael Isotov.[8] Dieter and Da Mack would go on to form a regular team, dubbing themselves Hot & Spicy. On 16 November 2013, they defeated The AUTsiders (Walter and Robert Dreissker) to win the wXw World Tag Team Championship.[9] Dieter and Da Mack made seven successful defences of the championship, defeating the likes of The Sumerian Death Squad (Tommy End and Michael Dante), Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov), and Kazuki Hashimoto and Ryuichi Kawakami. They lost the championships to Matt Striker and Trent? on 15 March 2014, but won them back in a rematch the following day.[10] On 6 April, Dieter received his first opportunity at the wXw Shotgun Championship, losing to Axel Tischer.[11] After over a combined year as wXw World Tag Team Champions, Dieter and Da Mack were defeated by French Flavour (Lucas Di Leo and Peter Fischer) on 18 October, bringing their reign to an end.[12]

On 22 November 2014, Dieter unsuccessfully challenged Walter for the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship.[13] In February 2015, he took part in the Four Nations Cup, defeating Timothy Thatcher in the final to win the tournament.[14] In March, Dieter took part in the 16 Carat Gold Tournament, defeating Zack Sabre Jr. in the semi-final to advance to the final, where he lost to Tommy End.[15] In October, after a short break, Hot & Spicy teamed together once again and made it to the semi-finals of the 2015 World Tag Team Tournament before losing to reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish).[16] In March 2016, Dieter once again took part in the 16 Carat Gold Tournament, defeating Drew Galloway in the semi-final to advance to the final, where he lost to Sabre, the man he defeated to advance to the final in the previous year's tournament.[17] On 2 September, Dieter and Da Mack faced off against each other, with Da Mack coming out on top and retaining his wXw Shotgun Championship.[18] In late 2016, Dieter joined Ringkampf, and on 10 December, he defeated Marty Scurll to win the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title.[19] Dieter held the championship until March 2017, when he was defeated by Jurn Simmons.[20] In April, Dieter announced that he would be leaving wXw to pursue further opportunities outside of Germany. On 30 April, wXw held a farewell show for him, titled Die Matte Ist Heilig: Farewell to Axel Dieter Junior. In his final match as a full-time member of wXw, he teamed with Ringkampf stablemate Walter to defeat his long-time partner Da Mack and his long-time rival Simmons.[21]

Due to wXw's working relationship with WWE, Barthel was able to make occasional appearances for the promotion. At the 17th Anniversary Show, in an untelevised segment, Barthel and Alexander Wolfe saved Walter and Thatcher after they were ambushed by members of the Rise stable.[22] On 30 October 2018, it was confirmed that Barthel, under the Axel Dieter Jr. name, would return to wXw as a part of their 18th Anniversary Show on 22 December.[23] At the event, he teamed with Walter and Thatcher to defeat British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate).[24] In March 2019, he participated in the 16 Carat Gold Tournament, defeating Marius Al-Ani in the first round,[25] before being eliminated by Lucky Kid in the quarter final.[26] On the third night, he reunited with Da Mack, where they defeated Jay FK (Jay Skillet and Francis Kaspin).[27]

On 23 November 2024, at Broken Rykes, Barthel (as Ludwig Kaiser) returned to wXw for the first time since 2019.[28]

Progress Wrestling (2017–2018)

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Representing wXw and Ringkampf, Dieter made his debut for Progress Wrestling in the UK on 15 January 2017, alongside Walter, defeating The London Riots (James Davis and Rob Lynch).[29] They returned to the promotion on 29 January, losing to The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper and Travis Banks).[30] They once again returned on 19 March, defeating The Hunter Brothers (Jim and Lee Hunter).[31] In his first singles match, Dieter lost to Mark Haskins.[32] On 23 April, Dieter, Walter, and Timothy Thatcher unsuccessfully challenged British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate) in a six-man tag team match for all of British Strong Style's championships.[33]

On 30 December 2018, Barthel made a surprise appearance at Progress' Unboxing event, where he was defeated by Eddie Dennis.[34]

WWE (2017–present)

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In 2017, Barthel signed with WWE under his real name and was assigned to WWE's developmental territory NXT that June, where he lost to Roderick Strong at a live event.[35] On the 8 August 2018 episode of NXT, he made his television debut in a losing effort against Keith Lee.[36] In December, he formed a tag team with Giovanni Vinci, with whom he would compete on both the NXT and NXT UK brands. They would later align themselves with Walter and Alexander Wolfe, forming the stable Imperium. On the 13 May 2020 episode of NXT, Barthel and Aichner would defeat Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher (replacing Riddle's original partner Pete Dunne) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.[37] After successful title defenses against teams like Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch and The Undisputed Era, Imperium would lose the titles on the 26 August episode of NXT to Tyler Breeze and Fandango, ending their reign at 105 days.[38] On the 26 October special episode of NXT: Halloween Havoc, Barthel and Aichner defeated MSK in a lumberjack tag team match to win the NXT Tag Team Championship for the second time.[39] On 5 December at NXT WarGames, they successfully defended the titles against Kyle O'Reilly and Von Wagner.[40] On 2 April 2022 at NXT Stand & Deliver, they lost the titles back to MSK in a triple threat tag team match also involving the Creed Brothers, ending their reign at 158 days.[41] On the April 5 episode of NXT, Barthel and Aichner faced the Creed Brothers in a losing effort, with Aichner walking out of their match.[42]

On the April 8 episode of SmackDown, Barthel debuted under the new ring name Ludwig Kaiser, accompanying his Imperium stablemate Walter (now called Gunther) in a squash match against Joe Alonzo.[43] His new surname came from Gustl Kaiser, an important wrestling promoter during the time when his father was active as a professional wrestler.[44] On the May 27 episode of SmackDown, Kaiser had his first match on the main roster, teaming with Gunther to defeat Drew Gulak and Intercontinental Champion Ricochet.[45] A feud with the Brawling Brutes ensued for several months, which also included the return of Aichner (now called Giovanni Vinci) to Imperium and resulted in two Intercontinental Champion matches between Gunther and Sheamus.[46][47][48] As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Kaiser and his Imperium stablemates Gunther and Vinci were drafted to the Raw brand. On the 23 April 2024 episode of Raw, Kaiser attacked Vinci and kicked him out of Imperium after he and Vinci lost to The New Day.[49][50] On the August 30 episode of SmackDown in Berlin, Kaiser answered LA Knight's open challenge for the United States Championship, but lost.[51] At Survivor Series on November 30, he lost a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship against Sheamus and Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker.[52] At the Royal Rumble on 1 February 2025, he entered 13th the eponymous match but was eliminated by Penta in six seconds.

Other media

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Barthel made his video game debut as Ludwig Kaiser in WWE SuperCard,[53] and is a playable character in WWE 2K22,[54] WWE 2K23,[55] WWE 2K24,[56] and WWE 2K25.

Personal life

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Barthel has been in a relationship with American professional wrestler Tiffany Stratton since 2022.[57][58]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Axel Dieter Jr. « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Axel Dieter Jr". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  3. ^ "RUHE IN FRIEDEN, AXEL DIETER" [REST IN PEACE, AXEL DIETER] (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Ian (16 November 2017). "wXw 13th Anniversary Tour: Hamburg (November 16, 2013)". backbodydrop.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Swerve Strickland (6 November 2020). Marcel Barthel On How Inspirational His Father Axel Dieter Was | Episode 27 (Highlight). Retrieved 25 February 2025 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Kader". wXw - more than Wrestling. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  7. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw Back To The Roots VIII « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw Broken Rulz XII « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 13th Anniversary Tour: Hamburg « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  10. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 16 Carat Gold 2014 - Tag 3 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  11. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw Drive Of Champions Tour: Mühlheim ~ HATEs Sunday Bloody Sunday « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 14th Anniversary Tour: SlamMania II « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 14th Anniversary Tour: Hamburg « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  14. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw More Than Wrestling Tour: Weyhe « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 16 Carat Gold 2015 - Tag 3 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  16. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw World Tag Team Tournament 2015 - Tag 3 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  17. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 16 Carat Gold 2016 - Tag 3 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  18. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw Shotgun Live Tour: Hamburg « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  19. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 16th Anniversary « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  20. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw 16 Carat Gold 2017 - Tag 2 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  21. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "wXw Die Matte Ist Heilig: Farewell to Axel Dieter Junior « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  22. ^ Currier, Joseph (23 December 2017). "Daily Update: Wolfe & Barthel appear at wXw, WWE notes, Kaitlyn". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  23. ^ Currier, Joseph (30 October 2018). "NXT's Marcel Barthel set for wXw 18th Anniversary". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  24. ^ Gronemann, Markus (23 December 2018). "wXw 18th Anniversary results: Ringkampf vs. British Strong Style". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  25. ^ Gronemann, Markus (9 March 2019). "wXw 16 Carat Gold night one results: WALTER vs. David Starr". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  26. ^ Gronemann, Markus (9 March 2019). "wXw 16 Carat Gold night two results: WWE's Alexander Wolfe appears". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  27. ^ Gronemann, Markus (10 March 2018). "wXw 16 Carat Gold night three results: Tournament winner crowned". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Ludwig Kaiser Makes Surprise Appearance At wXw Broken Rules | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  29. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PROGRESS Chapter 42: Life, The Universe & Wrestling « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  30. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PROGRESS Chapter 43: Tropic Thunderbastard « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  31. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  32. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PROGRESS Chapter 46: I Like To Chill Out Here And Shoot Some Dinosaurs « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  33. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PROGRESS Chapter 47: Complicated Simplicity « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  34. ^ Hamilton, Ian (7 January 2019). "PROGRESS Chapter 82: Unboxing Live 3: A Dukla Prague Away Kit (December 30, 2018)". backbodydrop.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  35. ^ "NXT Cocoa, FL, live results: Axel Dieter Jr. makes his debut". 22 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  36. ^ "WWE NXT: Aug. 8, 2018". WWE. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  37. ^ "Wwe Nxt Report: Tag Title Match, Takeover Is Coming In June, The Garganos Invite You To Join Them At Dinner, The Tournament Continues, And More". PWInsider.com. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  38. ^ Moore, John (26 August 2020). "8/26 NXT TV results: Moore's review of new NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Scarlett, Tommaso Ciampa returns, Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel vs. Tyler Breeze and Fandango for the NXT Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  39. ^ Aiken, Chris (21 October 2021). "WWE NXT Halloween Havoc live results: Ciampa vs. Breakker". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  40. ^ Klyn, Parker (2 April 2022). "WWE NXT WarGames live results: Old school vs. new school". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  41. ^ Aiken, Chris (2 April 2022). "WWE NXT Stand & Deliver live results: Dolph Ziggler vs. Bron Breakker". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  42. ^ Moore, John (5 April 2022). "4/5 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of the Stand & Deliver fallout edition with Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs. Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin for the NXT Women's Tag Titles, Nikkita Lyons vs. Lash Legend". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  43. ^ Powell, Jason (8 April 2022). "4/8 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the WrestleMania 38 fallout edition with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Happy Corbin hosts Happy Talk". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  44. ^ Harris, Jeffrey (3 May 2022). "Gunther Says His Recent Weight Loss Wasn't Due to WWE's Influence". 411Mania.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  45. ^ Powell, Jason (27 May 2022). "5/27 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and a mystery partner vs. Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch, Smackdown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez in a non-title match, Kevin Owens hosts The KO Show, Drew McIntyre returns". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  46. ^ Bath, Dave (3 September 2022). "WWE Clash at the Castle live results: Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  47. ^ Powell, Jason (7 October 2022). "10/07 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the season premiere, Gunther vs. Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Logan Paul meet face to face, Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  48. ^ Klyn, Parker (8 October 2022). "WWE Extreme Rules live results: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  49. ^ Barnett, Jake (28 April 2023). "4/28 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of the WWE Draft night one, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Zelina Vega vs. Sonya Deville". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  50. ^ Bath, Dave (28 April 2023). "WWE SmackDown live results: The WWE Draft begins". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  51. ^ Mueller, Doc-Chris (30 August 2024). "WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, More Before Bash in Berlin". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  52. ^ https://www.wwe.com/videos/sheamus-vs-bron-breakker-vs-ludwig-kaiser-survivor-series-wargames-2024-highlights
  53. ^ Staff, Www.thesmackdownhotel.com. "Ludwig Kaiser / Marcel Barthel". Www.thesmackdownhotel.com. Retrieved 11 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  54. ^ Wilson, Ben (6 July 2022). "WWE 2K22 wrestlers list sorted by Raw, Smackdown, AEW and more". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  55. ^ Staff, Www.thesmackdownhotel.com. "Ludwig Kaiser". Www.thesmackdownhotel.com. Retrieved 11 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  56. ^ Staff, Www.thesmackdownhotel.com. "Ludwig Kaiser". Www.thesmackdownhotel.com. Retrieved 11 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  57. ^ Thompson, Andrew (23 June 2023). "Tiffany Stratton says Ludwig Kaiser helped her come up with 'Prettiest Moonsault Ever', knows Christopher Daniels does the move". POST Wrestling. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  58. ^ Salcedo, Denise (3 February 2024). "Tiffany Stratton & Ludwig Kaiser reflect on their first WWE Royal Rumble matches". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  59. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "CWN WinsenMania II". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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  63. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "NFC First Fighter Championship". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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  65. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "NFC First Fighter Championship". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  66. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWF North-European Championship". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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  69. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mitteldeutschland Cup 2014". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  70. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Four Nations Cup". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  71. ^ "NXT Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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