Ludwig Kaiser

Ludwig Kaiser is a German professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he works on Monday Night RAW as a member of the faction named Imperium. Before coming to WWE, Kaiser had worked for a number of indie promotions, including Westside Xtreme Wrestling, where he spent most of his time.

Early Life

Ludwig Kaiser’s real name is Marcel Barthel. He was born on 8 July 1991 in Pinneberg, which is a town in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein in the northern region of Germany. Barthel had been quite interested in professional wrestling from a young age and started his professional training in the sport in his teenage. Barthel also made his in-ring debut before his 18th birthday.

Ludwig Kaiser Professional Wrestling Career

Westside Xtreme Wrestling (2009-2017)

Ludwig Kaiser wrestled in wXw under the name Axel Dieter Jr. Dieter's career in WXW was a successful one, filled with tag team championship reigns, tournament victories, and title shots. He formed a dominant tag team with Da Mack, "Hot And Spicy", winning the World Tag Team Championship twice and defending it successfully against strong competition.

He also had significant singles success, winning the Four Nations Cup and reaching the finals of the prestigious 16 Carat Gold Tournament twice. While he didn't always claim ultimate victory, Dieter was a consistent contender and fan favorite.

In late 2016, he joined Ringkampf and even captured the top prize, the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title. After a lengthy and impactful run, Dieter left wXw in 2017 to pursue new opportunities, his final match a fitting tribute to his time in the promotion. On October 30, 2018, the promotion announced a one-off return for Kaiser on company’s 22nd anniversary.

Progress Wrestling (2017)

As a member of wXW roster, Alex Dieter made his debut for Progress Wrestling in the United Kingdom in January 2017. He, and Walter defeated The London Riots (James Davis and Rob Lynch) in their debut match. In March that year, the two defeated The Hunter Brothers in a tag team match. Dieter, Walter and Timothy Thatcher then failed to defeat British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven).

WWE (2017-Present)

After leaving wXw in 2017, Barthel joined WWE under his real name and began his journey in NXT in June. His television debut came in August 2018, marked by a defeat to Keith Lee. Soon after, he formed a formidable tag team with Fabian Aichner, dominating both NXT and NXT UK. In May 2020, the duo, known as European Union, reached the pinnacle by dethroning Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher to become NXT Tag Team Champions. After defending their title against notable challengers like Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch and The Undisputed Era, their reign fell to Tyler Breeze & Fandango in August.

Thereafter, Barthel and Aichner clawed their way back to the top at Halloween Havoc 2021, defeating MSK in a thrilling Lumberjack match. They solidified their dominance by retaining the titles against Kyle O'Reilly & Von Wagner at NXT WarGames. However, their second reign ended at Stand & Deliver 2022, when MSK regained the gold in a chaotic triple threat match involving The Creed Brothers. Barthel's final NXT chapter closed on April 5th, 2022, with a tag team loss to the Creed Brothers. The match witnessed a dramatic moment with Aichner abandoning Barthel, marking the end of their successful partnership.

In April 2022, Barthel made his SmackDown debut and was renamed to Ludwig Kaiser. He teamed up with Walter who was now renamed to Gunther. Kaiser started working as Gunther’s representative and right hand man. On the May 27 episode of SmackDown, the two defeated Ricochet and Drew Gulak. The two superstars, also aided by Giovanni Vinci, then feuded against The Brawling Brutes for months.

Ludwig Kaiser Net Worth

As per various sources, Ludwig Kaiser is worth in the range of $1 to $3 Million in 2024. The exact figures are not known. He draws an annual salary of at least $250,000 from WWE.

Ludwig Kaiser Wife

Ludwig Kaiser is not married as of 2024. He has been dating fellow WWE wrestler Tiffany Stratton. The real name of the NXT Superstar is Jessica Woynilko. Click here to learn more about Ludwig Kaiser’s wife.

Ludwig Kaiser Awards and Achievements