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.

On the April 8 episode of SmackDown, Ludwig Kaiser made his debut under his new ring name, accompanying Gunther (formerly known as Walter) for a dominant squash match against Joe Alonzo. The "Kaiser" in his name pays homage to Gustl Kaiser, a notable wrestling promoter active during the era of his father’s wrestling career. On May 27, Kaiser wrestled his first match on the main roster, teaming with Gunther to secure a win against Drew Gulak and Intercontinental Champion Ricochet.

Kaiser, alongside Imperium, soon entered into a heated rivalry with the Brawling Brutes, which included two high-profile Intercontinental Championship matches between Gunther and Sheamus. During the 2023 WWE Draft, Kaiser, Gunther, and Giovanni Vinci were moved to the Raw brand as part of Imperium. However, cracks began to show within the group when, on the April 23, 2024 episode of Raw, Kaiser turned on Vinci following a loss to The New Day.

On August 30, during SmackDown in Berlin, Germany, Kaiser stepped up to LA Knight’s open challenge for the United States Championship but came up short in his bid to claim the title. Later that year, at Survivor Series on November 30, Kaiser competed in a Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental Championship against Bron Breakker and Sheamus but was unable to capture the gold.

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. In an interview with Post Wrestling, Stratton revealed that Kaiser was the one who helped her with her finishing move "Prettiest Moonsault Ever".

Click here to learn more about Ludwig Kaiser’s wife.

Ludwig Kaiser Awards and Achievements

Ludwig Kaiser Physical Attributes

Ludwig Kaiser Age

Ludwig Kaiser is 34 years old. He was born on July 8, 1990, in Pinneberg, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany.

Ludwig Kaiser Height

Ludwig Kaiser stands at a billed height of 6 ft 3 in (191 cm).

Ludwig Kaiser Weight

Ludwig Kaiser is billed at a weight of 209 lb (95 kg).