Former Imperium member to reportedly receive name change in WWE
Former Imperium member and NXT star Fabian Aichner might be getting a new name soon.
Aichner has been with Vince McMahon's company since 2016, working first on NXT UK and then crossing the Atlantic to compete on the main NXT brand. As a part of the Imperium stable, Aichner enjoyed a great deal of success, as he won the NXT Tag Team Championship with Marcel Barthel twice. But since the stable broke up, Aichner has not been seen on WWE TV.
This could all be about to change, though, as WWE ran a vignette for a new superstar on this week's episode of NXT 2.0. The video promoted the upcoming debut of Giovanni Vinci. Though his face wasn't shown, it is highly speculated that Aichner will be the man behind the gimmick. That being said, nothing has yet been confirmed, either by WWE or by Fabian Aichner himself.
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#WWENXT https://t.co/QloSCVRn4s
Should this speculation be proven right, Aichner would be the latest in a long line of former NXT talents who have had their established names changed. This includes Aichner's former stablemates and most recently LA Knight, who was repackaged as Max Dupri.
When did Imperium break up?
Imperium split up a short time after Aichner and Marcel Barthel were dethroned as NXT Tag Team Champions by MSK at NXT Stand & Deliver.
On the following episode of NXT 2.0, Aichner and Barthel lost a tag team match to The Creed Brothers of Diamond Mine. Aichner shockingly walked out on his partner, and he has been missing from TV ever since.
Where is @FabianAichner going??? 😮
#WWENXT https://t.co/HPzuQe1c7o
Shortly thereafter, the group's other members, Barthel and Gunther (WALTER) were re-packaged and brought to the main roster.
It will be interesting to learn the true identity of Giovanni Vinci and whether or not it is Fabian Aichner. You can read more about NXT 2.0 by clicking here.