Mega WWE star reflects on struggles that almost deterred wrestling career
A current WWE champion recently reflected on how he nearly quit professional wrestling, citing real-life struggles. The name in question is Gunther.
The Ring General has been one of the most dominant in-ring performers since joining the Stamford-based wrestling promotion in 2019. The current World Heavyweight Champion has previously held the NXT UK and WWE Intercontinental Championships. Interestingly, he holds the record for the longest reigns for both titles.
Before making it big, Gunther had to fight through several adversities. During a recent interview with CBS Sports, the 36-year-old revealed he worked night shifts for three years and would wrestle only on weekends. The Ring General further explained how such a lifestyle took a toll on him, and since he'd always wanted to make a living from professional wrestling and couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, he had thought of deterring his in-ring career.
"I had a day job working only night shifts for nearly three years and wrestling on the weekends. That took a toll that was hard to sustain. My goal was always to make a living off professional wrestling. That was not in sight, so I thought I should call it quits and focus on a career in my real job," he said.
Gunther added how he proposed to Westside Xtreme Wrestling to let him run a wrestling school for the company, which played a major part in the Austrian sticking to professional wrestling.
"I spoke with [Westside Xtreme Wrestling] and said, 'Either I run a wrestling school for you, and that's my job, or I think I call it quits.' They were happy to do that. They wanted to have a wrestling school. They employed me, and since then, professional wrestling has been my main profession," he added. [H/T: CBS Sports]
WWE legend warns Randy Orton ahead of title match
Gunther is all set for his first title defense against Randy Orton, scheduled for Bash in Berlin later this month. The show airing live on August 31 will be Germany's first-ever premium live event.
On a recent edition of Busted Open After Dark, WWE legend, Tommy Dreamer stated that The Ring General was seemingly the overwhelming favorite heading into Bash in Berlin. He said The Apex Predator would be walking into "enemy territory," as Gunther would undoubtedly receive a lot of support from the German crowd.
The 53-year-old predicted that the two veteran performers would have a great match.
"Randy Orton [is] going into enemy territory, like I said because I think Gunther will get an amazing reaction. But I would love to see Gunther be what he's supposed to be in a heel, and Randy will just kind of work Randy style, which is amazing. Those two guys will have an epic, epic battle," he said. [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
With Gunther having already defeated Orton earlier this year in the final of the King of the Ring Tournament, it remains to be seen if he can retain his World Heavyweight Championship in WWE's upcoming premium live event in Berlin, Germany.