Walter / YMMV - TV Tropes

Awesome Music: He comes to the fourth step of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9. Every version of it, it's awesome on its own right.
Broken Base: The entire Gunther name, at least at first. While the many, many online detractors have cited the obvious issue with the trademarked name to the point of even labeling Vince McMahon as a racist because of it, those who either favor the name change by itself or at least hold less scathing views on the matter have pointed out that Lieutenant Gunther Stark's tenure was short and had very little historical significance; perhaps even less so than an officer of the Third Reich awarded with several medals who also shares the name of Walter Hahn.^note Given how leaving the Stark surname on the cutting room floor^note did little to mollify the complaints, and the IWC's subsequent mostly-negative reactions to the news of other NXT talents getting repackaged from their real-life or independent names to WWE IP ring names, proponents have claimed that the Nazi element was intentionally researched to create outrage and the "real" issue seems to be the act of repackaging talent after years of allowing them to use their own names on the NXT brands, likely a result of legal issues involving royalties for mid-pandemic released wrestlers. They instead choose to focus on the quality of the names in a vacuum, feeling that "Gunther" sounds more emphatic than "Walter" (especially after he and Ludwig Kaiser, the renamed Marcel Barthel, debuted on SmackDown with Kaiser announcing Gunther to the ring with pure European gusto), and that by embracing the name and subtle packaging changes as well as getting himself in leaner shape, the man himself has marked the Gunther identity as a new chapter in his career and ensured himself at least a flourishing start on the WWE main roster stage. That being said...
Ensemble Dark Horse: It's worth noting that, despite being part of a promotion then-infamous for lacking interest outside of its small, insular core audience, Walter got a huge reception when he represented NXT at Survivor Series ahead of his main roster call-up. Despite the initial name debacle, GUNTHER has won over the fans' opinions due to his commanding presence in the ring, being a very believable monster heel, and his capability to make a great match with just about anyone in the roster. It helps that he was booked really strong: his Intercontinental championship reign, which is prominently featured in the main event of SmackDown's programming after Triple H became the head of the creative, is seen as the most dominant in decades. Fans now feel that Walter's evolution to GUNTHER has allowed him to make the big leap forward he needed to be part of WWE's main event in the future.
Hilarious in Hindsight: Long before the backdraft-inducing trademark and ring name change, WWE was already calling him GUNTHER, via Kyle O'Reilly of The Undisputed Era's nickname for him and his team, "GUNTHER and the Imperiumpa Loompas". Fittingly, he first announced himself under the name after defeating former Undisputed Era member and Diamond Mine leader Roderick Strong.
Most Wonderful Sound:
- That chop, when done upon a hated heel.
- Both Ludwig Kaiser's and Raw ring announcer Samantha Irvin's pronunciations of the GUNTHER name. You can't go wrong with either one, really. For your listening pleasure, here's both Kaiser and Samantha doing their thing prior to GUNTHER's Intercontinental title defense against Shinsuke Nakamura on August 12, 2022.
Music to Invade Poland to: Or at least, to invade the ring to. His theme music (Dvorak's Symphony No. 9) is very martial-sounding.
Older than You Think: The Nazi allusion in Walter's gimmick didn't start with Gunther Stark. Long before his time in WWE, he wore a long coal-black officer's coat and jackboots as integral parts of his customary ring gear in addition to his distinctly WW2-era hairstyle, Imperium went by Ringkampf, and of course his traditional entry theme was the incredibly militaristic Symphony No. 9.
Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Not him as a person, but the "Gunther" name. It's an understatement that Gunther's name was not received well at first, both due to the unfortunate name and it being seen by fans as another casualty of Vince's desire to take any NXT star he can and change them for the worse by molding them in-line with his tastes. (Indeed, shortly before Vince's forced 10-Minute Retirement, reports indicate he'd gotten irrationally angry at Gunther for no apparent reason and was planning to have him squashed and buried, though Gunther and Kaiser's comments and the fact that Gunther had yet to be threatened in his title run to that point lend dispute to the claim.) Gunther's time as an Intercontinental champion made fans reconsider their stance however, with many fans now accepting the Gunther name after his impressive debut year in the main roster that produced plenty of positive highlights.
- His reign has also helped the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship. Before he held it, it was clearly seen as an afterthought by management at that point, as whoever had it rarely had any significant time to shine. When Gunther held the title, everyone knew he was a credible champion, and the longer he continued to hold the championship, the bigger the title felt, to the point many saw it as the same level as the world championships. Gunther's historic record breaking title reign has helped bring the championship back to it's former glory and also cementing Gunther, to many, as the greatest intercontinental Champion in the company's history.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: The initial reception when he received the name "Gunther" in NXT 2.0 was... Not great. Not just because "WALTER" was iconic, but also because it stands as an Unfortunate Name: WWE's original plan was to call him "Gunther Stark", which also happens to be the name of a Nazi U-Boat commander.

YMMV / Walter

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