Gunther explains how William Regal got him to sign with WWE.
Gunther is one of the biggest success stories that has emerged from the now-defunct NXT UK brand. Initially, he was very open about not wanting to wrestle in America on the WWE main roster, believing it would be a rough fit for him. He initially felt the same way about signing with WWE.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Gunther revealed that he spoke to William Regal first, not Triple H.
"Mr. Regal called me first. I met him at PWG before. He would always come to PWG," he said of his relationship with Regal before WWE.
How did Regal convince him to put pen to paper? By letting Gunther know that he can make money. Still, the "Ring General" was stubborn and didn't know how he would fit into the WWE system. Then, NXT UK allowed for the perfect fit.
"He just said, ‘Come over, you can make money here.’ [Laughs]. I was still stubborn, ‘No.’ I said no two times. I never saw myself there," he said. "I always thought what I got to offer was me. I’m happy to work on myself and improve on myself, but I’m always going to be me. I was never interested in portraying somebody else’s fantasy. I always wanted to do what was right for me to do. With NXT, they gave me the opportunity to do that and stay based in Europe for a little bit."
"At the end, it comes down to finances too, at some point," he admitted when explaining why he eventually said yes. "As an athlete, you always want to step up to the next challenge to some degree. I did everything I could for the company in Germany and the indies. There is usually a small window there. New Japan didn’t really move, and there was nothing else. I had an offer from Ring of Honor back then, too. At the end it was, you’re a certain age, and you have to think about your future and where you can make the most money. I had a lot of trust in Hunter and his vision."
At this link, fans can read Gunther's explanation for why he ultimately didn't sign with NJPW.
Read his comments on Jey Uso and their WrestleMania match here.
Check out the full interview with Gunther, which is embedded below.
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