WALTER was one of the top names on the Independent scene when he signed with WWE in January 2019.
He was considered one of the best wrestlers in the world at the time and was always hesitant to sign with WWE because he didn't want to move to the United States. Once NXT UK started, WALTER was able to maintain his home in Europe while still being under the WWE branch.
Speaking on After The Bell, WALTER discussed his thought process when it came to signing with WWE.
"I was never thinking about signing with WWE," he said. "It was never a goal. I was happy in the process, sometimes you get lost too much when thinking about the future. Sometimes, your brain is way ahead of you so I always have to focus on what I'm doing right now. I was never too keen about leaving Germany or Europe to live in the United States. It's a big step. Most of the other wrestlers are willing to do it because it's their goal from day one or early in their career. For me, it was never a realistic thing that I could ever wrestle for WWE. When I started ten years ago, the wrestling world was different. WWE was very protected and isolated from everyone else. They opened up a few years ago when they realized how much talent there is. When everything came to talks with NXT UK, they talked to me right when it started and I was doing well on the Indies. I wanted to wait and see what happens. When everything came together with NXT UK, I was thinking about myself. The travel schedule on the Indies was really rough. You're working for a different guy every day and have to organize everything. If you rely on the promoter, there's a chance you get stranded somewhere. I was only home two or three days a week. When NXT UK came up and we talked, obviously the focus was to build something in Europe and it was the logical first step in the process."
WALTER has been the NXT UK Champion since April 5, 2019 when he defeated Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New York.
When asked what it's like to represent Europe and NXT UK, WALTER replied, "It's a big responsibility. As the NXT UK Champion, I feel when I have a match, that match will be seen by the most people. It comes with a responsibility to showcase what European wrestling is all about. It's something I'm very proud of. I never had to change for WWE, I'm still the same person I was when I worked for everyone else. To be able to stick with that and showcase wrestling the way I think it's right and get the attention and trust of people in WWE, it's a nice accomplishment."
WALTER most recently defended his NXT UK Championship against Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver and Rampage Brown on NXT UK.
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