WWE NXT recap and reactions: Hello WALTER... or is it now Gunther?

The latest episode of WWE NXT that aired on Wednesday (January 19) featured the arrival of WALTER. The Austrian has been a force of nature on WWE NXT UK, and will now be a part of the main NXT brand going forward.

His first match as a full-time NXT member was against Roderick Strong of The Diamond Mine. And of course, the match was an excellent one to watch.

Both WALTER and Strong favour a stiff, offense-based style of mat wrestling and their styles meshed well. Of course, a WWE show these days without a head scratching decision doesn’t happen.

????#WWENXT @WalterAUT pic.twitter.com/K6RWV7UqR6

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 19, 2022

The head scratching decision in question came at the end of the match, which WALTER won. He took a mic, interrupted the ring announcer and said that… Gunther won the match?

It seems WWE is looking to change WALTER’s ring name, which is a shame. For one, he’s been a part of the WWE system – including the main roster – as WALTER. For the other… his reported full name has some problematic ties.

News reports suggest WWE filed a trademark for Gunther Stark, which would likely be WALTER’s new name. But there’s just one problem with this – Gunther Stark is the name of a World War II Nazi lieutenant.

It is strange that the company did not bother to even Google search this. But here we are.

WWE NXT full results

• A promo segment between LA Knight and Grayson Waller opens the show. After Waller presents Knight with a restraining order, Knight tells Waller he can either drop it or face Dexter Lumis. Waller faces Lumis and wins after interference from an unknown big bearded man.
• The Creed Brothers (Brutus & Julius Creed) beat the team of Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match.
• Dante Chen vs. Guru Raaj ends in a no contest after Duke Hudson interferes in the match.
• A convoluted promo segment involving Tony D’Angelo, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams and Cameron Grimes happens. Safe to say the North American title scene is stacked. There’s also a promo for NXT champion Bron Breakker and his upcoming feud with Santos Escobar is pushed.
• Ivy Nile vs. Kay Lee Ray ends in a pinfall win for the former.
• Edris Enofe & Malik Blade upset Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match. The match saw Escobar try to interfere and get kicked out, before Breakker came out to pull him away.
• Dakota Kai vs. Yulisa Leon ended with the former getting the win.

Grade: B+