Ludwig Kaiser Raw WWE

Ludwig Kaiser Opens Up About Imperium's Disbanding in WWE

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Kellie Crawford | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 7:30 PM ET

Kaiser says he and Gunther wanted Imperium to disband.
He's thriving solo as El Grande Americano, winning on RAW and wrestling in AAA.
He says Ringkampf felt equal; WWE Imperium centered on Gunther.

For the first time, WWE Superstar Ludwig Kaiser has spoken about Imperium's disbandment. The WWE version of Imperium started on NXT UK in 2019. There were four members: Gunther (then known as Walter), Alexander Wolfe, Giovanni Vinci, and Ludwig Kaiser. It was then down to three, Vinci, Kaiser, and Gunther, and then by the time it quietly disbanded late last year, it was just Kaiser and Gunther.

Ludwig Kaiser Was Happy To End Imperium

In the German podcast, Kennt Jeder, Kaiser admitted that he also wanted the breakup of the group. He said:

“I don’t think I’ve ever said this anywhere but that was also wanted by me and also by Gunther.” (Translated From German/H/T: F4Wonline).

At the moment, Kaiser is moonlighting as one of the EL Grande Americanos, which is proving to be kind of a popular act for him since he’s been out of Gunther’s shadow. His match was a win over Dragon Lee on the September 15 episode of WWE RAW. He’s also been wrestling in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide events. At AAA’s version of WrestleMania, TripleMania XXXIII, he, along with Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and the AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo, were in a fatal four-way fight for Vikingo’s title.

Ludwig Kaiser Felt Like The Group’s Dynamics Was Too Off In WWE

Ludwig Kaiser Raw WWE

He later added about how the group was before WWE. The group, which was originally called Ringkampf, lasted from 2016 to 2019. The members were Kaiser, Gunther, Timothy Thatcher, and Christian Michael Jakobi. They would wrestle in Westside Xtreme Wrestling and Progress Wrestling. Kaiser felt that in the original group, everyone was equal, and going to WWE, it was Gunther who was in the forefront. He was kind of a lackey, though still arrogant to his enemies. He said:

“Imperium actually originally comes from wXw, back then it was Ringkampf. And that was structured differently. I would say everyone was more on the same level, because everyone had different roles. Back then, it was with Timothy Thatcher, he was the bruiser type, responsible for the dirty work. I was the arrogant snob, the young kid. And WALTER was the enforcer, the guy who comes in and wipes everybody out. But when WWE did Imperium again, me and my former partner were the tag team, and he was the main guy out in front. That just created a different dynamic. So Ringkampf, or even Imperium, my side of Imperium was always different from Gunther’s.“

So when Gunther comes back from his nose injury, don't expect an Imperium reunion. Reports are saying that the Ring General should be back "very soon." Kaiser seems to be happy doing his own thing in WWE, and the feeling seems to be mutual between the two friends.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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