GUNTHER Shares That Initial Imperium Split 'Came Out Of Nowhere'

Imperium was always meant to be a trio. Initially comprised of GUNTHER, Marcel Barthel, and Fabian Aichner, the plan was to bring all three members of the stable up to the main roster together. But, as we all know, plans change in wrestling. Imperium was split with GUNTHER and Barthel — now known as Ludwig Kaiser promoted to "WWE SmackDown" last April, and Aichner was left behind in "NXT." The latter would eventually rejoin the rest of his Imperium mates at September's Clash At The Castle, branded instead as Giovanni Vinci. 

Speaking with WWE's "After The Bell," GUNTHER revealed that the pitch for Imperium to separate and Vinci to stay back in "NXT" "came out of nowhere," leaving Imperium to act as a tandem unit for months. "That was very hard, especially for Giovanni, but also for Ludwig, because they always planned to be a team, and now everything changed," GUNTHER explained.

Despite the temporary separation, GUNTHER is grateful that Imperium has been pieced back together in its original form. "I think looking back now, it was a good experience for everybody involved because now we can work, travel, and do all those experiences with my two closest real friends as well."

Before their move to "SmackDown," Imperium stood as a dominant force in the "NXT" and "NXT UK" locker rooms; GUNTHER held the "NXT UK" Championship for over 800 days, while Kaiser and Vinci notched two runs as "NXT" Tag Team Champions. However, since shifting to the Friday brand, they have maintained their reputations as a collective force to be reckoned with.