WWE Star To Return To NXT With New Name And Gimmick Overhaul

By Sai Mohan

When WWE called up a two-man version of Imperium to the SmackDown roster in April, there was a lot of uncertainty over the future of Fabian Aichner. While some reports suggested that he could be returning to WWE NXT UK or NXT 2.0. as a singles competitor, there were also rumors of the Italian wrestler feuding with his former tag team partner, Ludwig Kaiser (FKA Marcel Barthel), on SmackDown, which would have been a continuation of their teased split in the post-Stand & Deliver show back in April.

In recent episodes of NXT 2.0., vignettes have aired showing an Italian-speaking wrestler by the name of Giovanni Vinci boasting of being someone of high class. On Tuesday's episode, the character's face was revealed for the first time, revealing it to be the former Aichner. The segment also confirmed that Vinci will make his in-ring debut on next week's NXT.

Vinci being revealed as the former Aichner shouldn't come as a surprise. Last week, Fightful Select confirmed that the vignettes would eventually lead to the debut of the former two-time NXT Tag Champion and Imperium member. Furthermore, WWE had filed to trademark the name "Giovanni Vinci" on May 17.

It's also hardly a surprise that WWE changed up Aichner's name, following the edict issued by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon which reportedly calls for Superstars to not use their real names. While there are exceptions in some cases, most new wrestlers are being prohibited from using their real names.

Signing with the WWE in 2016, Aichner made his debut in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, where he was eliminated in the first round by Jack Gallagher. He eventually went on to join Imperium and made appearances for EVOLVE prior to their shutdown.

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