Marcel Barthel, wrestling as Ludwig Kaiser, is a German professional wrestler. He performs on WWE’s Raw brand and is a key member of Imperium. Born on July 8, 1991, he started his career in Germany. There, he wrestled as Axel Dieter Jr, mainly for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). He won two World Tag Team Championships and one Unified World Wrestling Championship. He also wrestled in the UK for Progress Wrestling.
Kaiser’s recent performance in WWE has caught the industry’s eye. In August 2023, his Raw segment with Maxxine Dupri impressed experts like Corey Graves. Graves sees him as a future main event player in WWE. Kaiser’s style is captivating and entertaining. Some compare him to a movie villain, like Jeremy Irons in Die Hard.
His rise in WWE shows his hard work, talent, and unique personality. He stands out whether he’s part of Imperium or on his own. His approach is cool and collected, and he knows how to get under his opponents’ skin. Graves predicts that Kaiser will soon become a main event player in WWE.
Kaiser’s journey in professional wrestling is a story of success. He started in Germany and now shines in WWE. Fans can expect big things from him soon. His mix of experience, skill, and charisma makes him an exciting talent in the wrestling world.
Ludwig Kaiser Biography/Wiki
| Birth Name | Marcel Barthel |
| Born | 8 July 1991 (age 32), Pinneberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Family | Axel Dieter (father) |
| Ring Names | Axel Dieter Jr, Ludwig Kaiser, Marcel Barthel |
| Billed Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Billed Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Billed From | Hamburg, Germany |
| Trained By | Axel Dieter, Christian Eckstein, Karsten Kretschmer |
| Debut | March 1, 2008 |
Ludwig Kaiser Birth & Early Life
Ludwig Kaiser, born as Marcel Barthel, was destined to be a wrestling superstar from a young age. Born in Germany, he is the son of European wrestling legend Axel Dieter.
Kaiser’s early life was filled with training in amateur boxing and grappling, preparing him for his future in the squared circle. His wrestling journey began in 2007 when he started learning the ropes under his father’s guidance.
Over the next decade, he established himself as one of Germany’s brightest prospects in the independent wrestling scene. His dedication and hard work led him to join the WWE Performance Center in summer 2017, making his WWE Network debut a year later on NXT.
Ludwig Kaiser Parents & Siblings
Ludwig Kaiser’s father, Axel Dieter, played a significant role in his life and career. A renowned wrestler in Germany, Axel Dieter trained his son in amateur boxing and grappling, laying the foundation for Ludwig’s successful wrestling career. Information about his mother and any siblings is not publicly available.
Ludwig Kaiser Education
Ludwig Kaiser’s education primarily focused on his wrestling career. Trained by his father, Axel Dieter, he immersed himself in amateur boxing and grappling from a young age. This specialized training prepared him for his future in professional wrestling, allowing him to excel in the sport. Specific details about his formal education are not publicly known.
Ludwig Kaiser Nationality & Ethnicity
Ludwig Kaiser is of German nationality, hailing from Germany. Information regarding his specific ethnicity is not publicly disclosed.
Ludwig Kaiser Age: How Old Is Ludwig Kaiser?
Ludwig Kaiser, born Marcel Barthel on July 8, 1991, is a German professional wrestler currently signed with WWE. As of now, he is 32 years old. He performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ludwig Kaiser and is a member of the wrestling group Imperium. Before joining WWE, he wrestled primarily in his native Germany under the ring name Axel Dieter Jr.
Ludwig Kaiser Height: How Tall Is Ludwig Kaiser?
Ludwig Kaiser stands at an impressive height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 meters). His billed height reflects his towering presence in the wrestling ring, making him one of the more imposing figures in the sport.
Ludwig Kaiser Weight: How Much Does Ludwig Kaiser Weigh?
Ludwig Kaiser’s billed weight is 220 pounds (100 kilograms). His weight, combined with his height, contributes to his powerful and dominant presence in the wrestling world.
Ludwig Kaiser: Professional Wrestling Career
Westside Xtreme Wrestling (2009–2017)
Dieter debuted for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in January 2009 and lost to Dan Marshall. He didn’t wrestle again in wXw until July 2012. At that time, he teamed with Da Mack and defeated Walter and Michael Isotov. Soon, Dieter and Da Mack formed a team, calling themselves Hot and Spicy.
On 16 November 2013, they triumphed over The Outsiders (Walter and Robert Dreissker). This win secured them the wXw World Tag Team Championship. They made 7 successful defences, taking down formidable opponents. Some of those include The Sumerian Death Squad (Tommy End and Michael Dante), Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov), and Kazuki Hashimoto with Ryuichi Kawakami.
Unfortunately, they lost the titles to Matt Striker and Trent on 15 March 2014. However, in a surprising turn of events, they won the championships back in a rematch the very next day. Then, Dieter had his first shot at the wXw Shotgun Championship on 6 April 2014 but lost to Axel Tischer.
After a combined reign of over a year, their time as wXw World Tag Team Champions ended. French Flavour (Lucas Di Leo and Peter Fischer) defeated them on 18 October 2014. Finally, on 22 November, Dieter tried and failed to unseat Walter for the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship.
2015 ChampionshipsÂ
In February 2015, Dieter competed in the Four Nations Cup. He defeated Timothy Thatcher in the final and won the tournament. During March, he participated in the 16 Carat Gold Tournament. In the semi-final, he defeated Zack Sabre Jr., but lost to Tommy End in the final.
In October, Hot And Spicy teamed up again. They took part in the 2015 World Tag Team Tournament, advancing to the semi-finals. However, they lost to reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish).
2016-17 Championships
The next year, in March 2016, Dieter entered the 16 Carat Gold Tournament once more. He defeated Drew Galloway in the semi-final, but lost to Zack Sabre Jr in the final. On 2 September, he faced Da Mack, who retained his wXw Shotgun Championship by winning.
Then, Dieter joined Ringkampf in late 2016. On 10 December, he defeated Marty Scurll to win the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title. He held this title until March 2017. Jurn Simmons defeated him at that time.
In April, Dieter announced his departure from wXw to explore opportunities outside of Germany. On 30 April, wXw held a farewell show for him, “wXw Die Matte Ist Heilig: Farewell to Axel Dieter Jr.” He won his final match, teaming with Walter against Da Mack and Jurn Simmons.
Return to wXwÂ
Finally, on 30 October 2018, news confirmed that Barthel, under the Axel Dieter Jr name, would return to wXw. He was set to participate in their 18th Anniversary Show on 22 December.
Progress Wrestling (2017)
Representing wXw and Ringkampf, Dieter, also known as Axel Dieter Jr, made a notable entrance into the UK’s Progress Wrestling scene in January 2017. Teaming with Walter, they defeated The London Riots, only to face defeat against The South Pacific Power Trip later that month. Their collaboration continued with a victory over The Hunter Brothers in March. Dieter’s first singles match ended in a loss to Mark Haskins. A significant six-man tag team match in April saw Dieter, Walter, and Timothy Thatcher challenge British Strong Style, but they fell short.
WWE (2017–present)
NXT
In 2017, after leaving wXw, Dieter signed with WWE, under his real name Marcel Barthel. There he was assigned to WWE’s developmental territory that June, losing to Roderick Strong at a live event. However, on the 8 August, 2018 episode of NXT, Barthel made his television debut, where he was defeated by Keith Lee. That December, Barthel would form a team with Fabian Aichner, where they would compete on both the NXT and NXT UK brands. They would later align themselves with Walter and Alexander Wolfe, forming the stable Imperium.
Evidently, on the 13 May 2020 episode of NXT, Barthel and Aichner would defeat Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher, a substitute for Riddle’s original partner Pete Dunne, winning the NXT Tag Team Championship. After successful title defenses against teams like Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch and The Undisputed Era, on the 26 August episode of NXT, Imperium would lose the titles to Tyler Breeze and Fandango, ending their reign at 105 days.
Later, on the 26 October, 2021 special episode of NXT: Halloween Havoc, Barthel and Aichner made a triumphant return to victory by defeating MSK in a Lumberjack match to win the NXT Tag Team Championship for the second time. At NXT WarGames, on 5 December, they successfully defended their titles against Kyle O’Reilly and Von Wagner. Yet, on 2 April 2022 at NXT Stand & Deliver, they lost the titles back to MSK in a triple threat tag team match that also involved The Creed Brothers, thus ending their reign at 158 days.
Finally, Barthel’s last appearance on NXT was on the April 5 episode. In this instance, he and Aichner faced the Creed brothers in a losing effort. Unfortunately, the match ended with Aichner walking out, bringing this chapter of Barthel’s career to a close.
Main Roster
On the April 8, 2022, episode of SmackDown, Barthel, now under the new ring name Ludwig Kaiser, made his debut alongside Gunther. Together, they appeared in a match against a local competitor. Then, on the May 27 episode of SmackDown, Kaiser had his first match on the main roster. In this event, he teamed with Gunther, and they successfully defeated Drew Gulak and Intercontinental Champion Ricochet.
Following that victory, a feud with the Brawling Brutes ensued for several months. During this period, it also led to two Intercontinental Champion matches between Gunther and Sheamus. Finally, as part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Kaiser and his Imperium teammates Gunther and Vinci were drafted to the Raw brand, signifying a new chapter in their wrestling careers.
Ludwig Kaiser Achievements
Catch Wrestling Nord Deutschland
- Tag Team Tournament (2009) – with Da Mack
European Wrestling Promotion
- EWP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Da Mack
Great Bear Promotions
- Great Bear Grand Championship (1 time)
German Stampede Wrestling
- GSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Da Mack
Nordic Championship Wrestling
- NFC First Fighter Championship (1 time)
- International NCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- First Fighter Tournament (2010)
Pro Wrestling Fighters
- PWF North-European Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 240 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
- wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- wXw World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Da Mack
- Mitteldeutschland Cup (2014)
- Four Nations Cup (2015)
WWE
- NXT Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Fabian Aichner.
Ludwig Kaiser Girlfriend: Tiffany Strattorn
Are you curious about Ludwig Kaiser’s love life? As a prominent member of the Imperium in WWE, Kaiser is known to be secretive about his personal affairs, especially when it comes to relationships. While fans have often speculated, there has been no clear information about Ludwig Kaiser’s girlfriend, and his social media doesn’t provide any clues either.
However, rumors started to circulate in late 2022, linking Kaiser with fellow WWE Superstar, Tiffany Stratton. Although no concrete evidence surfaced that Tiffany Stratton and Ludwig Kaiser were in a relationship, a photograph posted by Gunther on his Instagram sparked fans’ interest. The image featured them at dinner together with Gunther and Jinny before a WWE live event at Madison Square Garden. Appearing to be a double dinner date, it led fans to believe that Gunther may have played matchmaker for this new pairing in the wrestling world.
The mystery was finally unraveled in June 2023, when NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton confirmed in an interview that she and Kaiser were indeed in a relationship. The revelation has excited fans and confirmed that Kaiser is no longer single.
If you’re a fan of WWE, Ludwig Kaiser’s relationship with the NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is an exciting development to follow. Keep an eye on both their social media channels and WWE events for more insights into this wrestling power couple!
Ludwig Kaiser Net Worth 2023
The expected Ludwig Kaiser net worth falls in the range of $1 million – $3 million. Rough approximations have calculated the amount, but the exact worth is still unknown. Kaiser has been in the professional wrestling industry for a long time and thus the range seems a decent amount for the WWE star.
Ludwig Kaiser Theme Songs
Marcel Bathel, who is popularly known as Ludwig Kaiser, currently wrestles professionally for WWE as a German wrestler. He has used several theme songs throughout his career, including:
- “Imperium” by CFO$ – This is the theme song of the stable Imperium, of which Ludwig Kaiser is a member. WWE’s in-house music production team, CFO$, composed the song.
- “The Rising Sun” by CFO$ – This was Ludwig Kaiser’s entrance theme during his time in NXT. The song was also composed by CFO$.
- “Waltzing Matilda” – This was Ludwig Kaiser’s entrance theme during his time in the German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). The song is a traditional Australian folk ballad.
It is worth noting that Ludwig Kaiser’s theme songs may change over time as he continues his career in WWE.
Ludwig Kaiser Social Media
Kaiser isn’t just a world-class Fighter but also very attractive as an individual. Other than being well famed as a WWE wrestler, he has a huge fanbase on social media. He also has an official Instagram account where he shares his daily activities as well as quality time with friends and family. However, he has 115K followers, and follows only 624 people on his Instagram account. In addition, at every post, he gets no less than a thousand likes, which means he has got some die heart fans too. Moreover, he also has an official Twitter account with 42.2K followers, and follows only 331 people.
- Instagram: @wwe_kaiserÂ
- Twitter:@WWE_Kaiser
FAQs
What is the Height of Ludwig Kaiser?
The height of Ludwig Kaiser is 1.91.
Where is the birthplace of Ludwig Kaiser?
The birthplace of Ludwig Kaiser is Hamburg, Germany.
What is the Date of Birth of Ludwig Kaiser?
The birthday of Ludwig Kaiser is on 8-July-1990.
Is Ludwig Kaiser Married?
The marital status of Ludwig Kaiser is unmarried.
When did Ludwig Kaiser debut in WWE?
On the April 8, 2022, episode of SmackDown, Barthel, under the new ring name Ludwig Kaiser, debuted with Gunther, accompanying him in his match against a local competitor.
Where is Ludwig Kaiser from WWE?
He is currently signed with WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ludwig Kaiser. He is a member of Imperium.
Who are the members of the Imperium?
Members
- Gunther (leader)
- Ludwig Kaiser.
- Giovanni Vinci.
How much is Ludwig Kaiser worth?
Ludwig Kaiser is a German professional wrestler and his exact net worth is still unknown. However, sources have claimed that his net worth lies between $1 million-$3 million as of 2023. He earns compensation from the WWE as a wrestler. He also procures his earnings from social media, brand endorsements, etc.
Does YouTube pay Ludwig?
Through his YouTube channel alone, Ludwig is estimated to have a monthly income of $200K.
