WWE slammed after Walter is given new name the same as WWII Nazi U-boat commander

WWE are under-fire from fans and past stars for allegedly renaming a wrestler after a Nazi U-boat commander.

Former NXT UK Champion Walter, 34, is now appearing on the recently launched NXT 2.0 brand in the US.

The Austrian powerhouse, real name Walter Hahn, was in action last night in the main event of the show.

Walter defeated Roderick Strong - but it was what happened after that match that got everyone talking.

He interrupted the ring announcer and declared that the winner of the match was ‘Gunther’ and not Walter.

Vince McMahon’s WWE filed to trademark a ‘Gunther Stark’ name back on January 13. 

The use description filed with the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) was for general pro wrestling and sports entertainment use.

That is the same use description they often file to trademark ring names.

However, a quick search on Google shows that there was a Gunther Stark who served as a Nazi Germany military commander during the Second World War.

It now appears that the name was trademarked for Walter but it remains to be seen whether they will continue to just use ‘Gunther’ or use the full name.

Within minutes of Walter’s announcement the news was quickly trending on Twitter as fans criticised the decision.

And Keith Lee, who was released by WWE as part of their staff cuts, was one of those to join in.

He tweeted: “Man….if what I’m hearing is real…. Poor Walter.”

However, it should be noted that WWE has not changed Walter’s name on the official website as of this roster.

The grappler is also still listed as Walter on all social media pages at the time of writing.

WWE have been contacted for comment.