WWE star Ludwig Kaiser arrested in Florida after ‘brawl’ weeks earlier than main headline occasion
WWE’s Ludwig Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, was arrested less than two weeks before he’s set to headline a major AAA Lucha Libre wrestling event in Mexico
Ludwig Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, was charged with misdemeanour battery(Image: WWE via Getty Images)
A WWE star was arrested Wednesday in Florida less than two weeks before he is scheduled to headline a major AAA Lucha Libre event in Mexico.
Ludwig Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, was charged with misdemeanour battery shortly after 2.30pm on Wednesday, according to booking records reviewed by NYP. He was booked into the Orange County Jail in Orlando on a $1,000 bond and has since been released.
The 35-year-old German wrestler was allegedly involved in an altercation with another man that resulted in the battery charge, according to wrestling reporter Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. Further details surrounding the incident were not immediately available.
WWE and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office have been approached for comment.
Orlando serves as the home of the WWE Performance Center, where many of the company’s performers train and develop, reports NYP.
Barthel is currently slated to compete in a mask vs. mask match against Chad Gable – billed as the “Original” El Grande Americano – on May 30. The bout is expected to headline AAA Lucha Libre’s “Noche de los Grande” event in Monterrey, Mexico, following months of storyline build up.
WWE announced in April 2025 that it had acquired the lucha libre promotion.
Barthel assumed the El Grande Americano persona in June 2025 after Gable suffered a rotator cuff injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
Kaiser most recently appeared on the May 18 edition of Monday Night Raw at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. He competed in a Trios Tornado match alongside Los Americanos, defeating Gable’s “Original” El Grande Americano and Los Americanos Hermanos.
Barthel joined WWE after establishing himself on the German independent wrestling circuit, according to his profile on WWE’s website.
“Kaiser has since proven to be a true mat magician, as well as a no-nonsense competitor,” the profile reads.
“With the posture of a steel pole and a facial expression that rarely deviates from the stern setting, Kaiser is practically unflappable – though on the rare occasion that he does lose his cool, he’s quick to let his opponents know by defiantly screaming ‘nein’ in their face.”
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