In the past, WWE hyper-focused on the differences in nationalities between major feuds, often turning rivalries into a “USA vs. Foreigner” angle. GUNTHER, hailing from Austria, would normally have been the perfect candidate for such xenophobic booking, but the former World Heavyweight Champion pushed back on that idea.
“No, I’m not a ‘Foreign Menace.’ I always get a little bit annoyed, because when they go like, ‘Oh, he’s just a bad foreigner,’ I try to avoid everything that has to do with a flag or something,” GUNTHER explained during an interview on “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. “I mean, they put it on my trunks when I started out, you know, they really wanted to have the flag on my whatever. I got rid of it as soon as I could.”
GUNTHER then opined that having a flag or focus on a nationality doesn’t do anything for a character anymore, and pro wrestling has come a long way since.Â
“Sometimes it still sticks, that whole like foreigner thing, but then on the other hand, it’s very stereotypical, and I think it was a little like, more accurate in the 80s,” GUNTHER continued, pointing out that America is far more diverse today, and he’s even experienced places in the USA where he seldom met an American.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “What Do You Wanna Talk About? With Cody Rhodes,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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