Add as a preferred source on Google Ludwig Kaiser, the WWE ring name of Marcel Barthel, was arrested on Wednesday, May 20, in Orange County, Florida, on a battery charge.
The record first surfaced on platforms that track recent bookings in the state. Orange County’s website notes that those records include the charge, bond information, and booking photo, but do not indicate guilt or a conviction.
According to PWInsider, Barthel was released from Orange County Corrections later Wednesday night after posting $1,000 bond.
The situation quickly led to speculation on social media, especially about a possible domestic violence allegation. However, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp pushed back on that claim.
“The arrest is real. We were told the battery charge was against a man after an altercation. This is not a domestic situation, as some have speculated.”
At this point, there are no further official details on what may have led to the incident. WWE has also not publicly commented on the matter.
Kaiser has been with WWE since 2017 and, during his run with the company, won the NXT Tag Team Championship alongside Fabian Aichner. More recently, he has been linked to the El Grande Americano character, which has become one of the more unusual parts of WWE programming.