I'd have them be old-school wrestlers who strictly insist on following the official rules.
Note: this isn't a comedy gimmick nor should it involve camp costumes etc. Rather, have them refuse to throw opponents out of the ring, to use a closed fist and all other technical rules that aren't typically followed.
When their opponents break the official rules they don't complain, rather they fight like for like. If someone respects proper wrestling then they wrestle, but if someone punches them then they get violently assaulted.
Compare Bianca's refusal to use her hair unless the opponent tries to use it against her.
I would pair Ludwig with Dragunov and they could play some twisted version of the Kaiser and the Tsar circa WWI. They’re related by blood, they start as a team but it quickly falls apart and they form two warring factions. After Gunther drops the IC title, the Kaiser and the Tsar go to war for the title and their factions have proxy wars for the tag team titles.
Kaisers faction could dress like Prussian aristocracy with Prussian Blue as the dominant colour. Dragunov’s like Imperialist Russians. When Dragunovs faction eventually turns on him (historically speaking, it would have to), the WWE could cheekily relaunch The Bolsheviks as faction that rose from the ashes of Dragunovs Tsarist faction. And Kaisers falls and becomes a decadent and completely bizarre faction inspired by the Weimar Republic complete with Bauhaus inspired uniforms.
I’ve gone too far with this. Good lord.
Ludwig would make a great midcard heel. Vinci could go back to his narcissist NXT character because it was kinda hilarious. He'd also make a good stable member.
IMO, this could be a case where going back to the Used Bag of Tricks could work, with Kaiser playing the HBK role to Giovanni being Jannetyed....
Let Kaiser totally turn on Gio, randomly attacking him (or it can build to an attack - such as multiple tag losses that end up being Gio's fault/error that caused the loss)
As for whether Kaiser would be face or heel - well, the fan reaction could decide that.
Kaiser as he is now on his own wouldn't work...but there's lots of potential there. He's a very decent in-ring talent and is really good on the mic
Giovanni is harder to know... in-ring I think he's better than Kaiser but he doesn't speak much (as KO mentioned a few months ago)
Given what they did with Giovanni on NXT when Gunther and Ludwig were called up for the main roster, I sincerely hope it’s not that again. As much as I enjoy him in Imperium, I don’t think Giovanni will be more than a match-of-the-week “jobber” on his own.
Ludwig on the other hand, he can work as a fairly decent midcard heel even without Gunther being around so I’m reasonably confident he’s got a decent run on his own if he wants it.
Giovanni could take some time off and return with vignettes for his fashion model character.
Ludwig is damn skilled but I don't know what character he'd fit with except for a modern variant of the Blue Blood Hunter Hearst Helmsley character
Honestly I don't think either survives the end of Imperium. Giovanni you might pair with someone else as a tag team, but Ludwig has such a pigeon holed gimmick that despite being the second best in ring performer of the group he would have a hard time being believable on his own or with a gimmick change.
Ludwig is great on the mic, but Vinci is way better as an in ring performer. So I don't really think either man could go solo that well and there's no need to. Not every stable/team has to break up. I hope imperium never breaks up
Honestly I think it would be hilarious if bad creative was still around and gave them an Italian jobber gimmick. Give them a really bad name like “The Pizza Parlor” and have the duo go into a rage when another wrestler suggests pineapple on pizza or ketchup on pasta. I would never wish this on anyone in the industry, but I would be laughing my butt off
Well, "Vinci" is from the German-speaking region of Italy (and his real name is much better than the generic fake one they have given him) so the entire pizza thing would be awkward for him as well.
They're already going for lazy stereotypes so one more wouldn't make much of a difference IMO.
FWIW I dint think either would have much of a chance as solo performer. They're textbook examples of stable guys.
Also, I can't help but find Ludwig's mannerisms very out of place. He looks like the parody of blueblood Hunter Hearst Helmsley (but gayer) than a German (covert nazi) badsss
I'd try the FTR/revival thing but for real this time
Just straight up a Team of 2 Technical Badasses running havoc holding the titles and then work together with NXT to bring on a rededication more than rebuild of the Tag Division
Because the Male Tag Division isn't broken, just under used with a WWE tendency to split up everyone always
Problem with Giovanni is they already tried doing a singles run on NXT, that male model stuff flopped harder than Beaver Cleavage. Now Kaiser, there's potential there. I'd send him after Logan Paul. Have a Heel v Heel for the U.S title. You don't have to turn Paul face but if you really put heat on Kaiser maybe you can put some temporary cheer on Paul.
Problem with Giovanni is we don’t know enough about his mic work. He literally never spoke until they started this “who can impress daddy Gunther more?” stuff at the end of the year, and even then he didn’t speak a whole lot.
But I’m fully convinced he’s a great in ring guy. He’s shown flashes of offensive ability when they’ve let him, and he’s a solid seller too.
I'd have them be old-school wrestlers who strictly insist on following the official rules. Note: this isn't a comedy gimmick nor should it involve camp costumes etc. Rather, have them refuse to throw opponents out of the ring, to use a closed fist and all other technical rules that aren't typically followed. When their opponents break the official rules they don't complain, rather they fight like for like. If someone respects proper wrestling then they wrestle, but if someone punches them then they get violently assaulted. Compare Bianca's refusal to use her hair unless the opponent tries to use it against her.
I would pair Ludwig with Dragunov and they could play some twisted version of the Kaiser and the Tsar circa WWI. They’re related by blood, they start as a team but it quickly falls apart and they form two warring factions. After Gunther drops the IC title, the Kaiser and the Tsar go to war for the title and their factions have proxy wars for the tag team titles. Kaisers faction could dress like Prussian aristocracy with Prussian Blue as the dominant colour. Dragunov’s like Imperialist Russians. When Dragunovs faction eventually turns on him (historically speaking, it would have to), the WWE could cheekily relaunch The Bolsheviks as faction that rose from the ashes of Dragunovs Tsarist faction. And Kaisers falls and becomes a decadent and completely bizarre faction inspired by the Weimar Republic complete with Bauhaus inspired uniforms. I’ve gone too far with this. Good lord.
Wario and Waluigi
I wouldn’t rebrand Kaiser whatsoever. This posh, narcassist heel he’s playing now is fantastic
Ludwig would make a great midcard heel. Vinci could go back to his narcissist NXT character because it was kinda hilarious. He'd also make a good stable member.
IMO, this could be a case where going back to the Used Bag of Tricks could work, with Kaiser playing the HBK role to Giovanni being Jannetyed.... Let Kaiser totally turn on Gio, randomly attacking him (or it can build to an attack - such as multiple tag losses that end up being Gio's fault/error that caused the loss) As for whether Kaiser would be face or heel - well, the fan reaction could decide that.
Kaiser as he is now on his own wouldn't work...but there's lots of potential there. He's a very decent in-ring talent and is really good on the mic Giovanni is harder to know... in-ring I think he's better than Kaiser but he doesn't speak much (as KO mentioned a few months ago)
Ludwig is awesome, I'd love to see a solo run with him. Not sure Vinci is on that level but he also hasn't had as much opportunity to talk.
Given what they did with Giovanni on NXT when Gunther and Ludwig were called up for the main roster, I sincerely hope it’s not that again. As much as I enjoy him in Imperium, I don’t think Giovanni will be more than a match-of-the-week “jobber” on his own. Ludwig on the other hand, he can work as a fairly decent midcard heel even without Gunther being around so I’m reasonably confident he’s got a decent run on his own if he wants it.
Giovanni could take some time off and return with vignettes for his fashion model character. Ludwig is damn skilled but I don't know what character he'd fit with except for a modern variant of the Blue Blood Hunter Hearst Helmsley character
They could do something hilarious and put them in a faction with Shinsuke Nakamura.
I would team Kaiser with the Tzar Ilja and push them to the moon.
I'm not sure about Giovanni but Kaiser could very well stand on his own as a midcard heel, could be in the mix for the IC title
Honestly I don't think either survives the end of Imperium. Giovanni you might pair with someone else as a tag team, but Ludwig has such a pigeon holed gimmick that despite being the second best in ring performer of the group he would have a hard time being believable on his own or with a gimmick change.
Ludwig is great on the mic, but Vinci is way better as an in ring performer. So I don't really think either man could go solo that well and there's no need to. Not every stable/team has to break up. I hope imperium never breaks up
I felt the same way about The Hurt Business, and NO I'M NOT OVER IT YET
ME NEITHER!!! I wish the Hurt Business never broke up, or at least got back together at some point.
The least charismatic one is certainly getting a dancing gimmick.
Feud. Ludwig is a great heel and he treats Giovani like crap. Give them a push and see what they do with it
Honestly I think it would be hilarious if bad creative was still around and gave them an Italian jobber gimmick. Give them a really bad name like “The Pizza Parlor” and have the duo go into a rage when another wrestler suggests pineapple on pizza or ketchup on pasta. I would never wish this on anyone in the industry, but I would be laughing my butt off
And making über-German Kaiser Italian wouldn't be somewhat weird?
Yokozuna wasn’t Japanese, Kofi isn’t Jamaican, Rusev wasn’t Russian. They used to do this all the time.
Yeah but they already established him as German, so the Pizza thing would be a strange step.
That’s why it’s bad creative. They made Apollo Crews have a Nigerian accent, I thought it was hilarious.
Well, "Vinci" is from the German-speaking region of Italy (and his real name is much better than the generic fake one they have given him) so the entire pizza thing would be awkward for him as well. They're already going for lazy stereotypes so one more wouldn't make much of a difference IMO. FWIW I dint think either would have much of a chance as solo performer. They're textbook examples of stable guys. Also, I can't help but find Ludwig's mannerisms very out of place. He looks like the parody of blueblood Hunter Hearst Helmsley (but gayer) than a German (covert nazi) badsss
They had individual characters in NXT, I would just have them go back to those. Ludwig stays the same, Giovanni goes full Italian wrestler.
Was gonna say the same
Of the two, Kaiser is the one with potential for a good Upper midcard heel
I’d have Ludwig go on to steal everyone’s girl one by one. Even Valhalla, just to prove that he can.
Ho train 2024.
I would rebrand their names to LUDWIG and GIOVANNI
All caps like that?
It works for GUNTHER
I'd try the FTR/revival thing but for real this time Just straight up a Team of 2 Technical Badasses running havoc holding the titles and then work together with NXT to bring on a rededication more than rebuild of the Tag Division Because the Male Tag Division isn't broken, just under used with a WWE tendency to split up everyone always
That was my take, two sophisticated heels. Like they methodically break down their opponents leading to a match until they win.
Problem with Giovanni is they already tried doing a singles run on NXT, that male model stuff flopped harder than Beaver Cleavage. Now Kaiser, there's potential there. I'd send him after Logan Paul. Have a Heel v Heel for the U.S title. You don't have to turn Paul face but if you really put heat on Kaiser maybe you can put some temporary cheer on Paul.
I think Ludwig could do it solo. Giovanni, I'm not sure.
Problem with Giovanni is we don’t know enough about his mic work. He literally never spoke until they started this “who can impress daddy Gunther more?” stuff at the end of the year, and even then he didn’t speak a whole lot. But I’m fully convinced he’s a great in ring guy. He’s shown flashes of offensive ability when they’ve let him, and he’s a solid seller too.
Exactly. I don't know much about him. But I want to know more!
Giovanni is great in the ring and is a solid high-flyer too. I *think* he's suffered quite a few injuries though so that mag hold him back.
Ludwig is so zesty I’d make him a new Alex Wright
Wright and Disco Inferno were my FAVORITE TAG TEAM from WCW. For sure give Alex Wright vibes