Backstage Update On WALTER's WWE Future

An update on WALTER following his NXT TakeOver 36 clash with Ilja Dragunov.

WALTER WWE
WWE

WALTER worked one of the best matches of WWE SummerSlam 2021 weekend on Sunday (22 August), dropping his long-held United Kingdom Championship to rival Ilja Dragunov in a brutal, attritional NXT TakeOver 36 match.

It was a notable defeat for the Austrian, who had held the UK Title for 870 before being dethroned by the Russian. The bout was immediately showered with praise, too, as fans and critics alike heralded a consensus Match of the Year candidate.

And it seems the match's quality didn't go unnoticed within WWE either.

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Per PWInsider's Mike Johnson, the bout spawned internal chatter that WALTER should be on NXT's American roster on a full-time basis. There's currently no word on whether or not that will happen, but it's understandable that those within NXT would want to be able to book WALTER with greater regularity after the TakeOver war.

WALTER has previously dismissed the idea of moving to the US, telling talkSPORTs Alex McCarthy the following in 2019:-

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"I would go on the main roster at some point but I wouldn’t move to America. Moving to America is not for me. American lifestyle is not for me. No, I couldn’t imagine that. When it comes to that, I stay where I am. But, I am able to get on an airplane!"

His stance may have softened in the years since then, however. Here's what he told Metro's Alistair McGeorge ahead of TakeOver 36:-

"Regarding the future, I’m focusing on my next task. My next task is Ilja, and then I’ll focus on the next thing. I don’t have any plans ahead of this Sunday. So, whatever will happen will change the course of my future. We’ll see what happens after."

WWE are yet to announce the 34-year-old's next appearance for the promotion.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.