Ranking Every Second Generation Wrestler In NXT

WALTER may be the ring general of Imperium, but lower-ranking hand Marcel Barthel embodies the faction's ethos in his exacting, tactical style.

Barthel learned this methodology from his father, German wrestler Axel Dieter. A star throughout Europe in the 1960s, Deiter was a stern heavyweight who, though never a huge draw, headlined matches across Central Europe, the Middle East, and even South America. When he retired, Dieter started training his son, who would debut in Westside Xtreme Wrestling under the name Axel Dieter, Jr.

Barthel stuck with that name through his halcyon days, throughout his reign as wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion and his transition to Progress in 2017. It wasn't until he debuted in NXT that Barthel finally wrestled under his birth name, eventually joining Fabian Aichner in a tag team. The two held the NXT Tag Team Championships earlier this year as part of Imperium.

Barthel's mechanical work is both his strength and his weakness. While it's a fitting tribute to his father, who passed in 2015 and never saw his son's success overseas, it has saddled him with a robotic personality. Until fans are able to connect with Barthel on a more personal level, he'll never rise above henchman ranks.