Authorities arrested WWE superstar Ludwig Kaiser on charges of battery this week in Orlando, Florida. It was reportedly over an incident that happened on April 23.
Kaiser, real name Marcel Barthel, received a misdemeanor battery charge around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. He was placed under a $1,000 bond at the Orange County Jail in Orlando. He reportedly bonded out of jail at 11:20 p.m. the same day.
According to Fightful, the 35-year-old German wrestler, who also competes under the name El Grande Americano in the WWE promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), filed a motion on Thursday requesting that, while he has “every intention” of appearing at all required court appearances, he still be allowed to travel because it is a requirement of his job. He has a big mask-vs.-mask match scheduled against the “Original” El Grande Americano, Chad Gable, on May 30.
Why was Marcel Barthel, AKA Ludwig Kaiser, AKA El Grande Americano, arrested in Florida?
An arrest affidavit filed in Orange County and seen by PWInsider reveals that at around 6:37 p.m. on April 23, Orlando Police responded to an apartment complex after reports of a physical altercation on the building’s 12th floor.
The alleged victim informed officers that at approximately 6:30 p.m., he went into an elevator and saw Kaiser and an unnamed woman. The victim claimed that while in the elevator, the two were behaving in a manner he called “uncontrollably intimate.” Kaiser had previously been linked to WWE host Andrea Bazarte, but the report did not clarify whether she was the woman in the elevator.
According to the victim, he told the couple to “please have some manners” after leaving the elevator on the 12th floor. In response, Kaiser allegedly punched him several times, shoved him to the ground, and threatened further violence.
Officers reviewed surveillance footage from the 12th floor, which purportedly showed a white man pushing and punching the alleged victim outside the elevator at the time of the incident. Police later identified Ludwig Kaiser as the suspect. In a six-person photo lineup, the alleged victim also recognized the professional wrestler.
Following the issuance of a warrant, the former WWE Speed Men’s Champion turned himself in on Wednesday. Authorities ordered him not to speak to any victims or witnesses, and law enforcement allowed him to return to the apartment one time under their supervision.