WALTER on Not Worrying About Being Perceived as a Heel or Babyface, Why He Doesn’t Set Long-Term Goals

– Sports Illustrated recently spoke to the recently rechristened NXT UK champion WALTER ahead of Saturday’s Worlds Collide event. Below are some highlights.

WALTER on not being worried about being seen as a heel or face: “I never worry, ‘Am I a babyface? Am I a heel?’ I always focus on my performance, and I focus on wrestling the way I believe in. I want to be as authentic about it as I can be for the audience so they can understand it, and then it’s up to them. Do they see it the same way as we do? Or do they think wrestling should be something else other than we do? That’s up to them. I will always aim for the most effective things to do in the ring, not the most exciting. Some things are exciting and effective, but the effectiveness is my main thought and focus.”

His thoughts on the Worlds Collide match: “It’s a great chance for the fans to see what they’re really capable of. All three of them are fantastic professional wrestlers. They’ve not been in the top spots yet, and this is perfect. Everything is there. It starts Saturday for them to unleash and show what they can do. From a physical standpoint, none of us is lighter than 100 kilograms [220 pounds], which is very rare in wrestling nowadays. Undisputed Era, they’re more athletes that are lighter and more agile. It’s going to be very exciting, and I’m looking forward to seeing my team partners shine on Saturday.”

On what fans can expect from the match: “Marcel, Fabian and Alexander are all fantastic professional wrestlers, and they’re all on the top level. But until now, they haven’t been on the platform to display that in the way they can. Saturday is the chance for them to show the audience and the fans at home what they’re able to do. It will be very exciting.”

WALTER on his chops: “I started using it because I always found what’s most effective for me was what was the most logical. I’m not the most athletic guy, but I bring a certain amount of strength with me. I have big limbs, big arms, and big hands, so I thought, I should use them. I started using them very early in my career. I went to Japan to train, and the chop is a very often used strike technique in Japan. I learned it properly there, so I kept using it. I also get a very good reaction, but I try to use it as effectively as possible, and that’s why I think it became popular.”

WALTER on if people ever complain about his chops: “I don’t care if they do. That’s wrestling. It is very physical, it’s competitive. No one complains to my face. Maybe they do afterward. But it’s nothing I care about.”

WALTER on not setting big long-term goals: “That’s the fan in me, that’s what I’d enjoy most. But I’m not a person who sets huge, long-term goals. I just go with the flow, adjust when I need to adjust, keep focusing on now and try to do everything to the best of my abilities.”