The uncertain future of the third member of the Empire has been settled; former Fabian Aichner gets a chance as a singles wrestler with WWE as Giovanni Vinci.
Good news for the third German-speaking hope in the wrestling league WWE: Fabian Aichner, who was left out of the main squad promotion of Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser, gets a chance to prove himself as a singles wrestler.
Aichner, who hails from South Tyrol, was revealed on Tuesday’s NXT show as the man behind a newly introduced character: as Giovanni Vinci, Aichner now emphasises the Italian part of his heritage.
Fabian Aichner becomes Giovanni Vinci in WWE NXT
The character with the motto “Veni Vidi Vinci” had already been introduced to the fans in the past weeks.
In various short videos, he presented himself as a wealthy dressman who lives the dreams associated with Italy as a place of longing: Dolce Vita in Rome, sunset in Venice, fine dining, expensive watches, skiing in the Alps, Ferrari in the fleet.
Vinci’s identity wasn’t revealed then, but the line “He leaves the past in the rearview mirror and is now at the wheel of his own destiny” already hinted that it’s someone who already has a past with WWE.
In the latest edition, Vinci now showed his face and announced his imminent return to the NXT ring.
Disciple of Alex Wright
The 31-year-old Aichner – a disciple of Alex Wright, the most successful German wrestler of the nineties with former WWE rival WCW – has been under WWE contract since 2017 and established himself on both NXT squads in Europe and overseas as part of the Imperium grouping.
With the goal of recommending himself for a main roster promotion, Aichner – like partners Kaiser (previously: Marcel Barthel) and Gunther (WALTER) – also worked doggedly outside the ring and trained himself for a significantly more muscular and defined look. In the ring, he also attracted attention with strong performances and an explosive mix of power techniques.
Gunther hopes for Empire reunion later
To the disappointment of many fans, however, WWE blew up the Imperium grouping in the spring, promoting only Gunther and Kaiser to SmackDown, leaving Barthel’s future uncertain, even though Gunther most recently expressed hope for a later reunion in a SPORT1 interview.
Nothing will come of that for the time being, the Vinci makeover is now instead a chance for Aichner to stand on his own two feet. At least in the NXT squad directed by legend Shawn Michaels – where many colleagues are inexperienced – Aichner’s skills in the ring should put him quite far ahead and he is now a candidate for a singles title.
The secondary North American Title in NXT is currently held by Carmelo Hayes, while the NXT Title is held by exceptional talent Bron Breakker, the son of legend Rick Steiner – whose next feud opponent in NXT was revealed to be Apollo Crews, who is actually based on RAW. Gunther will get a title shot against Intercontinental Champion Ricochet as early as this week.
