WWE Superstar Gunther was recently interviewed by Cultaholic, during which he discussed his physical transformation since making his transition to the main WWE roster, how the move from NXT UK went, and more.

On his physical transformation:

“Just look-wise, I’ve always liked those big American heavyweights in Japan. They looked like butchers a little bit. I always liked the look and it was a good contrast to the well-trained, athletic-looking babyfaces. I always liked the look and no one ever told me to change anything about it, and I always felt comfortable with it and never had any issues. But now going forward and actually making the step in front of a mainstream audience, I thought it was time to step up a little bit and shape up. I just started being on the road, but once you’re getting into good shape, it’s easier to maintain it than the process of getting into it. You just stay focused on it.”

On the transition from NXT UK to NXT and the WWE main roster:

“I liked living in Europe, and I love Europe. I think it’s great for what it stands for and culture and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, you cannot just be in the same place all the time and not progress anymore. And I think especially in a sport like wrestling, you progress or you’re done, more or less. That’s what it is in my eyes. For me, I think I kind of grew out of NXT UK and it was time to make the next step and I think the timing was right. There were a lot of changes inside WWE and the timing was just perfect for it, so I went for it. In the back of my head, I always pushed it away from myself for a little bit, but I always knew at one point, you’ve got to make that step.”