Earlier this year, WWE Superstar Ludwig Kaiser, aka Marcel Barthel, was arrested in Florida. Kaiser, currently performing as El Grande Americano in WWE's Mexican wrestling promotion AAA, was arrested on battery charges in Orange County, Florida.
As per reports, Barthel was arrested on May 20, 2026, on charges of battery in Orange County, Florida. According to the online records, he was booked in Orange County, Florida, at 2:37 PM. Later, PWInsider confirmed through their report that Barthel was bonded out of Orange County Corrections on a $1000 bail by his WWE colleague and close friend, Gunther. Now, following a court hearing on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, a motion filed by Kaiser to dismiss his battery case was denied.
Kaiser’s legal team aimed to have the misdemeanor battery charge dropped by invoking Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The claim was that Kaiser was justified in applying the level of force he did against the alleged victim because he reasonably believed it was needed to defend himself and his girlfriend, Andre Bazarte, from the “imminent use of unlawful force.” A pre-trial conference is scheduled to take place on Dec. 17, 2026.
More on WWE Superstar Ludwig Kaiser's charges
Earlier this year, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful and trusted media personality Raj Giri had opened up and shared details about Kaiser's arrest and charges. Previously, the charges were suspected to be domestic charges, but they were later dismissed by Sean Ross Sapp.
“This is what I heard regarding the Ludwig Kaiser situation. He was in the apartment elevator with Andrea Bazarte and they were being affectionate, but nothing crazy or out of the ordinary. [Richard] Reap allegedly didn’t say anything in the elevator but once he got out on the 12th floor, he allegedly said something to Kaiser to the effect of ‘you need to show some f’n respect before I call ICE on that b**ch.' Kaiser got out of the elevator and they had a little scuffle, but no punches were apparently thrown,” Giri wrote.