WWE star Ludwig Kaiser, better known as El Grande Americano, has been arrested in Florida and charged with battery.
The 35-year-old wrestler, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, was arrested in Orange County, Florida, on Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor battery, according to website Wrestling Inc.
After being booked, he was released on a $1,000 bond.
The arrest reportedly stems from an altercation he had with a man back in April. Barthel apparently took offense when the man told him to “have some manners” after Barthel and a female companion were seen acting in an “uncontrollably intimate” manner in a public elevator, the New York Post reported.
The incident occurred on April 23 at the Lake Eola Apartment complex in Orlando, Florida. The man Berthel allegedly struck has been named as Richard Reap.
Mr. Reap told police that he felt Barthel and his female companion were acting inappropriately in the elevator and that he told them so, which provoked the wrestler’s wrath.
The alleged victim claimed that Barthel punched him several times, pushed him to the ground, and threatened him.
Police also report that Reap showed officers his bruises and scratches that he claims he suffered during the attack.
Barthel said he learned that a warrant for his arrest had been issued on May 19, and he turned himself in the following day. He also filed a petition with the court to allow him to travel during the court proceedings so he can continue his wrestling engagements.
Berthal is scheduled for a match on May 30, where he will face Chad Gable, the “original” El Grande Americano, in a mask vs. mask match in Monterrey, Mexico, for the WWE’s AAA Lucha Libre promotion.
He last appeared on May 18 in Monday Night Raw at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, NC, where he and his partners — Bravo Americano and Rayo Americano — defeated Gable’s “Original” El Grande Americano and Los Americanos Hermanos.
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