WWE Superstar Ludwig Kaiser (real name Marcel Barthel) was arrested in Orlando, Florida on May 20, 2026, for misdemeanor battery following an April 23 altercation at his apartment complex. According to an arrest affidavit, Kaiser and a woman (WWE personality Andrea Bazarte) were “aggressively kissing” inside an elevator at the Paramount on Lake Eola Apartments.
The victim, identified as Richard Reap, exited on the 12th floor and told the couple to “please have some manners”. Reap told police that Kaiser followed him out and punched and pushed him to the ground, causing a scratch on his head.
Police secured surveillance footage matching the victim’s account, identified Kaiser, and issued a warrant. Kaiser learned of the warrant while working in Mexico, returned to Orlando, turned himself in, and was released on a $1,000 bond. Kaiser entered a plea of not guilty. Because his wrestling career requires international travel, his legal team successfully filed a motion allowing him to travel while the case is ongoing.
It was previously reported by Fightful Select, that WWE currently has no heat with Kaiser over the incident and is not expected to issue internal disciplinary action. He is scheduled to continue his high-profile “El Grande Americano” mask versus mask match against Chad Gable in AAA. However, there is now a new update from Fightful Select regarding the recent Ludwig Kaiser and Andrea Bazarte situation.
According to information obtained by Fightful Select, several WWE sources indicated they believe the story involving Kaiser defending Bazarte from ICE-related comments may have been intentionally planted from within the company.
Fightful noted that an unfamiliar phone number reportedly contacted multiple members of wrestling media directly with the story. Sources also pointed out that the information did not appear to originate from Ludwig Kaiser, Andrea Bazarte, or WWE’s official communications team.
The report states that the unusual nature of the outreach raised eyebrows internally, especially given how selectively the information was distributed.
At this point, there has been no official statement from WWE, Kaiser, or Bazarte regarding the situation.
We will continue to monitor the story here at Bodyslam.net, and provide additional updates as more information becomes available.