The bizarre new version of Ludwig Kaiser’s Florida battery case just took another turn, because the story involving an alleged ICE threat may have actually come from Kaiser’s side of the situation — and not from anything independently confirmed through court records or police findings.
After the story started spreading online, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp addressed the claims and explained that the account circulating publicly may have originated from Kaiser/WWE’s side, though he also said he could not independently verify it with the involved parties. Sapp wrote:
“This is the story from Kaiser/WWEs side. Someone messaged it to me today but I couldn’t get the parties to verify.”
The controversy erupted after journalist Raj Giri shared a dramatically different version of the alleged elevator confrontation between Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, and complainant Richard Reap.
According to the story circulating online, Kaiser was inside an elevator at the Paramount on Lake Eola Apartments in Orlando with his girlfriend, Andrea Bazarte, before the confrontation allegedly escalated outside the elevator. The version shared online claims Reap allegedly directed an ICE-related threat toward Bazarte after everyone exited onto the 12th floor. The alleged comment was:
“You need to show some f—in’ respect before I call ICE on that b—h.”
The account also claimed Kaiser and Reap got into a scuffle afterward, while alleging that no punches were thrown during the altercation. That version sharply conflicts with the arrest affidavit previously obtained by Ringside News.
According to the police report, Reap told investigators Kaiser punched him multiple times, shoved him to the ground, and threatened further violence after Reap allegedly told the couple to “please have some manners.” Police also documented injuries including a scratch on the back of Reap’s head and redness investigators said was consistent with a recent altercation.
Bazarte has become heavily connected to Kaiser’s El Grande Americano storyline across WWE and AAA programming. She works as an interviewer and on-screen personality tied to WWE’s Spanish-language coverage and AAA appearances. Her relationship with Kaiser also became a major talking point among wrestling fans after Kaiser began dating Bazarte following his split from Tiffany Stratton.
As Ringside News previously reported, Barthel turned himself in on May 20 after learning an active arrest warrant had been issued against him. He later posted $1,000 bond and entered a written plea of not guilty.
The legal drama has already started bleeding into wrestling appearances as well. AAA recently canceled a planned “Serenata para El Grande Americano” appearance in Mexico City tied to Kaiser’s masked character. Court filings also show Kaiser is currently seeking permission for out-of-state and international travel while the case remains active. Kaiser is still advertised for AAA Noche de los Grandes on May 30, where he is scheduled to face Chad Gable in a Mask vs. Mask match tied to the El Grande Americano storyline.
Neither WWE nor AAA has publicly commented on the arrest, the ICE-related allegation, or Kaiser’s future status.
With two completely different stories now circulating publicly — and questions remaining about whether the ICE-threat version even originated from Kaiser’s side — the spotlight is only getting brighter on what really happened that night outside the elevator.
What do you think about the conflicting stories surrounding Ludwig Kaiser’s battery case? Let us know in the comments.