WWE Superstar Ludwig Kaiser took a loss in court on October 19, as a judge in Orlando, Florida denied his motion to dismiss the misdemeanor battery charge against him — and court records reveal Kaiser personally took the stand during the hearing.
Ludwig Kaiser (Credits: WWE)
Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, was arrested in May following an April 23 confrontation with Richard Reap at an Orlando apartment complex. Reap accused the wrestler of punching and pushing him during an argument, while Kaiser’s legal team has maintained he was acting in self-defense.
Both Sides Testified Under Sequestration
This wasn’t a brief procedural appearance. The court docket confirms that Kaiser was sworn in and testified as a defense witness, while Reap took the stand for the prosecution. The court also invoked the rule of sequestration, keeping witnesses from hearing each other’s testimony before taking the stand.
The state introduced physical evidence into the record: a CD admitted as State’s Exhibit 1 and four photographs entered as a composite exhibit marked State’s Exhibit 2. The docket doesn’t reveal what the CD contains or what the photographs depict.
Stand Your Ground Argument Rejected
Kaiser’s attorneys had sought dismissal under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, arguing that Reap was the aggressor and that Kaiser acted to protect himself and his girlfriend, Andrea Martinez Bazarte — who was named on a defense witness list filed Monday morning ahead of the hearing.
The defense also accused Reap of making threats involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But the argument wasn’t enough to get the case dismissed. The docket doesn’t provide the judge’s reasoning, and the ruling doesn’t establish whether Kaiser is guilty of the charge.
Case Moves to December
The battery case will continue, with a pretrial conference scheduled for December 17, 2026. With both Kaiser and his accuser already having testified and the judge refusing to throw out the charge, this legal battle is far from over.
Also Read: Ludwig Kaiser’s Girlfriend Named as Defense Witness Hours Before Battery Case Hearing
Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
