Ludwig Kaiser just took a loss in court. The WWE Superstar’s attempt to get his misdemeanor battery charge thrown out was denied on October 19, and newly updated court records reveal that Kaiser personally took the stand during the hearing.
According to court records obtained by Ringside News, the judge denied Kaiser’s motion to dismiss following Monday’s hearing in Orlando, Florida. The ruling means the battery case against Kaiser, whose real name is Marcel Barthel, will continue, with a pretrial conference now scheduled for December 17, 2026.
And the hearing wasn’t just a quick appearance before the judge. The court docket confirms that Kaiser was sworn in and testified as a defense witness, while Richard Reap, the man accusing him of battery, also took the stand for the prosecution.
The state also introduced evidence during the proceedings, including 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 explain what the CD contains or what the photographs depict. The court also invoked the rule of sequestration, a procedure generally used to keep witnesses from hearing each other’s testimony before taking the stand.
This comes just hours after Ringside News obtained a defense witness list naming Kaiser’s girlfriend, Andrea Martinez Bazarte, as a potential witness in the case. The filing was submitted Monday morning ahead of the hearing, although the newly updated docket only specifically identifies Kaiser and Reap as having testified.
As Ringside News previously covered, Kaiser was arrested in May following an April 23 confrontation with Reap at an Orlando apartment complex. Reap accused Kaiser of punching and pushing him during an argument, while Kaiser’s legal team maintained that he was acting in self-defense.
Kaiser’s attorneys had filed a motion seeking dismissal under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, arguing that Reap was the aggressor and that Kaiser acted to protect himself and Bazarte. The defense also accused Reap of making threats involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
That argument wasn’t enough to get the case dismissed at Monday’s hearing. However, the court’s docket does not provide the judge’s reasoning for denying the motion, and the decision does not establish whether Kaiser is guilty of the charge.
For now, Kaiser is still facing the misdemeanor battery case, and his next scheduled court date is December 17. With both Kaiser and his accuser already having testified and the judge refusing to toss the charge, this legal battle is far from finished.
What do you think about the judge denying Ludwig Kaiser’s motion to dismiss after hearing testimony from both sides? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
