Various WWE Superstars have had an alteration or a complete change in their ring name over the past few weeks. This has been the case mostly with superstars who have been drafted to the main roster from the NXT brand.
NXT is the developmental wing of WWE where superstars hone their skills before moving over to the main roster and facing some of the biggest names in the sport.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the roster recently received a memo that included a decree from WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. The report mentioned that the 76-year-old didn’t want any superstar to use their actual names or the ones they used on the independent circuit in WWE anymore.
Gunther and Raquel Gonzalez made their main roster debuts last week on SmackDown. Gunther used to wrestle previously as Walter but his name was changed even before he jumped onto the main roster whereas Raquel Gonzalez was introduced as Raquel Rodriguez during an interview on SmackDown last week. A few weeks ago, Pete Dunne moved over to the main roster on SmackDown and he had a new ring name – Butch.
The exceptions to the rule
There are some exceptions to this rule as well. It was noted that the decree applies mostly to wrestlers just coming to the main roster, but obviously does not apply to Cody Rhodes or Gable Steveson. Cody of course wrestled under that particular name during his first stint with WWE. It was only when he portrayed a different gimmick that he changed his name to Stardust.
Vince McMahon’s protégé Austin Theory also dropped his first name last week. He will now be wrestling under the name Theory. The 24-year-old told Adam Pearce that he and Vince felt that Austin didn’t suit him.
This was just a storyline way of removing his first name. The Observer also noted that Theory’s name was changed because his real name is Austin White.
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