Real Names for Wrestlers

[IrishCanadian25]

I was kicking around the other day the use of REAL NAMES in professional wrestling. The fact is, probably more than 90% of pro wrestlers in major promotions use stage names instead of their actual names for a variety of reasons. WWE and TNA like to have copyrights in place so an individual cannot make a name for themselves in one company and then take that name elsewhere, leaving all of the brand-building in tact.

Sometimes, however, a real name brings legitimacy and a more honest connection to the crowd.

I'd like to look at some, and then discuss preferences.

Some of the memorable wrestlers I can think of to use their 100% real, un-altered names in pro wrestling include: Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, Ted DiBiase, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, and some others. This is a short list, I am sure people can come up with a better list.

In the case of the Hart family, the WWF/WCW got to take on the value of the family name and the legacy behind it. Trouble is, he also took the family legacy AND the WWF legacy over to WCW.

Kurt Angle - same deal. They got to inherit the name recognition and legitimacy of an Olympic Gold Medal winner. Same holds true with Mark Henry and the 10th place powerlifting place in 1992, as well as a victory in the Arnold Strongest Man Contest.

Oddly enough, Jacob Hagar, despite all of his accolades as an All American (American) from Oklahoma, changed his name to Jack Swagger.

Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, AJ Styles. ALL of these men wrestle under fake names. Terry Bollea, Richard Flehir, Randy Poffo, Allen Jones never really existed to us. But we never seemed to give a damn.

We originally met "John Morrison" on Tough Enough Season 3, and got to know him as John Hennigan, or simply "John." Since then he's been Johnny Nitro and John Morrison.

But Mike Mizanin developed the term "The Miz" on Real World, and WWE let him keep that monicker to capitalize on MTV's marketing.

So I'll beg the question -

Do you prefer it when a pro wrestler uses a real name, or a fake name? Does it matter? Does it hold any value?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I don't think it matters very much except in the light of the carrying of power as you noted earlier. Wrestlers who own their own character names the way Mick Foley owns Cactus Jack, for example, are able to transition from one company to another without much of an issue, but the WWE has gone above and beyond in recent years to prevent such seamless jumps by trademarking character names.

The real name thing IIRC was a Bischoff thing done to retaliate against Vince McMahon's much more cartoonish alias style back when the Monday Night Wars first really began. I enjoy real names from time-to-time, but there's something to value IMO in the "characters" of guys who work with an alias. I don't think "Chris Parks" would have gotten over as easily as "Abyss" did, for example, and would "Allen Jones" really have been just as phenomenal as "A.J. Styles"?

There's an interesting dichotomy to be had when a wrestler uses an alias – if only to establish his early career, because it always allows for a bit of a reveal later down the line like the story line done between James Mitchell and Chris Parks/Abyss.

Either way, I like that the world of professional wrestling hasn't gone 100% in either direction here. The play between the two works well, IMO.

 

[D-Man]

IC, this is a very good question. Personally, I'm quite ambivalent about this subject.

I understand the notoriety that comes along with the legacy (or lack thereof) that was paved by the man before they became known as a professional wrestler. For someone like Kurt Angle, it was an accolade known throughout the world. To not take advantage of something like that in order to generate a few extra dollars would be just silly. And on a completely different level, for someone like Chris Nowinski, to utilize his honors as a star football player and graduate of Harvard University was a stroke of genius that built him instant heat, since he used it as a way of establishing intillectual dominance over the audience.

But let's face it... as a professional wrestler, you're as good as the legacy you pave from the start to the end of your professional wrestling career. Everyone is given a character, whether it hits home with their personal lives or it's a completely different spin on their true personality. If an individual can use their personal accolades to generate interest from the audience, then all the power to them, especially if they become successful. But if their past meant nothing to the world and they are given a persona by Vince and his creative division as a rehabilitated drug addict that worships a superstar who follows a straight-edge lifestyle, then as long as I'm entertained, I could care less.

A good character in pro-wrestling always includes a little bit of the wrestler's personal character in order to make it connect with the audience. So whether a wrestler decides to use their real or fake names on television, they'll always be showcasing a part of themselves as their character.

 

[Big Sexy]

In most cases it really doesn't matter. The only time it's really beneficial for the WWE to have a guy to use their real name is if it is, A. A guy like Ted Dibiase or Randy Orton because you can capitalize on their relation to WWE legends, or B. Someone like Kurt Angle or Mark Henry who have made a name for themselves outside of the wrestling world.

Even in these cases sometimes names are altered. You mentioned Jacob Hager who was an All American at Oklahoma but I think a name like Jack Swagger fits his character of a cocky heel much better. Then you have someone like Harry Smith. The WWE was able to mention his relation to the Hart family obviously as the British Bulldogs son, but they still changed his name. And again I think the name David Hart (DH) Smith fits much better then Harry Smith and the name change makes his relation to the Hart family even more known.

A lot of times I also think it depends on what a superstars real name is. John Hennigan, Michael Hickenbottom, and Paul Levesque just don't really fit as names for professional wrestlers. However, names like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Shelton Benjamin seem to fit perfectly.

 

[jmt225]

You know what's funny? Today's "gimmick" names are names of real sounding people. Not even the made up names can nowadays are creative.

Anyway, does it bother me? Honestly, yes. I don't mind if there are a handful of wrestlers who use their real names, but when it seems like every damn professional wrestler on the planet is going by a legit name instead of a true character, it bothers me.

See, I don't mind 'Hulk Hogan' or 'Shawn Michaels' or 'Bret Hart' because back then there was also Andre the Giant, Diesel, The 123 Kid, Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, etc. And even wrestlers with real sounding names had a nicknames to go with it like Jake 'The Snake' Roberts or Rick 'The Model' Martal or 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan.

Today though, there are hardly any nicknames. Edge, CM Punk, The Undertaker and HHH are really the only guys with names that don't sound real in WWE, with CM Punk being the only wrestler out of that group to debut this decade. That's RIDICULOUS. Where are the fucking characters? Where are the gimmicks? I watched ECW last night and I couldn't believe the new tag team there had two normals names, without even a name for their team. I mean, seriously guys... WTF?

So, yes... it bothers me. Professional wrestling is entertainment, and yet, today... wrestlers and creative can't even give us entertaining names. Hell, MMA Fighters have better sounding names than pro wrestlers nowadays, and that's a REAL sport. It's pathetic....

 

[Blade]

Well sometimes the real name just works. I consider Ric Flair to have used his real name, since it's pretty much pronounced the same way, just spelled slightly different. Some wrestlers have the perfect wrestling names though, like Flair, like Rick Rude, like Bret Hart, like Ted Dibiase. Sometimes, it just works. It fits their character to a tee.

Sometimes names just need to be changed for the sake of a wrestler's character. Allen Jones sounds like the most boring name on the planet. No one would've taken notice of a wrestler named Allen Jones. AJ Styles suits him, it's flashy, it shows he has, dare I say it, style. Jake Hager is a decent name, but it would be more of a destructive monster heel. They wanted Swagger as the cocky type, and what's cockier than a swagger.

So in the end it matters because a name needs to fit a character. The name creates the first impression and it's the audience's first introduction to the character. So it needs to fit.

 

[Dagger Dias]

So I'll beg the question -

Do you prefer it when a pro wrestler uses a real name, or a fake name? Does it matter? Does it hold any value?

I've already said my opinion on this in a more specific thread but I can say it again here too. I think that it depends on how the wrestler's real name sounds. Some people have cool sounding names. Some don't. The wrestlers who do not have cooler sounding names are better off using the name or nickname of their in-ring character. In some cases, such as John Cena or Randy Orton, it works to use their real name. In other cases, such as Edge or Triple H, it works better to use their character names because their real names don't sound as good as their character names.

Let's use Triple H as an example. Does "WWE Champion Paul Levesque" sound better, or "WWE Champion Triple H"? What about "World Heavyweight Champion Paul Levesque" compared to "World Heavyweight Champion Triple H"? Obviously his character name sounds much better. The same case can be made for Edge, Christian, CM Punk, and several others.

Whether a wrestler should use his real name or not depends on whether it sounds better than his character's name because sometimes their real names just don't sound cool enough. It is not the best argument, but it works.

 

[theviolentmessiah]

I personally think wrestlers should stick to stage names. When we see wrestlers we see charecters that have stories and scripts written for them. It would feel like an actor using their real name. Obviously sometimes it works such as Kurt Angle but mostly I prefer to think of them turning on and off, switching from onscreen to offscreen personality.

 

[The Wolf]

The Name is not important to me, but the wrestler should choose their own stage name and own it from that point on. The nicknames can change when they leave the company if wanted. Also the rep they built should come over with them so someone who was on top dont come in on the bottom. But what i BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT is REALISM. Randy Orton once said that what he does is not a character but a hyped up version of himself. I think that is the way it should be cause they are easier to connect to.

 

[Billie Jean]

Do you prefer it when a pro wrestler uses a real name, or a fake name? Does it matter? Does it hold any value?

It is not a matter of preference but a matter of sound. When you say something it just clicks, like if you were to announce "John Felix Anthony Cena", where as John Cena just has that ring to it. OK, bad example.I also think that a lot of it has to do with the character at the time. I mean you could not imagine Undertaker coming out to Mark Callway, but using the same gimmick. Sometimes it has to fit the gimmicks.

Sometimes through, if they can't take the gimmick with them to other companies, they will just change to their real name. I do not know if I am correct but was there not a dispute about ownership of Mic Foley's name at one point?

Personally I don't have an overall opinion on which is better because I think what ever sounds better coming off your tongue is the best option.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I don't even know why I'm posting, because this has been said so many times throughout this thread, but I like a combination. Real names work when they sound like superstar names. John Cena, Dave Batista, Kurt Angle. then you have guys like Paul Levesque, Terry Bollea, Mark Calloway, and Michael Hickenbottom (giggles). Can you imagine this..."You're new Heavyweight Champion...Michael HICKENBOTTOM *Crowd Laughter*. Some people need stage names, because their given names are too pathetic. I like a mixture. Plain and simple.

 

[Super Crazy]

I too enjoy a good mix of both. If you are going to use your real name, it has to sound like something special, something people can get behind. Although, certain names could work for certain gimmicks. Paul Levesque would have worked for Triple H when he was the Connecticut Blue Blood or whatever that gimmick was. Mark Calloway is a good name for a wrestler were they not gimmicked as the Undertaker.