WWE Renaming Indy Workers

[tvcolosi]

I have a quick question and hopefully some people have opinions on this.

I see frequenter people get really upset when WWE brings in a new talent and issues them a new name. Now for guys like "Daniel" Bryan Danielson I understand. Thats his real name and he has used it for 10 years.

Though I distinctly remember when Ambrose and Rollins started at FCW people were MAD. "I will still call them Moxley and Black:... but John Moxley and Tyler Black are gimmick names. So I am just wondering if people are mad just because they change it, or are more upset when they change someones real name to a fake one....

 

[Spidey Revivey]

People tend to forget that these people are actors, and play a special role in their company. And when it's time for that actor to move on, so should we. It saddens me to think anyone is still caught up with a wrestler's name (of all things) because WWE changed it. No other career in drama has it's fanbase bitch and moan that "Hannibal Lecter" is playing "Odin" in this role now; chalk it up to people not knowing how to let things go.

 

[GeneralKarim]

People tend to forget that these people are actors, and play a special role in their company. And when it's time for that actor to move on, so should we. It saddens me to think anyone is still caught up with a wrestler's name (of all things) because WWE changed it. No other career in drama has it's fanbase bitch and moan that "Hannibal Lecter" is playing "Odin" in this role now; chalk it up to people not knowing how to let things go.

Tho I agree with you that some people are taking name changing out of proportion I think the whininig has some validity to it.

I mean look no further than Joe Henning.

You have a guy that people were excited ( initally ) to see cause you know he's the son of Mr.Perfect and all that, and then what do they do?

They call him Michael McGillicutty, how the hell are you supposed to get over with a name like that. Nobody can ever chant your name. They seem to just go to a random name generator and go with that with most guys.

I dont think Batista could have gotten over if his name was Robert Calahan.

Look at Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards.FUCKING John Cahill and Eric Philbin !!! I swear those are names that just remind me of jobbers, of guys working a 24hours shift at a fkn supermarket. First thought that came into my mind ( cause im so smart and witty11!1 ) was Eric Trashbin and John Dunghill, they might aswell call them that since it doesnt make a difference.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes to the subject of WWE changing their names, I have to agree that it's something that a lot of internet fans make far too big of a deal out of. Some like to shit all over the name of a wrestler simply because WWE came up with it and griping about WWE in general is something that's fashionable. If ROH or any small league indie company makes it to even TNA's level, don't be surprised if they find themselves getting similar treatment from fans & dirtsheet writers that once shouted their praises from on high.

Professional wrestlers are men & women who portray outright fictional personas or personas that are a highly exaggerated aspect of who they are as a human being. These fictional and/or over the top personas engages in scripted feuds that culminate in choreographed fights with predetermined outcomes.

I do agree that WWE goes overboard sometimes, or at least it seems like that depending upon who you ask and which wrestlers you're discussing. Like everything else in pro wrestling, names themselves can often be subjective. Some names might sound like pure crap to me while sounding completely acceptable to somebody else.

As GeneralKarim mentioned in regards to Joe Hennig, I think that McGuillicutty is a pretty lousy name as well. However, he no longer has the name and WWE gave him a hard push. The problem now lies with the fact that Joe Hennig/Curtis Axel hasn't demonstrated the charisma needed to go beyond being a mid-carder. He's a solid mid-card wrestler, nothing wrong with that, but his lackluster personality was there before his name. I think the name was a crutch that some people used as a means of explaining why Hennig hasn't already gone to that "next level." Just because he's the son of a much beloved late WWE Hall of Famer and probably ranks among the top 3 best guys in WWE history to have never been WWE Champion on most people's lists doesn't mean that he himself has greatness in him with or without a great name. Daniel Bryan isn't exactly the most exciting, flamboyant, larger than life name I can think of, but there's nobody in WWE right now more universally over than Bryan.

 

[Messiah]

I don't really care if WWE changes their name. I expect them to do it with everyone they sign. They want to own the rights to their name, there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[tvcolosi]

Tho I agree with you that some people are taking name changing out of proportion I think the whininig has some validity to it.

I mean look no further than Joe Henning.

You have a guy that people were excited ( initally ) to see cause you know he's the son of Mr.Perfect and all that, and then what do they do?

They call him Michael McGillicutty, how the hell are you supposed to get over with a name like that. Nobody can ever chant your name. They seem to just go to a random name generator and go with that with most guys.

I dont think Batista could have gotten over if his name was Robert Calahan.

Look at Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards.FUCKING John Cahill and Eric Philbin !!! I swear those are names that just remind me of jobbers, of guys working a 24hours shift at a fkn supermarket. First thought that came into my mind ( cause im so smart and witty11!1 ) was Eric Trashbin and John Dunghill, they might aswell call them that since it doesnt make a difference.

good call on Henning, especially since he is 3rd Gen... the new 2 guys... I am not impressed by the new ones but Eddie Edwards? that's kind of dumb...

ps. great AJ photo...

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I don't get up in arms about it. There are some names they come up with that I chuckle at, the Sami Zayns and Adrian Nevilles make me smile, but most of the names aren't that bad.

I understand some fans wanting guys like Sami to keep El Generico or wanting Chris Hero to keep his name, but in the event they flop, they go back to the indy circuit with the WWE likely owning the name the indy star made famous.

I do sometimes get this image of Vince in Roots, whipping his stars, urging them to use their WWE name as opposed to their indy name, but outside of that I don't think they usually hurt that much.

I think McGuillicutty was a weird case. Hennig himself admitted to not wanting to use his dad's name to get over, so that may pissed off some of the higher ups, which could explain the awful name.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Sadly, WWE's edict today states that it wants to make everything theirs, and when you are the only game in town, it's within your rights. That doesn't mean I support that notion, in fact I outright despise it.

For instance, when Curt Hennig was a young and brash heel in the AWA as their World Champion, he came over to the WWF with very much the same character, although they added the moniker "Mr. Perfect" to his name, which of course eventually superseded his birth name, however for quite some time he was known as "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig during his first couple of years back in the WWF. So even though when he left WWF, he still got to keep the persona more or less intact with the very fact that under that persona he wasn't issue some other copyrighted first and last name to go with his moniker.

Anyway, I get that WWE has changed their methods of how they want to cultivate their talent and create their product for future generations, but it's something I am not a big fan of. I think wrestling was at its best when the industry's biggest stars has control of their ring names and personas and would be able to go from organization to organization with said personas and names.

After all, even without legit competition in the form of a WCW these days, a lot of performers who leave WWE not only perform on the indy circuit about, they also sign autographs and what not to and take part in other conventions. There's nothing more tacky sounding then reading someone advertise themselves as the former "John Smith of WWE". But again, these statements are just my opinion and feelings of things, I more than know why such is the way it is these days. It just sucks that other indy workers who created a persona and unique name can't always be as fortunate as CM Punk was to take such a thing to the next level.

But then again most would just find this to be the rantings of a fan of a bygone era. Well, guilty as charged. All the power and credit to guys like CM Punk that found a way to buck this new trend and keep their careers' work intact.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Well it's the age we live in & people love to complain about everything on the internet these days. But I do think there are two main reasons fans complain about name changes when indy performers sign with the WWE that actually make some sense.

1.) When WWE changes a name that already has value. Some indy stars already have a well evolved gimmick on the indies & a well built character with a following, why would WWE want to mess with that? Well the short answer is that WWE wants to own all the rights & have the performer essentially start from scratch in their company, which makes sense to a degree but raises a bigger question..then what about cases like CM Punk? That was his name/gimmick on the indies, he still had to reinvent the character for WWE television & basically started from scratch when it came to storylines. & since most indie guys take a simular approach as Punk & more or less just evolve their previous gimmick from the indies to a WWE style but are forced to do so with new names, that just tells me WWE doesn't want to pay other indie talent to use their name. Which makes sense on some levels but realistically WWE most likely bought Punk out of his name a long time ago & he probably only makes pennies from licensing rights & merch. now & days. Which just seems cheap to me that WWE would be willing to buy certain names in a very few amount of select cases but slap new names on the majority of them just to save a few bucks & claim it as their own creation.

2.) When WWE uses the random name generator. This is the argument that I think is much more valid because while I would like to see guys like Jon Moxley or Tyler Black get paid for their ideas & creativity, I actually really like the names Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins. It's when WWE seems so lazy/careless & just gives a new superstar some seemingly random, jobber name that I think most fans get mad & they have a point. If WWE insists on owning all the rights & not paying out a cent to the indie workers for their past creations & ideas then why not at least put some real effort into naming these guys? WWE is a Multi-Million dollar company & I think a lot of fans tend to take it personally (especially if it is a guy/girl they have followed for several years) when WWE puts a bland name on an incoming indy worker & seemingly wants them to fail.

 

[RawIsJericho]

The problem isn't that they change their names, I think everyone (well most people) understand why they do that. The problem is that the names they come up with are often so dreadful.

Seriously, John Cahill and Eric Philbin.

"The American Pitbulls" isn't even bad, I can live with that, but Cahill and Philbin?

Michael McGillicutty.

Kasius Ohno.

and so on.

I think people get a little too bent out of shape when people refer to wrestlers as their old names. If you watch somebody as a certain character for several years, you are naturally going to think of that person when you see them. Think of people you've seen on other TV shows playing a particular role for a long time, if I see David Schwimmer in something, I automatically think "hey it's Ross'. In fact that proved a big problem for me in Band of Brothers because I was always thinking but that's Ross. Whenever I see Idris Elba on a show or movie my immediate thoughts are "there's Stringer", because that's what I identify him as.

Many people don't refer to TV actors by name but rather by the character they played for a long time.

 

[SunnyD]

Look at Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards.FUCKING John Cahill and Eric Phil-bin !!! I swear those are names that just remind me of jobbers, of guys working a 24hours shift at a fkn supermarket. First thought that came into my mind ( cause im so smart and witty11!1 ) was Eric Trashbin and John Dunghill, they might aswell call them that since it doesnt make a difference.

Especially John Cahill..WWE won't push another John C. They need to just keep it different.

One name I initially wished they kept was Claudio Castagnoli, because it was established and unique, but WWE proved me wrong. Antonio Cesaro is awesome. But if guys like AJ Styles or Samoa Joe ever go to WWE, it would be very difficult to see them with a new name.

Side note: I like names like Kane, Edge, Booker T, Fandango, Abyss etc. They need to name more wrestlers by something other than a generic name.

 

[justinept]

Especially John Cahill..WWE won't push another John C. They need to just keep it different.

One name I initially wished they kept was Claudio Castagnoli, because it was established and unique, but WWE proved me wrong. Antonio Cesaro is awesome. But if guys like AJ Styles or Samoa Joe ever go to WWE, it would be very difficult to see them with a new name.

Side note: I like names like Kane, Edge, Booker T, Fandango, Abyss etc. They need to name more wrestlers by something other than a generic name.

I agree with the sentiment that more wrestlers should be given monikers like Edge, Kane, Booker T, etc because I prefer the nickname element of it ... but I don't understand harping about John Cahill and Eric Philbin. This notion that those names are generic is absurd because it completely misses the point that in the grand scheme of names - Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards are equally generic names.

The bottom line is that if a wrestler is good, he can get by on a generic name. Shawn Michaels is generic. Chris Jericho is generic. John Cena (though his real name) is generic ... Somehow, all those guys managed to get over with generic names - perhaps it had to do with their charisma and ability to connect with audiences.

And for all those harping on the Michael McGillicutty name, I'd like to remind you that Daniel Bryan's name was a big topic of discussion when it was announced - that most thought it was just as stupid as McGillicutty - and that despite the objections to his name, he managed to become a top guy in the company with that name. So again, it can be done so long as the guy has talent and connects with an audience. Only in the most extreme examples can a name legitimately derail a guy's career.

 

[thesubverse]

Many people don't refer to TV actors by name but rather by the character they played for a long time.

Sure, but people don't get SO MAD about it the way wrestling fans do. They lose their goddamn shit if a wrestler has to change their name. Well, if they go to WWE and change their name--if it's any other promotion, it's much less of an issue.

I remember when the Big Show was a stupid name change. How can we start calling him the Big Show when we've known him as the Giant for a these few years, they'd say. This was a significant issue back on RSPW and the like in 1999.

I can't deny some of the WWE/NXT names are pretty bad. Most aren't, though; they're really not. Most are just fans being unable/unwilling to accept that things change and wrestlers want to advance their careers and lives and that they don't want to do the exact same thing forever. Honestly, any wrestler who wants to sign a WWE contract has to know they'll be working under a new name, so they should already have a few ready to go for approval right away. We've heard of wrestlers having input on their names/gimmicks before, so if we're about to enter 2014 and these indy "stars" and their fans still don't understand this, clearly they haven't been paying attention the last 20+ years.

 

[shalliin]

People tend to forget that these people are actors, and play a special role in their company. And when it's time for that actor to move on, so should we. It saddens me to think anyone is still caught up with a wrestler's name (of all things) because WWE changed it. No other career in drama has it's fanbase bitch and moan that "Hannibal Lecter" is playing "Odin" in this role now; chalk it up to people not knowing how to let things go.

There is a slight difference in the situations though that while an interesting idea to compare, cause it to deflate in reality.

It's not Hannical Lecter playing Odin, it's Anthony Hopkins playing both. You wouldn't want to watch a movie where the character was the same, but they used the actor's real name instead of the one created for the character.
In wrestling, the character and the name are what becomes most associated together with the audience and it is the character names that are used to sell the product. For actors, it's often the ACTOR who'se name is used to sell the product. It is promoted as 'Anthony Hopkins Is Odin in THOR' not 'Odin as shown by Anthony Hopkins'. The difference is slight but it does have an impact and reverberance in the minds of the audience. I don't care one iota what Phil Brooks does in his personal life, but I love watching CM Punk kick ass in the ring.
At Mania, I want to see the dark and brooding, sinister Undertaker demolish his opponents, not watch Mark Calloway pretend to beat up on some guy. The role is more important in wrestling then the reality.
So if they started calling HHH by JP Levesque, it wouldn't resonate with the fans the same way. So sometimes they need to change names to have an increase in the interest and reactions by the fans. And other times, it's simply because of copyright/ownership issues. WWE wants to own the names and persona's of all their players so that they can market them even if and when those people no longer work for WWE.
Bringing in outside guys and renaming them has been a tradtion in wrestling as old as the headlock, going to the very start of the sport and running through the territories and into the modern era. I have no problem with renaming and packaging guys when they join your company, because that is the role they are taking on(going back to the actor comparison). You wouldn't have Odin renamed to Hannibal just because both are portrayed by Anthony Hopkins so why worry about an indy guy coming in and being given a new name to fit his potential role with the company.

 

[shalliin]

I agree with the sentiment that more wrestlers should be given monikers like Edge, Kane, Booker T, etc because I prefer the nickname element of it ... but I don't understand harping about John Cahill and Eric Philbin. This notion that those names are generic is absurd because it completely misses the point that in the grand scheme of names - Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards are equally generic names.

The bottom line is that if a wrestler is good, he can get by on a generic name. Shawn Michaels is generic. Chris Jericho is generic. John Cena (though his real name) is generic ... Somehow, all those guys managed to get over with generic names - perhaps it had to do with their charisma and ability to connect with audiences.

And for all those harping on the Michael McGillicutty name, I'd like to remind you that Daniel Bryan's name was a big topic of discussion when it was announced - that most thought it was just as stupid as McGillicutty - and that despite the objections to his name, he managed to become a top guy in the company with that name. So again, it can be done so long as the guy has talent and connects with an audience. Only in the most extreme examples can a name legitimately derail a guy's career.

Shawn Michaels isn't that generic. They just reversed his first and middle names. His birth name was Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, but as he grew up, from interviews given in the past, most people called him Shawn. So in effect that to is his real name.
Jericho was taken in place his real name of Irving as it had a biblical aspect that pumped up the character, along with the nickname of 'LionTamer' and 'Lionheart' that he used in wcw.
Personally, one name that could have been fun to have used was Christian's real name of Jay Reno. Of course with a name like that, Vince would have tried forcing some cheesy gimmick of a pimp or gambler of some kind. Possibly a male prostitute or porn star ala Val Venis.

Perhaps one possibility for hte name changes is if they want to see how a crowd reacts and how a wrestler can try and get over even if saddled with more difficult name to handle. It could be a way of testing how well they can connect to the audience if they don't have such an easy/nicknamable name to go by. In today's world of over scripted segments, this could be one of the few ways the true star value of a potential personality can be shown. If you can get over with Michael McGillicutty, then you can get over with ANYTHING and are therefore someone to put some long term invested effort into. But if you can't do it with that, then you might have to work a few other changes to try and make that connection.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

i think they change them due to copyright and the fact wwe wants to make them their own star which is fair really but it annoys me the bland generic names they are actually giving stars these days gone are cool character names like the rock,stone cold and the undertaker now we have guys either using their real name or a wwe modified version of there real name or somthing just random the names just arnt memorable. quite often il look on here to see a thread about someone in wwe and think to myself who the hell is that?

 

[rasslin]

I don't mind the name changes, I get why they do it despite thinking it sucks.. but they pick the worst fucking names.

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are terrible names. They sound like reject characters from a soap opera. John Cahill and Eric Philbin are just as bad. Eric Philbin sounds more like a school teacher than a wrestler. Curtis Axel is a horrible name.. and Joe Hennig sounds good.. so why not go with it. Its like they want people to hate these names.

 

[tvcolosi]

The problem isn't that they change their names, I think everyone (well most people) understand why they do that. The problem is that the names they come up with are often so dreadful.

Seriously, John Cahill and Eric Philbin.

"The American Pitbulls" isn't even bad, I can live with that, but Cahill and Philbin?

Michael McGillicutty.

Kasius Ohno.

and so on.

I think people get a little too bent out of shape when people refer to wrestlers as their old names. If you watch somebody as a certain character for several years, you are naturally going to think of that person when you see them. Think of people you've seen on other TV shows playing a particular role for a long time, if I see David Schwimmer in something, I automatically think "hey it's Ross'. In fact that proved a big problem for me in Band of Brothers because I was always thinking but that's Ross. Whenever I see Idris Elba on a show or movie my immediate thoughts are "there's Stringer", because that's what I identify him as.

Many people don't refer to TV actors by name but rather by the character they played for a long time.

That makes sense, but in the interest of fairness I watched the trailer to Heros shoot interview, and he mentions he came up with Kassius Ohno.

 

[GeneralKarim]

All names in my book need to be something that the fans would want to chant and that is easy to chant aswell.

Look at Christian , the dude was pretty over in general with the crowd and he got backed up by them, but I very rarely heard "LETS GO CHRISTIAN!", its too damn long and has no flow to it.Daniel Bryan is a generic name but it has some flow to it at least when u chant it.

Same with John Cena, Same with Triple H.Same same with Shawn Michales the dude is HBK and people chant that, they would never chant LETS GO MICHAELS! or w/e.

They are not thinking about the future when they are giving names.What if the guy gets over?How are people supposed to cheer for him if his name is a tongue twister or just has 0 flow to it. Even Randy sounds decent chanted and he gets RKO chants sometimes.

They brought up Xavier Woods ( while the name doesnt sound so awful ).Its just awful to chant. Xavier is chanted like "Xa-vi-er Xa-vi-er" which sounds horrible and Woods..are people gonna star sounding like owls" " woodswoodswodosowdosdosodsodso", yea no..

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't really like seeing the indie workers get renamed in the WWE, but I understand why they do it. It means WWE can trademark their new name and if the wrestler is released by WWE, they can use their original name back on the indie circuit, like Chris Hero is doing now and many others have done.

It just annoys me when the names they give to these new wrestlers are so dull and boring. They just sound like regular guys on the street, at least put some effort into coming up with a cool sounding name that stands out. It's really frustrating that so many of the young talents get mind-knumbingly dull names like Eric Philbin, Adrian Neville and John Cahill. There are a few good names in NXT, I do like Leo Kruger, Corey Graves but alot of them absolutely suck.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

It's not about renaming them as much as it is for how stupid the new names are. Back in the day, names used to be catchy or at least fitting the persona of the corresponding wrestler.

Kane - obviously a throwback to Cain (Cain and Abel). It's great! It's thoughtful! Kane debuted as Undertaker's brother. Cain and Abel are brothers. You know the story. IT'S THOUGHTFUL! And it's cool.

Chris Jericho - his WCW name but still, the surname Jericho is just cool.

Jeff & Matt Hardy - they never renamed these guys, that's their name. It turned into The Hardy Boyz and it's a fine name on its own.

Even something like the damn Brooklyn Brawler is infinitely cooler than "Kassius Ohno". Wrestlers are given random, accountant-esque names. There is ZERO thought put into the MEANING of the name. It's just meant to sound "cool" and unique enough so WWE can copyright it, and if you can switch a letter (C with a K or some shit) then BAM - perfect. WWE still thinks this crap is kool. We did it when we were 13, we're not anymore.

I'm fine with them renaming people. Do what you have to do. But for the love of GOD give them cool names. THINK about it for a second. Where has WWE's passion gone?!

 

[AnthonyM4]

Well as an indy fan I get angry with wwe for changing wrestlers names because I want the wrestlers to continue their career with the name that got them over with us fans. As a fan of Bryan Danielson I was hoping he could be the American Dragon in wwe and taken seriously. The American Dragon Bryan Danielson is marketable and it would have been nice to see it on a grander stage. What makes it worse is that the reason they change it is because they are petty.

As for second generation wrestlers, it's stupid how they acknowledge that they are related to someone, but have them use a different last name. Joe Henning says he is the son of Curt Henning on tv, but then they have him go by his last name. They cater to casual fans so even they would think that's stupid. And once again wwe just likes to change the name out of pettiness. Vince McMahon is like a little kid, but that's what happens when people get old. They start to become immature again.

 

[MCMG]

There could be an element of them wanting total control. For example, Daniel Bryan went by his real name: Bryan Danielson in Ring of Honour. Now, the WWE don't own any of that footage and they, perhaps, don't want people knowing of his previous work. Of course, until there is a DVD to sell. I think there is also the issue with trademarks but, again, I'm not sure.

I'm not really sure but that could be a reason. I don't see a problem with them renaming superstars and it has happened for generations not just to indy wrestlers. The WWE want to own these superstars and give them their own WWE identity. Moreover, we don't see as many names such as The Rock, Edge, Earthquake, Typhoon, Junkyard Dog, Skinner that are in-ring names. Guys who have debut recently have generally been given a first and a second name. Obviously, a few exceptions but they seem to be giving wrestlers more real sounding names.

 

[#heel420]

It happens more often than not. I really wanna know the dealings behind CM Punk keeping his indy name because that just doesn't happen anymore.

Claudio Castignoli-> Antonio Cesaro
Colt Cabana-> Scotty Goldman
Bryan Danielson-> Daniel Bryan
Chris Harris-> Braden Walker
Low-Ki-> Kaval
Antonio Bank$-> MVP

It's just a matter of WWE wanting to own the name they're investing in and the independent wrestler not wanting to sign over the rights to the name they were using on the indy's. If the independent wrestler signed the name over and finds himself future endeavored he's shit out of luck.

 

[Blade]

People tend to forget that these people are actors, and play a special role in their company. And when it's time for that actor to move on, so should we. It saddens me to think anyone is still caught up with a wrestler's name (of all things) because WWE changed it. No other career in drama has it's fanbase bitch and moan that "Hannibal Lecter" is playing "Odin" in this role now; chalk it up to people not knowing how to let things go.

This is pretty much spot on.

A few decades ago, wrestlers would be repackaged and renamed in every new territory they went to. Look at the Wikipedia pages of guys like Undertaker, Kane and Jericho. A lot of guys who worked on territories in the 80's and 90's had their names changed regularly, and then had their names changed again when they came to WWE. There are exceptions, but it's nothing new, and it's going to keep happening.