The elder McMahon shortened the names of wrestlers to single names a while back. It was not the most well-received change as fans felt like it made some wrestler names sound a bit off. But, now that Vince is gone, this is one of the first orders of business for Triple H. Triple H should know something about shortening names. His former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, sounds cool but commentators would call him Hunter and Helmsley. Then again, most will know him by his more popular monicker, Triple H or The Game. In line with this, wrestlers like Theory will now start using his full name, Austin Theory, as well as Matt Riddle, who was formerly known simply as Riddle.
Which wrestlers will change their WWE names?
Insiders believe that with Triple H as Head of Creatives, other athletes may soon follow the lead of Austin Theory and Matt Riddle. Angel Garza can use his full name instead of going by Angel. Butch is also being mentioned as an athlete that will revert to his ring name Pete Dunne when he splits and starts a feud with Sheamus and Ridge Holland. Ciampa can now use his original ring name Tommaso Ciampa, which was shortened when he became a part of Monday Night Raw. Insiders predict that Ciampa will go by his full name when he starts his feud with The Miz. Shotzi can revert to a cooler-sounding Shotzi Blackheart. Shotzi is a unique and easy-to-remember name but adding the surname Blackheart just sounds so much better. One name that should also be changed is Duodrop. Her original ring name Piper Niven has a better ring to it than her current name.
Adding nicknames
In the early years of the WWF and WWE, wrestlers often added monikers to their names to give them more attitude or flair. Hulk Hogan added Hollywood to his name when his character turned heel and joined the New World Order. Some of the more popular wrestlers that added nicknames are “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Ric Flair also went by the nickname “The Nature Boy” (and still does) while Shawn Michaels had the moniker “The Heartbreak Kid”. Changes continue to happen in the WWE in the wake of Vince McMahon’s departure. We recently reported that the WWE spurned the idea of returning to the TV-14 rating to provide more mature content to viewers. Some wrestlers that were let go by the promotion have also been reinstated. Let us see what other changes are in store for the WWE with Triple H directing the show.
