Can You Remember These Wrestlers' First Ring Names?
- by Joey Haverford
- – on
- in Sports
A wrestler's journey to find success is typically a long one, with various ups and downs along the way. Most wrestlers will have to go through many changes before they can find the path to their ideal destination.
One of the things that wrestlers will have to experiment with is the right name and character. It will often take a few tries before settling on the right name and persona to make it in the WWE or another major wrestling company. The wrestlers who have achieved success in the past and present day most likely started off with other names before making a change.
With this quiz, we will test your knowledge of wrestling history when it comes to the names used by various wrestling stars. All these wrestlers ended up having legacies with the name they currently have or the one they ended their career with. However, diehard fans will remember the name they were first known as before making a positive change. We will rate your memory of professional wrestling; find out how much of a fan you are by seeing if you know the names these wrestlers started with!
Steve Austin
The WWE career of Steve Austin made him among the all-time great performers in wrestling history. Austin developed the “Stone Cold” moniker and changed the landscape of WWE. Before this incredible run, Austin was working under another name in WWE. This name was selected to start his WWE career with another character being managed by Ted DiBiase. Austin has gone on the record many times about how much he hated the name. Do you remember which name Austin used to start his WWE career?
Goldust
Goldust has been a character in WWE on and off for over two decades now. We have seen him come and return many times. Goldust currently has a spot on the WWE roster as one of the veterans. A recent tag team match with Mandy Rose in the Mixed Match Challenge showed he still has something to contribute. The peak of Goldust came in the early stages of the Attitude Era when his character pushed the envelope. Can you remember the name Goldust used in WCW before making the jump to WWE?
Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is a unique performer with a mysterious character that helped him stand out. The career of Wyatt took a few turns before reaching to this character. Wyatt signed with WWE at a young and had to fail a few times before striking gold with the change. His former name was associated with failure as he was called up before he was ready to succeed. The character and name change saved his career in dramatic fashion. What is the name Wyatt used early on in WWE?
JBL
The retired JBL still serves as a part-time broadcaster for WWE. A long career in WWE saw his name change when becoming the JBL character. It gave him a huge push as a top heel on Smackdown to win the WWE Championship out of the blue. JBL’s main event run changed his future from a potential Hall of Famer to a guaranteed inductee in the near future. Can you remember what name JBL went by in the Attitude Era as a mid-carder?
Mick Foley
Mick Foley had a tremendous career in WWE. It was a bold signing by WWE since Foley struggled to find success in WCW a few years prior. Jim Ross convinced Vince McMahon to sign Foley and it led to another main event superstar being born. Foley played a variety of different personas during his WWE career, but one started it all in WCW. Which was the WCW name used by Foley before he signed with WWE to become a legend?
Sami Zayn
The talent of Sami Zayn has seen him become one of the top in-ring performers in WWE today. Zayn had a tremendous run in NXT to help the brand grow into a credible promotion. A call-up to the main roster has seen him in the mid-card picture until recently joining Kevin Owens for the upper card act. Zayn has high hopes of becoming a future world champion during his time in WWE. Before signing, he portrayed a memorable masked character in other promotions. What is the name of Zayn’s former persona?
Drake Maverick
Drake Maverick recently debuted for WWE as the General Manager of 205 Live. The role of Maverick will see him serve as the on-air character running 205 Live as the show for cruiserweight wrestlers goes through a transition period. Maverick has a great deal of charisma that makes him perfect for the job. The past work of Drake saw him wrestle under another name in TNA and other promotions all over the world. What name did Maverick first wrestle under before signing with WWE?
EC3
Another recent signee by WWE following a successful TNA career is EC3. The name Ethan Carter III was created in TNA when he signed after leaving WWE many years ago. EC3 proved he was a capable talent and made a name outside of WWE. It was impressive enough for WWE to come back calling and bring him in for a run in NXT. WWE even allowed him to keep the EC3 name. What was the former WWE name of EC3 before he was fired during his first stint?
The Rock
Most fans would have laughed at the idea of The Rock blossoming into the biggest star wrestling has ever seen. His WWE career started under a different with a stale character. WWE wanted fans to embrace him, but the audience responded by booing him out of the building every week. Once he transitioned into The Rock, it was a huge path moving up to the main event picture. Do you know which name Rock started off with during his rough early days in WWE?
Triple H
The legendary Triple H has become one of the most memorable wrestlers for casual fans and diehard fans alike. Triple H moved up the pecking order in WWE during the 90s before becoming a main event star in the 2000s. The 90s run saw him wrestler under a different name until the change to Triple H occurred. WWE felt the Triple H name was the better route and stopped mentioning what it originally stood for. What was Triple H’s original name in WWE?
Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler has been a consistent mid-carder in WWE over the past decade. The in-ring work of Ziggler made fans have high hopes of him moving up the card much like Shawn Michaels’ career trajectory. Ziggler had a couple of short World Championship reigns but remained in a secondary role. However, it was still a successful run considering his first WWE character was one that could have ended his career earlier. What was the name Ziggler used as a member of the embarrassing Spirit Squad?
John Morrison
The WWE career of John Morrison ended a few years ago, but he is still relevant in the wrestling business. He has adopted various names in different promotions like Johnny Mundo and Johnny Impact playing off the John moniker. Before he was named John Morrison in WWE, had a different name during the early portion of his WWE career. The Morrison name was done to revamp his persona and give him a bigger singles push. What was the first name of Morrison in WWE?
Batista
Batista is currently thriving in Hollywood after a successful WWE career. The run of Batista saw him work in the main event picture for many years winning both world titles multiple times. Batista became a star within a few years after entering the wrestling business late. WWE placing him in the Evolution faction helped him progress to the main event picture quickly. A prior character with a different name found less success during the early portion of his career. Which name did Batista use early in his career?
Umaga
Umaga became a successful character for WWE thanks to a huge push. The undefeated streak of Umaga allowed him to get established as a dominant monster. Umaga was over enough to face John Cena in a classic match at the second biggest PPV of the year, Royal Rumble. The wrestler to portray Umaga wrestled for years before getting this character. His biggest success in WWE before becoming Umaga took place in a tag team. Can you remember which name was used by Umaga?
Roman Reigns
WWE has made Roman Reigns the face of the company for the foreseeable future. Regardless of how you feel about Reigns, there’s no debating that he will be the man to lead WWE over the next few years. Reigns was pushed to the moon right away. WWE wanted him to be the breakout star of The Shield from day one and transitioned him into the top guy after they split up. Roman went under one name in NXT before getting the name we all know now. What was his first name in WWE?
Finn Balor
Finn Balor has transitioned into a fixture on the Raw roster since getting called up from NXT. The run in NXT is what cemented him as a top asset for WWE. Balor’s “Demon” character is something he saves for big shows and helps get him to the next level. The body paint has been used by Balor long before joining WWE. Finn proved to be a top star wrestling all over the world to get on WWE’s radar. Which of the following choices was the name used by Balor before signing with WWE?
Luke Gallows
The Balor Club is in full effect again Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson aligning with Finn Balor. Gallows had a prior run in WWE many years ago that failed to find success. It was a surprise when WWE signed the team of Gallows and Anderson considering Gallows struggled so immensely in the past. In fairness to him, his prior character was a horrible idea that few would have been able to make work. What was the name Gallows used earlier in his WWE career?
Adam Rose
Adam Rose is a failed story of a popular NXT act being able to make it work on a bigger stage. The party rocker gimmick of Rose didn’t have the similar charm with a large crowd sitting in silence compared to a couple of hundred people singing and dancing along. Rose developed this character in NXT, but he also had another name and gimmick. This was a darker character for him. What was the name he used in NXT before finding success as Adam Rose?
R-Truth
The current role of R-Truth for WWE is to be a locker room veteran. Every company needs a few experienced guys to pass along advice and words of wisdom to the younger talent. R-Truth has been a fixture in WWE for most of the past decade. Vince McMahon viewed him as one of is favorite performers in the company due to his work ethic. R-Truth did have a prior stint in WWE during the Attitude Era with another name. What did he go by during the early portion of his career?
Ryback
Ryback is someone that had the opportunity to become a huge star for WWE, but he fizzled out before reaching his goal. Despite never fulfilling his potential or living up to the hype, Ryback did find success as a mid-carder for most of his WWE career. Before adopting the Ryback name and persona, he had a different identity as part of the Nexus. This early portion of his career is often forgotten. Can you remember the name Ryback went by in the early stages of his WWE career?
Curtis Axel
Curtis Axel has figured out an entertaining spot on the show for him as part of The Miz’s entourage. The long road of struggles for Axel in WWE saw him finally start getting consistent television time. Axel’s biggest success came when he won the Intercontinental Championship during a very short-lived push. Things were worse before he adopted the Axel name. WWE saddled with a less impressive name during the early portion of his career that held him back. Can you remember what it was?
X-Pac
An underrated WWE legend is D-Generation X’s X-Pac. We saw how much love the fans had for him at Raw 25 when he received a huge ovation at the Manhattan Center. X-Pac was considered an undersized wrestler at the time and found success by having exciting matches. There were a few different names for X-Pac before he adopted this name as an important member of DX. Can you remember the first one that WWE used in his first run with the company?
Big E
New Day has become one of the most popular established acts in WWE. It wasn’t too long ago that all three men were struggling to find roles on the show. Big E has even admitted that he was afraid of losing his job before joining New Day. The very strong performer was a former NXT Champion but failed to reach same success as a singles performer early on the main roster. There was also a name change during the transition period. What was the last name Big E used before the change?
Alundra Blayze
The WWE Hall of Fame induction of Alundra Blayze finally welcomed her back into the company after decades of being blackballed. Blayze was the only top women’s wrestler for WWE during the mid-90s before she made the decision to leave for WCW. Eric Bischoff convinced her to drop the WWE Women’s Championship in a trash can on Nitro. This is the reason WWE needed a long time before they finally forgave her. Blayze started her career with another name that she used in WCW. What was it?
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is considered the greatest manager in wrestling history by many experts. The work Heyman has done with Brock Lesnar is nothing short of remarkable since Lesnar barely says a word and has always been a top WWE star. Heyman managed other wrestlers in WCW during the early portion of his career before he made the move to run ECW. The real name started being used when he was known as the ECW promoter. What was the name used as a character in WCW?
Kevin Owens
The success of Kevin Owens in WWE has proved many of his doubters wrong. Owens was considered to never have the potential to thrive in WWE due to his look and wrestling style being different from what WWE usually wanted from wrestlers. However, Owens has been able to win almost every major title within just a few years in the company. The success of Kevin started long before WWE as he was the top independent wrestler on the market for many years. What name did Owens use before he joined WWE?
Al Snow
Al Snow is most remembered for his time in ECW when working under the name for the first time. WWE later brought him in to play the same character and he found success in the hardcore division. Snow had a few prior runs in WWE failing to make any progress in his career. One of the prior stints saw him playing a colorful character that fans just didn’t buy into. Can you remember which of the following names was used by Snow in WWE before he found success?
Justin Credible
Justin Credible was another talented ECW performer to find success in the 90s. ECW pushed Credible out of the blue and moved him into a main event slot. Credible did so well that WWE signed him right before ECW went out of business. It wasn’t the first run for Credible in WWE. He played a wacky character many years prior that failed to get any momentum. Can you figure out the name that Justin Credible used during the early portion of his career in WWE?
Rikishi
WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi left an impact on the fans of the Attitude Era. The big man always had fun dancing with Too Cool in some of the most entertaining segments. At his peak, Rikishi received among the biggest pops on the show during a time when only future legends were in the main event picture. It took a few tries before Rikishi found the right name and character to succeed in WWE. Do you remember the WWE name he first used?
The Hurricane
The Hurricane became one of the most endearing characters in WWE history. There’s a reason fans went wild when he made his surprise return at the 2018 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant in the men’s match. Hurricane played a silly superhero character that brought comedy and fun to the program. Any fan of the era will remember his shocking victory over The Rock on Raw. Hurricane had a normal name on the show before adopting the superhero moniker. What was his name?
Velveteen Dream
NXT is seeing The Velveteen Dream becoming one of their breakout stars. Velveteen Dream signed with WWE after impressing them in Tough Enough. After wrestling a few matches with his normal name, a huge change occurred when he developed this character. Velveteen Dream is now one of the most popular and unique performers in the company. The sky is the limit as he is currently just 22 years old. Can you remember the name he used before adopting this character?
Zelina Vega
Another recent NXT stand out performer is manager/wrestler Zelina Vega. WWE hired her to position her as the manager of Andrade Almas. Despite lacking the promo skills, Almas was one of the best overall performers in the promotion. Vega has made up for his one weakness and they are the hottest act in NXT. Almas would not have won the NXT Championship if not for Zelina getting him to the next level. Do you remember the name Vega used in TNA long before she signed with WWE?
The Godfather
WWE inducted The Godfather into the Hall of Fame a few years ago as a way to thank him for all the work he did for them. Godfather had a lot of range to work in various characters throughout his career. WWE asked him to go from a serious character to a comedic character and back many times. He found his greatest success as The Godfather during the Attitude Era. Can you remember which of the names below was the first one he used in WWE?
Raven
Raven is considered one of the most underrated wrestlers of the 90s by many wrestling historians. A successful main event run in ECW showed fans his potential as a great in-ring performer and captivating promo. Raven struggled to find similar success in WCW and WWE. In fact, he would get buried in WWE for often showing a bad attitude backstage. WWE hired him multiple times in the 90s with his first run coming at the beginning of the decade as a manager. What name did Raven use?
Xavier Woods
Quite a few current WWE stars made the jump after leaving TNA. The reputation of TNA was that they signed over the hill WWE wrestlers and let talented young performers leave. Xavier Woods was one of the latter as he worked for TNA in his early 20s. WWE saw his potential and signed him to a developmental contract. Woods used that opportunity to become a major star with New Day today. Can you remember the name that he used during his TNA career?