More WWE Name Changes Revealed in New Trademark Filings
Yesterday a new report revealed the supposed reason for all the name changes in WWE recently, and now it seems we are getting a few more to add to the growing list. Recently WWE has changed names for Superstars like Austin Theory (now Theory), Pete Dunne (now Butch), Walter (now Gunther), and more, but they've also filed to trademark four more names (via WrestlingNews.co). Two of them we already knew in Cruz Del Toro (formerly Raul Mendoza) and Roxanne Perez (formerly Rok-C), the latter of which made her NXT debut last night on Level Up. The two new names are Alba Fyre and Katana Chance.
There are some theories for who Katana Chance is, with one theory pointing towards Io Shirai. Shirai was already going by that name before she arrived in NXT, and so in keeping with Vince McMahon's mandate on not using names previously used on the independent scene, this could be an indicator that she is headed to Raw or SmackDown soon and thus needs a new name.
The other theory is in regards to Kay Lee Ray, another name from NXT that could be making her way to Raw or SmackDown soon. While her name doesn't necessarily need to be changed, it is a variation of her real name Kayleigh Rae, which might be too close for WWE's liking.
As for Alba Fyre, that one is a bit of a mystery, but we did see that LA Knight could be making his way to SmackDown as a manager of the new and improved Mace courtesy of a dark match before last night's SmackDown. LA Knight was a name he received in NXT during his second stint with the company, so it would be odd if they changed it again (he initially went by Slate Randall during his first run).
So is this the new name for Mace? If WWE truly wants to get rid of any connection to Retribution, perhaps they give him a new name to go with his new look (both were looking dapper in suit jackets during that segment), and Alba Fyre is certainly much different than Mace.
We'll have to wait and see obviously, but we should find out pretty soon, as debuts are happening left and right these days on both Raw and SmackDown. Recently Gunther (formerly Walter), Ludwig Kaiser (formerly Marcel Barthel), and Raquel Rodriguez (formerly Raquel Gonzalez) all had name changes, and before them, Pete Dunne was changed to Butch, though he also received a completely new character.
Who do you think the new names are for? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!