WWE’s changed plenty of Superstar names in the past, but over recent weeks there have been a number of name changes to NXT call-ups on both Raw and SmackDown, bringing the topic back into the spotlight. Stars like Walter (now Gunther), Raquel Gonzalez (now Raquel Rodriguez), and more have had name changes in recent weeks, and Dave Meltzer provided some insight as to the reason why. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reason behind the changes is a memo from Vince McMahon that ” decreed he doesn’t want anyone new using their real names anymore, nor names they’ve used before on the indie scene.”
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If that is indeed the reason, it makes sense, as Gunther’s real name is Walter and is the name he used on the independent circuit prior to coming to WWE. The same goes for other recent name changes like Ludwig Kaiser, which is Marcel Barthel’s new name as he also used his real name in the independents.
Likewise, Pete Dunne is now Butch, and Raquel Gonzalez got to keep her first name but is now Raquel Rodriguez. Raul Mendoza is now Cruz Del Toro, and as for Austin Theory, he is now Theory, but his name change had nothing to do with Stone Cold Steve Austin as some had theorized.
WWE has since filed trademarks this week for those new names, including Kaiser and Rodriguez, and odds are there will be a few more name changes or tweaks made to superstars before the year is out. WWE also did this with some incoming NXT stars like Bron Breakker (Bronson Rechsteiner), Roxanne Perez (Rok-C), and Boogs (Eric Bugenhagen).
Now, in certain cases that will mandate will probably be ignored, like in Cody Rhodes’ case, as they brought him over complete with his American Nightmare persona from AEW. If any other stars jump over down the line from AEW, they might receive the same treatment, but in those cases they probably aren’t going through the NXT system and are just jumping onto Raw or SmackDown. Free Agents might be the only way this whole thing is ignored, but guess we’ll have to wait and see how all that plays out.
H/T WrestlingNews.co
