'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The final episode of WWE RAW before Clash of Champions 2020 largely revolved around RETRIBUTION.
After several weeks of attacks and mysterious promos, the following five Superstars were revealed as members of the faction on RAW: Dominik Dijakovic, Dio Maddin, Shane Thorne, Mercedes Martinez, and Mia Yim.
All five Superstars have previously appeared on WWE television under those names, but WWE’s decision-makers have opted to give their characters a refresh after they were confirmed as RETRIBUTION members.
Dijakovic, Maddin and Thorne will now be known as T-BAR, Mace and Slapjack, respectively. Martinez has been renamed Retaliation, while Yim is now known as Reckoning.
Needless to say, the drastic name changes definitely caught the attention of the WWE Universe. T-BAR and Mace came in for a lot of criticism after WWE RAW, but the name Slapjack is the one that really got people talking.
The good news for Slapjack is that he is not the first person to receive a questionable WWE ring name, and he certainly will not be the last.
In this article, let’s take a look at 11 WWE names that were even more ridiculous than Slapjack.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.
#11 Michael McGillicutty (later known as WWE Superstar Curtis Axel)
Curtis Axel performed as Michael McGillicutty in WWE before he was repackaged as one of Paul Heyman’s clients in 2013.
Speaking to The Carroll County Times during his reign as Intercontinental Champion, Axel revealed that WWE originally wanted him to do his own thing and never pay homage to his father, WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Perfect, or any other members of his family.
This is why he debuted under the name Michael McGillicutty in 2010.
#10 Kerwin White (aka former WWE Superstar Chavo Guerrero)
In July 2005, Chavo Guerrero denounced his Mexican heritage and became known as Kerwin White – a stereotypical Anglo-American white man who drove a golf cart to the ring.
Guerrero said on The World According to Wrestling podcast in 2017 that the idea was presented to him by Vince McMahon.
The WWE Chairman stopped him after a plane ride one day and simply said, “Hello, Kerwin.”
“So you’ve got two things: you can either say ‘no’ and get fired, or you can say, ‘Good, let’s embrace this character and let’s really do it.’ If it was up to anyone of us, we’d all be John Cena or Batista and destroying everybody and being the champ. But it’s not. It’s up to Vince McMahon and there can only be one champ.” [H/T 411mania]
WWE dropped the Kerwin White gimmick in November 2005 following the death of Chavo’s uncle, Eddie Guerrero.
#9 Dr. Isaac Yankem (later known as WWE Superstar Kane)
Thanks to his work as the Kane character from 1997 onwards, Glenn Jacobs is a guaranteed future WWE Hall of Famer.
Prior to his debut as The Undertaker’s storyline brother, Jacobs also performed in WWE as a Diesel impersonator and as an evil dentist named Dr. Isaac Yankem.
Fortunately, Jacobs struck gold with the Kane character and his days of trying out new WWE gimmicks were over following his successful debut as The Devil’s Favorite Demon.
#8 and #7 Reckoning and Retaliation (RETRIBUTION members)
Slapjack’s new WWE name is understandably getting a lot of attention right now, but what about the two female members of RETRIBUTION?
The names Reckoning (fka Mia Yim) and Retaliation (fka Mercedes Martinez) are way too similar to each other, and they are not all that different from the name of the group.
At least Slapjack, T-BAR and Mace have quirky names that are almost so bad they are good. The same cannot be said for Yim and Martinez’s new names.
#6 Puke (later known as Droz in WWE)
In a famous scene from the 1999 Beyond the Mat wrestling documentary, new WWE recruit Darren Drozdov was ordered to vomit into a trash can by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Drozdov, who claimed he could regurgitate on command, was originally known as Puke after he joined forces with Legion of Doom members Hawk and Animal in 1998.
The name Puke did not stick around for long, thankfully, and Drozdov later became known as Droz in WWE.
#5 Sweet T (aka WWE NXT head trainer Matt Bloom)
Current WWE NXT head trainer Matt Bloom returned to WWE as an in-ring competitor in 2012 after an eight-year absence.
Bloom, who previously performed in WWE as Albert and A-Train, initially received a huge push after being repacked as the Lord Tensai character.
Unfortunately for Bloom, the push did not last for long. Within one year, he formed the Tons of Funk comedy tag team with Brodus Clay and his name had been changed to Sweet T.
#4 Thurman “Sparky” Plugg (later known as WWE Superstar Bob Holly)
The majority of WWE fans probably remember Bob Holly as the no-nonsense Hardcore Holly character that he portrayed for most of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era.
However, back in 1994, Holly debuted in WWE with a race car driver gimmick and with the name Thurman “Sparky” Plugg.
As is the case with many of the people in this list, Holly’s bizarre name only lasted for a few months. He was renamed Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly, which was later changed to Hardcore Holly.
#3 The Viking Experience (later known as The Viking Raiders)
If Shane Thorne thought the feedback to his Slapjack name was bad, he can take comfort in the fact that the social media reaction to The Viking Raiders’ name change was a lot worse.
In WWE NXT, The War Raiders’ Hanson and Rowe seemed to have names and a gimmick that could work on RAW and/or SmackDown, but WWE’s higher-ups obviously had different ideas.
Hanson became known as Ivar on WWE’s main roster, while Rowe’s name was changed to Erik. WWE also briefly altered the name of the tag team to The Viking Experience before changing it to The Viking Raiders.
#2 Meat (later known as WWE Superstar Shawn Stasiak)
In 1999, Shawn Stasiak used the unflattering name Meat in 23 matches on WWE television.
Speaking to WWE’s website in 2013, Stasiak reflected on his wrestling career and admitted that he was not fond of the ridiculous gimmick name that he was told to use.
“I wasn’t too happy about it, to be honest with you. Then I looked at it like, ‘Look, it’s your foot in the door. It will be a start and things will change. You’re here, so just run with it.’”
#1 Shorty G (aka WWE Superstar Chad Gable)
Chad Gable was renamed Shorty G in 2019 after WWE Superstars including Baron Corbin and Shelton Benjamin repeatedly made fun of his height.
Gable’s character initially embraced the name change because he wanted to show WWE’s fans that there is no limit to what people can achieve, regardless of how tall they are.
Now, one year on, Gable still refers to himself as Shorty G.
On the topic of WWE names, check out the video above to find out five WWE Superstars who turned down hilarious names.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
