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What's in a name? In professional wrestling, it's everything. For years, pro wrestlers have built their whole careers on a set of letters or alphabets that make all the difference.
In WWE, very few got to keep their ring name, primarily if they built their entire careers there. There are exceptions to the rule, but intellectual property is always at the center of the WWE Business Model in the current era.
Some WWE Superstars changed their name to sound like their wrestling names
A clear example of this was The Ultimate Warrior, who didn't own the rights to his WWE name and had to change his real name to Warrior legally. Another WWE Champion who followed a similar path was Stone Cold Steve Austin, who legally changed his name to Steve Austin.
Others seem to navigate this name change, especially with a move to Hollywood like The Rock or John Cena. Cena got lucky that he got to use his real name all the way through. With that said, wrestling fans live in a world where they have multiple options to watch professional wrestling from Impact Wrestling, NJPW, ROH, MLW, AEW, and WWE.
With several former WWE Superstars in AEW, they now go by a different avatar or a variation of their original name. Here five AEW Stars who don't own their WWE name and two who do.
#7 Pac a.k.a Neville (Doesn't own)
It should be noted that Pac was already well known on the independent circuit for several years in places like PWG and DragonGate before he got to WWE. Of course, his tenure in NXT put him on the map. Renamed Adrian Neville, Pac would go down to become a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion as well as an NXT Champion.
He was eventually called up to the WWE main roster. Ironically, his most showcased feud came with Cody Rhodes, a.k.a Stardust. The feud was akin to comic book heroes and villains and would even add Arrow actor Stephen Amell.
Neville would eventually become WWE Cruiserweight Champion, but he left WWE as he was unhappy with the booking. Pac eventually reverted to his original ring name and signed with AEW. While he's currently not competing on AEW Dynamite due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his presence still looms as he seeks to cement his spot when things go back to normal.
#6 Dustin Rhodes a.k.a Goldust (Doesn't own)
Dustin Rhodes is probably enjoying a career resurgence few expected. At 51 years, he's still showing he can work with the best in the ring. His match with Cody Rhodes at Double or Nothing in 2019 was one of the best pro wrestling matches of the year and possibly exceeded anything he did in his WWE career.
That's not taking anything away from the Goldust character he portrayed for several years in WWE. Goldust was a 3-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE World Tag Team Champion, and a 9-time WWE Hardcore Champion. Moreover, it was to Rhodes' credit that he could evolve his character from a bizarre androgynous individual to a quirky weirdo that was palpable to modern audiences.
When Goldust left WWE, he said goodbye to the Goldust characted and embraced the Dustin Rhodes name, which started his career in WCW. He does own the rights to that name. AEW will most likely be where Rhodes ends his in-ring wrestling career and helps the young stars of AEW move forward as a coach.
#5 Billy Gunn (Doesn't Own -- Sort of)
If there is one man who considered one of his generation's better talents, it is Billy Gunn. The WWE Hall of Famer was part of the most successful tag teams during the Attitude Era. Alongside Road Dogg Jesse James as The New Age Outlaws, Billy Gunn won the WWE World Tag Team Titles five times.
He was a 11-Time WWE Tag Team Champion, a 1-Time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a 2-Time WWE Hardcore Champion. His time with DX was also well served, though he did say that the group became better after he and Road Dogg joined. He said:
"But, I think, when Shawn (Michaels) went away... DX did not get good until me and Brian (Road Dogg) got on there, till we were in it. Now you have five people and it's a whole different dynamic. Now you have everybody and anybody who could do everything and anything. And everybody played their part so good, and as a unit we were unstoppable."
Since coming to AEW, Billy Gunn has been both an in-ring performer and a backstage coach helping the younger talents. He's in a tag team with his real-life son, Austin Gunn, as The Gunn Club.
With that said, there's a little confusion over the use of his WWE name. Initially, when Billy Gunn first performed on AEW Dynamite, it was under his Billy Gunn. It was thought that it was because he owned the rights to the name. On a recent episode of AEW Dynamite, he was being billed as Billy.
Dave Meltzer noted that he couldn't use the 'Gunn' part of the name as WWE lawyers got on him. On the other hand, WrestlingNews.co reported that Billy Gunn does seem to have the rights for merchandising purposes, but not as an in-ring performer.
In short, it seems that AEW fans will be seeing 'Billy' for a while, but that might change over time.
#4 Matt Hardy (Does Own)
If there was something of a renaissance man in professional wrestling, it is Matt Hardy. The man who was known for his work in one of the greatest WWE Tag Teams, The Hardy Boyz, is genuinely having his life in AEW. His willingness to explore new boundaries and evolve his wrestling persona has had an impact on the business.
Matt Hardy is one of the lucky few wrestlers who have used his real name in WWE, though it is actually Matthew Moore Hardy. He's an 11-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 1-time WWE United States Champion, 1-time WWE European Champion, 1-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 1-time WWE Hardcore Champion as well as ECW Champion.
In fact, his most significant contribution to the pro wrestling industry was the advent of the Cinematic match with the creation of the Final Deletion match during his time in TNA/Impact Wrestling. It was something that WWE used to significant effect in The BoneYard Match at WrestleMania.
While Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy did return to WWE back in 2017 at WrestleMania 33, the expectations were quite high. In particular because Matt Hardy had enshrined in the minds of pro wrestling fans, the persona of Broken Matt Hardy. With that said, WWE never actually took advantage of it, except for a Final Deletion match with Bray Wyatt.
In AEW, Matt Hardy is trying to do something different with the "Multifarious" Matt Hardy. He said:
I've been thrilled with my experience in AEW. I honestly can't say enough good things about it. I wanted to pick up where we should've left off with "Broken" Matt Hardy and I did a little story segueing into that, which is Free The Delete, which is on my YouTube channel. That talked about how there is a new version of Matt Hardy coming to AEW. Once I started, from the jump, my plan was to do different versions of my personas throughout time, as the "Multifarious" Matt Hardy. Ultimately my goal is to lead that into something new, something to put that together into one entity, and have that be the next persona I really want to get over and run with.
It remains to be seen where his AEW career will go. There is also a possibility of a Hardy Boyz in AEW down the line with a dream feud with The Young Bucks. In today's pro wrestling landscape, anything is possible.
#3 Jon Moxley a.k.a Dean Ambrose (Doesn't Own)
Jon Moxley's debut in AEW was probably what set the world on fire. For weeks, it was speculated where Dean Ambrose would go after his WWE contract expired. At AEW Double or Nothing in 2019, the former WWE Champion made his debut by attacking Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho and creating one of the year's most significant impacts.
Months later, he figured into the AEW World Championship scene with a long-drawn-out feud with Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle. The feud was the true epitome of a babyface overcoming the odds against a dastardly heel and his brutal stable. After winning the AEW Championship at AEW Revolution, Moxley cut a passionate, unscripted promo that spoke of his love for the fans.
As Dean Ambrose, it wasn't the same. While he was part of The Shield and won multiple WWE Championships, Moxley just felt that WWE didn't get his character right. He thought that the scripted promos didn't help, and his booking was not good. He did appreciate his time with the company, but he has inferred that Ambrose is a WWE creation while Moxley is his real face.
Jon Moxley was the name he was using when he first started wrestling, and in 2020, he filed trademarks for the name. It seems that Moxley will be seen for some time to come.
#2 Chris Jericho (Does Own)
Chris Jericho has always been Chris Jericho. He has kept the name throughout most of his wrestling career and has had the privilege of wrestling for WCW, ECW, WWE, and AEW under that name. He used the name in films with his most recent outing in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
As a performer, Chris Jericho has been able to showcase his skills, and at age 49, he is still showing that he is one of the best in the business. His reasons for leaving WWE are quite well known, and a career resurgence in AEW is also a testament to his creative instincts.
Chris Jericho, as AEW Champion, was a piece of good booking by Tony Khan. Having the right heel will set the stage for the babyface who would take the title away from him, and Jericho was more than up to the task. Jericho was also able to get his first stable with The Inner Circle.
Jericho has not hinted when his time in the ring will be up, but his recent match with Orange Cassidy insinuates that won't be anytime soon.
#1 Cody Rhodes (Doesn't Own)
Cody, Cody, Cody. It's a name that many fans years ago didn't think they would be chanting. Many in the WWE Universe knew that Cody Rhodes was the son of a pro wrestling legend and the brother of Goldust.
It's not that he didn't make his mark in WWE as he won multiple WWE titles. In WWE, Cody was a 6-time WWE World Tag Team Champion and a 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion. But it seemed that he never could break that ceiling on entering the main event picture or even a shot at a WWE Championship. It always seemed a little too far for him.
Eventually, Cody left WWE and embarked on this trip through independent wrestling, which he had never really been exposed to. His travels took him through TNA/Impact Wrestling, ROH, and NJPW. It was here that he befriended The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and SCU.
In 2018, he and The Young Bucks created the All In Pay-Per-View, which sold out in an hour when tickets were released. It was unheard of any promotion outside of WWE doing that kind of business, but it was true. It also hinted that fans were looking for something other than WWE, which led Tony Khan to recruit Cody and The Young Bucks to form AEW.
The promotion has been built via social media and the goodwill of fans who were looking for something more. Since then, Cody has been catapulted to the limelight as this unsung hero who was following his father's path and trying to blaze his own way in the world of professional wrestling.
Now, with regards to the Rhodes name, that has been a conundrum in itself. It should be noted that Cody has never used 'Cody Rhodes' in AEW. This is because WWE owns the trademark.
Back in April, it was understood that the trademark had expired, and Cody filed for it right away. Unfortunately, WWE re-filed for the trademark in May, thus not giving him the right to use the name in AEW. Cody's reaction on Twitter to the news tells a story.
Cody is the current AEW TNT Champion, and he's making the most of it. Cody has trademarked the American Nightmare Logo, and the fact that the logo is tattooed on his neck, fans are more likely to see more of that in the years to come.
