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WWE is a global phenomenon that provides entertainment to wrestling fans on a regular basis. As the leading pro wrestling company in the world, WWE houses the most talented wrestlers on the planet who are assigned to the RAW, SmackDown and NXT brands.
These superstars bring eyes to the product by portraying characters on TV that are handed to them by the creative team. As such, WWE retains ownership of their monikers, likenesses and catchphrases, which prevents wrestlers from using them in other promotions after their departure.
During an interview with Bloomberg Business of Sports, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon explained that the company owns the intellectual properties because it creates them. WWE can even pass on a wrestler's gimmick to another star, like they did with Diesel and Razor Ramon after they left for WCW in 1996.
Other stars, however, are fortunate that they can still use their current ring name outside WWE because it was assigned to them at birth and/or because they legally own it.
#10 Stars who can use their ring name outside WWE: MVP
MVP made his official WWE debut on SmackDown in 2006 as Montel Vontavious Porter. During his initial tenure in the company, he held the United States Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship.
Following his release in 2010, he went on to compete in other promotions such as NJPW and IMPACT Wrestling while still using the ring name MVP. WWE trademarked Montel Vontavious Porter but not the abbreviated name, which allowed him to continue performing as MVP.
#9 Stars who can't: Randy Orton
The Viper is one of the biggest stars in WWE right now. He's a household name and a main eventer in any company. Unfortunately for Randal Keith Orton, he wouldn't be able to wrestle under the ring name Randy Orton for any other wrestling promotion, since it is trademarked by WWE.
WWE would have to grant him permission to use the moniker in another company if he ever decided to leave, though it's unlikely that would ever happen. As long as Orton remains in WWE, he has nothing to worry about. It would be weird, though, to see him perform under any name other than Randy Orton.
#8 Stars who can use their ring name outside WWE: Bobby Lashley
Although Bobby Lashley isn't his actual name, the current WWE Champion has wrestled under that moniker in other companies outside WWE such as TNA, AAA and Bellator MMA. Born Franklin Roberto Lashley, the All Mighty has found success in every promotion he has competed in.
He has an impressive win-loss record of 15-2 in mixed martial arts. WWE tried several times to trademark the name Bobby Lashley, but the application was repeatedly abandoned. This means Bobby Lashley is free to continue performing under that name if he ever parts ways with WWE.
#7 Stars who can't: Becky Lynch
'The Man' Becky Lynch is a top star in WWE and one of the biggest female wrestlers in the entire industry. She has made history numerous times during her career, including becoming the first-ever SmackDown Women's Champion and being one of the first women to main event WrestleMania.
Becky Lynch spent most of her time in the lower midcard during her early years on the main roster. But after her popular "The Man" gimmick was born, she soared to greater heights. Lynch spoke about how she got her ring name during an old interview with Sports Illustrated:
"They wanted a name associated with my own name, like Rebecca," she said. "So I became Becky, and two of the names that came back to me were Becky Lynch and something like Madeleine. I was like, ‘I didn’t even submit that, I don’t know how it got in there.’ It made me think of that TV show Madeleine. Anyway, I said no to that, and the other name that came back was Robin Daly. I actually did like that, but I thought it would be better to have a part of my own name in there, so Becky Lynch it was."
It's hard to imagine that Becky Lynch would ever want to leave WWE, especially after the success she's had in the company. If, however, she decides to leave one day, she'll have to cease using the name Becky Lynch because it's owned by WWE.
#6 Stars who can use their ring name outside WWE: Shinsuke Nakamura
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura is fortunate that he can wrestle under that moniker wherever he goes. This is because WWE cannot trademark it as birth names are exempt from trademark laws.
Furthermore, Nakamura already performed in other companies under that moniker before he got to WWE. He was a major star in NJPW and received a big push during his early years with WWE, although he later fell down the card.
It wouldn't be shocking if he decided not to re-sign with WWE after his contract expires, and go back to NJPW.
#5 Stars who can't: Seth Rollins
During his time on the independent circuit, Seth Rollins was known by the ring name Tyler Black. He wrestled big names such as Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens on the indies before meeting with them on a major stage in WWE.
If Seth Rollins ever decides to follow in the path of his former partner Jon Moxley and leave WWE for another wrestling company, he too will have to change his ring name. He'd either have to change it back to Tyler Black or create a new one because his current name is owned by WWE.
#4 Stars who can use their ring name outside WWE: Goldberg
WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg is one of the greatest names to ever come out of World Championship Wrestling. Although he has held two world championship belts in WWE, he has never won the main title, which is the WWE Championship. In addition to pro wrestling, Goldberg has also starred in multiple films and appeared in various TV shows.
He also made appearances in UFC, all while using his real name. The WCW icon is still signed to WWE. He competed most recently at the Royal Rumble against Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, but was unsuccessful.
#3 Stars who can't: Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is a member of the Anoa'i family, making him a cousin to renowned WWE stars such as The Usos, The Rock and Umaga. He is also the son of Sika, who was a member of the Wild Samoans with his brother Afa.
Roman Reigns' ring name, which is owned by WWE, is pretty unique, and it suits him very well. During an interview, the Tribal Chief revealed how he got the moniker:
"I knew I wanted Roman," he said. "I liked Roman. I wanted Roman only and they were like, 'no, you need a last name'. And there's actually another guy in FCW by the name of Calvin Raines. He spelled it like 'rain', like a 'raindrop'. And they, I believe, released him and sorry, brother. He's a good man, a real nice brother. Sorry.
"Roman Raines sounded good to me, so they were like, 'alright, give me four or five different names' and they were like, 'okay, we'll go with like'… I was going through it and Corey Graves, he was down in FCW, still working at that time, he's actually one of my good buddies and our families are like really good friends," added Reigns. "He told me, he was like, 'hey, I heard you saying 'Roman Raines'. What if you spelled it like, 'reigns', like a king reigns.' And I was like, 'whoa, I like that.' And there you go. And total heel name too!"
Roman Reigns will undoubtedly stick with WWE until the very end. He is unquestionably a future WWE Hall of Famer.
#2 Stars who can use their ring name outside WWE: AJ Styles
Former WWE Champion AJ Styles is regarded by many fans as one of the best wrestlers in the business right now. The Phenomenal One made a name for himself in TNA, where he was frequently the company's biggest babyface. He also competed in NJPW where he held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and was the leader of the popular Bullet Club faction.
Styles made a shocking WWE debut at the Royal Rumble in 2016 and today he's one of the company's top stars. When a fan asked AJ Styles during a Twitch stream if he owns his moniker, he stated:
“I do, I do. That’s how I was able to carry AJ Styles from TNA to New Japan to Ring of Honor then to WWE. Now the question is does WWE own my name as long as I work for them? As long as I’ve signed a contract? Yes. That’s how it works. But when it’s over, when this contract is over, it goes back to me. It’s my name.”
If AJ Styles decided to part ways with WWE, he'd get to keep his name. However, the chances of that happening are very slim as he has said countless times that he'll end his career in WWE.
#1 Stars who can't: Sasha Banks
'The Boss' Sasha Banks has had a tremendous career in WWE. She is a multi-time women's champion and a WrestleMania main eventer. She also stars in The Mandalorian, where she plays Koska Reeves.
During her appearance on Broken Skull Sessions, Sasha Banks revealed how she got her WWE ring name:
"I remember my first week, they're like, 'give us a list of names.' And I just remember putting "Sasha" with a different last name and "Banks" with a different first name. And then I had a match the week after that and Sara Del Rey came into the locker room and like, 'you're Sasha Banks.' I'm like, 'you know what? I love that. That sounds like money. It sounds like gold.'"
The moniker is owned by WWE, which means Sasha Banks can only use it elsewhere with WWE's permission.
