5 Superstars who legally changed their names to their ring names

#4 Ryback

"Ryan rules!" just doesn't have the same impact.

Ryan Allen Reeves was nicknamed "Silverback" during his youth, which would eventually morph into the name Ryback, which he adopted for his in-ring persona.

At first, Reeves would go through the Tough Enough system under his own name before trying out several characters, including the horrible Skip Sheffield.

Keeping things simpler and allowing him to use a name he was more comfortable with, he returned to the Ryback name and started to gain serious traction on the main roster before WWE would consistently book him to come up short in his matches, killing him dead in his tracks.

For someone who prides himself in staying positive, the combination of this lacklustre booking, repetitively underwhelming pushes to nowhere and false promises led to his exit from the company.

Out of all the names to choose to retain, he opted to forego "Big Hungry" and "The Cornfed Meathead" among others, but "Ryback" was simply too personal and too tied to his future goals in sports entertainment.

He argued his case in Clark County, Las Vegas and upon approval, his name was changed to Ryback Allen Reeves—arguably a more natural alteration than what could have happened, and a smart move.