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Our reporter Daniel Wood ran this story recently, and it caught the world of professional wrestling by storm. Apollo Crews' name has been shortened, and he will just be known as Apollo, henceforth.
This is to sever any ties with Nikolas Cruz, the man who orchestrated the recent mass shooting in Florida recently. Vince McMahon wanted to drop the 'Crews' name because it sounded far too similar to the murderer's name. A judicious call or a panicked move?
It's far too soon to say, honestly. All we know for sure is that for a variety of reasons, WWE has shortened the names of their superstars in the past, and in all likelihood, will continue to do so in the future as well.
Here are 5 cases where WWE Superstars have had their first or last names removed, for reasons both known and still unknown to us.
#5 The Bludgeon Brothers
These two men were once a part of the Wyatt Family, allied with the Eater of Worlds. Now their leader is in a different brand, and their stablemate, Braun Strowman, is perhaps the biggest star in all of WWE. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan have been repackaged. They are now known as The Bludgeon Brothers.
Their appearance has changed, and they're far more of a throwback, old-school, vintage WWE era Tag Team now. In keeping with the change of gimmick, their names have been shortened too. They are just Harper and Rowan, as of right now.
This change was possibly made to sever all ties with the Wyatt Family of old. Considering that these two men are still huge and beastly, we can understand that parallels may be drawn to their old stable.
We don't know what plans the company has for the Bludgeon Brothers, but we can only assume that the name change figures into those very plans!
#4 Rusev
Rusev has undergone many transformations since he first arrived in WWE. Once, he was the consummate foreign heel, who went on an undefeated streak that lasted very many months. He even made an appearance on an actual tank at WrestleMania 31. And before any of this happened, he had a first name!
When Rusev was in FCW and NXT, he wrestled as Alexander Rusev. It was in mid-2014, early into his main roster run, that his name was shortened to just 'Rusev'. While no real explanation was ever provided, speculation on forums and boards indicate that Vince McMahon did not feel that 'Alexander' was really too intimidating a name.
Rusev is no longer the cliched foreign heel anymore, but instead has a day named after him. Everything seems to have worked out for the best, considering that he's the most popular superstar on SmackDown Live.
Thankfully, everything seems to have worked out for the best for him.
#3 Big E
Big E has actually commented on why his name was shortened from Big E Langston. This is what he revealed to AfterBuzz TV, almost three years ago:
The word I got was that Vince thought 'Big E' sounded more powerful without the last name so you show up and sometimes you know with what we do there's a debate or a discussion or you talk more say so and it's a little more hands on. And in this case it was a matter of me showing up and this is who you are now so you deal with it.
It is easy to forget that Langston was ever a part of his name. But the fact remains that Big E Langston fell prey to Vince McMahon's habit of shortening the names of WWE Superstars.
#2 Neville
Neville's future may be unknown, but what we know for sure is that once he was known as Adrian Neville. When he made his transition from NXT to the main roster, he came to just be known as simply, Neville. The man put the Cruiserweight Division on the map!
No explanation has ever been provided for the change in name. We assume that it was just yet another Vince McMahon decision for reasons best known to the man himself. Whatever the case may be, Neville has proved that he's a 'one in a million' athlete, time and time again.
Let's hope he comes back to WWE again someday. The Cruiserweight Division definitely needs the man and how!
#1 Elias
The guitar strumming Elias is a man with multiple names. Not only was he Elias Samson during his NXT run, he was also El Vagabundo. Yet, in the main roster, his name has been shortened to Elias. Truth be told, it's proved lucky for the talented superstar.
For a while, Elias had a last name in the main roster. And suddenly, he didn't. Unfortunately, while his name disappeared overnight, his musical skills remained much the same.
Today, he's one of the RAW's most promising superstars. Considering he fits the mold that Vince McMahon often likes, the sky is the limit for him.
A honorary mention in this list is, of course, Antonio Cesaro!
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