5 WWE Superstar Names That Were Shortened

#4 Rusev

Alexander Rusev Day does not have quite the same ring to it

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.

About the author

Riju Dasgupta is the most-read active writer in Sportskeeda at the moment, across all sports. Having come on board in 2016, Dasgupta is best known for the 'Best and Worst' column, something that has become a staple for the site!

In addition to his writing responsibilities, Dasgupta is also the Assistant Manager of the Combat Sports division. In 4 years, Dasgupta has conducted over 150 interviews with stars from WWE, Impact Wrestling, PCW Ultra, WOS, UFC, ONE FC and the world of boxing as well.

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Before joining Sportskeeda, Dasgupta was a comedy writer for Star TV, where he scripted lines for the iconic Lola Kutty property, in addition to hit TV shows like Axe Ur Ex & UR Fired. He was also a columnist for Rolling Stone India.

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Edited by Shiven Sachdeva