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An in-ring name is capable of making or breaking the career of a WWE Superstar if wrestling's rich and storied history is any indication. The Undertaker's name was enough to intrigue the WWE Universe and make them feel as if a legit scary entity was in the ring and things wouldn't end well for his opponent.
On the other hand, a wrestler like Michael McGillicutty never had a chance from the very beginning with such a weird moniker and WWE had to later change it to Curtis Axel.
Several WWE Superstars have experimented with a bunch of different names throughout their careers, with one finally sticking around for good. In many cases, Superstars experimented with their real-life names and later changed them to more attractive ones after not receiving much of a reaction.
In the following slideshow, we will take a look at five WWE Superstars who changed their names more than once during their stint as professional wrestlers.
#5 The Rock
Before he made it big in WWE, Dwayne Johnson wrestled as Flex Kavana in United States Wrestling Association, run by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. Kavana won the USWA World Tag Team titles on two occasions while partnering with Bart Sawyer, before bagging a contract with WWE.
When Johnson arrived in WWE, he was given a new name, which was a combination of the in-ring names of his father and grandfather: Rocky Maivia. The babyface run flopped horribly and Maivia instantly became a polarizing figure, and fans made their displeasure clear with chants of "Die Rocky die".
The Hurricane talks about The Rock:
Johnson then got a character change which would prove to be a game-changer for not only him but for professional wrestling as well. The Rock was born and he went on to have a string of classics with Stone Cold Steve Austin. The rivalry was a major factor in WWE managing to topple WCW in the Monday Night War, with Vince McMahon finally buying out his competition in March 2001.
#4 Paige
Paige's WWE career didn't last long, unfortunately, but she managed to become a major star during her short run with the company as an active performer. Way before she made it to WWE, Paige wrestled for years in the European independent circuit and appeared in a string of promotions. She used the ring name Britani Knight at the time.
When Paige signed a contract with WWE in 2011, she was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling to hone her skills. Her name was changed to Saraya, which was also her real-life name, and the moniker donned by her mother when she was an active wrestler.
She wrestled a handful of matches using this name and WWE soon changed it again to Paige. The name wasn't changed after that and Paige moved to the main roster in 2014. She won the WWE Divas Championship in her debut match on RAW by defeating AJ Lee. Paige had rivalries with Lee, Charlotte Flair, and many others over the next three years. She was injured at a house show in late 2017, which ultimately led to her in-ring retirement the next year.
#3 Finn Balor
Finn Balor is one of the most popular WWE Superstars today and was the first-ever Universal Champion. He wrestled for several major and independent promotions before signing a contract with WWE in 2014. When he kicked off his career way back in the early 2000s, Balor used his real-life name, Fergal Devitt.
When he came to New Japan Pro Wrestling, Balor was given the moniker of Prince Devitt. He soon donned a mask and began wrestling as the second Pegasus Kid. This resulted in comparisons between him and Chris Benoit, who was the original Pegasus Kid.
When he joined WWE NXT in 2014, Devitt was named Finn Balor. He quickly rose up the ranks in NXT and won the NXT title on one occasion. Balor made his move to the main roster in 2016 and was immediately pushed to the main event scene. He competed against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 and won the match to become the first-ever Universal Champion.
Unfortunately, due to an injury that he suffered during the bout, Balor was forced to relinquish the belt on the very next night.
#2 Bray Wyatt
WWE's most sinister entity has changed his name several times throughout his career. Bray Wyatt began working matches in FCW way back in 2009 and was called Alex Rotunda back then.
When he joined NXT in mid-2010, his name was changed to Husky Harris. Harris came up to the main roster at the Hell In A Cell 2010 PPV, where he and Michael McGillicutty interfered in a match between Nexus leader Wade Barrett and John Cena. The duo was soon inducted into the stable. The Harris character didn't work and he was soon sent back to FCW.
In 2013, Bray Wyatt made his main roster debut along with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. The gimmick worked wonders for him and Wyatt enjoyed major rivalries against the likes of John Cena, Kane, and Randy Orton. He even won the WWE title on one occasion but didn't hold it for long.
After months of absence, Wyatt returned to WWE TV as The Fiend, a terrifying figure whose mere presence was enough to send chills down Superstars' spine. The Fiend is currently a mainstay on SmackDown and is one of the most popular Superstars in all of WWE.
#1 Batista
In mid-2000, Dave Bautista made his debut in Ohio Valley Wrestling and was given the ring name Leviathan. He remained in OVW for the next two years, before being promoted to WWE's main roster. As soon as he was sent to the main roster, Bautista was given the gimmick of Deacon Batista, the sidekick to Reverend D-Von.
Deacon soon turned on D-Von and defeated him to end the feud. Now known simply as Batista, he soon became a part of Triple H's Evolution stable and the rest is history.
Batista and Randy Orton both turned into major Superstars over the next two years. Success came quickly for Orton, as he defeated Chris Benoit for the World title at WWE SummerSlam 2004. Batista won his first World title at WWE WrestleMania 21 when he defeated Triple H in the main event of the show.
Batista left WWE in 2010 after failing to defeat John Cena for the WWE title. He came back for a brief run in 2014 and made another return in 2019 to take on Triple H at WrestleMania 35. Following the event, Batista announced that he was done with wrestling.
