6 current WWE Superstars who debuted under a different name 

WWE Superstars are rarely able to wrestle under their own names, this is because more often than not the company wants to retain rights to these characters and be able to use them as part of their brand.

Often superstars choose to use a different name so there is a complete divide between themselves and their characters, which in turn gives them much more freedom on-screen.

Even though it is the superstars who are performing on-screen on a weekly or daily basis, it's the company that decides on their ring name. For several current WWE Superstars, this has changed numerous times. throughout the course of their career.

The following list looks at just five current WWE Superstars who debuted under a different name.

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#6. Former WWE Champion Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has been part of WWE for more than 15 years and in that time he has been known under several different names.

When Ziggler made his original debut with the company he was seen as The Caddie, during a segment alongside Chavo Guerrero, when he was known as Kerwin White. This gimmick was dropped following the death of his uncle Eddie Guerrero in late 2005, which allowed Ziggler to move on to a new character.

At the beginning of 2006, Ziggler debuted as part of a five-man team called The Spirit Squad where he was known as Nicky. This was a team of male cheerleaders who were an integral part of the feud between Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels heading into WrestleMania 22.

Their time on TV didn't last long since the group were shipped back to OVW by D-Generation X later that year after a brief feud with the team.

Ziggler was one of the stars who was sent back to developmental but has since become the most successful former member of the team. In 2008, Ziggler was able to re-debut on WWE TV but this time under the name "Dolph Ziggler" it is as this character that the former cheerleader was able to become WWE Champion and a household name in WWE.

#5. Current WWE Superstar Doudrop

Doudrop is currently part of WWE's Women's Division on Monday Night RAW after being brought up to the brand alongside Eva Marie earlier this year.

Doudrop was brought in to help Marie upon her return to the brand for the first time in four years and was able to garner the reaction from the WWE Universe that the company was hoping for.

Of course, Doudrop isn't the star's real name, and ahead of her debut on Monday Night RAW alongside Marie, she had already made her name in the company as part of NXT UK.

Under the name Piper Niven, Doudrop competed in the Mae Young Classic and as part of several matches on the NXT UK brand.

Ahead of her time in WWE, Piper was known by the ring name Viper, but when she first competed for the company it was made clear that she wouldn't be able to use the name. Instead, she called herself Piper because she played bagpipes when she was growing up and Niven after her father.

#4/3. Current WWE Superstars T-Bar and Mace

Technically all four members of RETRIBUTION who were called up to WWE's main roster from NXT could be on this list since the company decided to change all of their names.

It appears that Mia Yim and Shane Thorne have been able to take back their names in recent months, but T-Bar and Mace are still known under the names that were given to them in RETRIBUTION.

T-Bar and Mace were recently split as part of the WWE Draft and it's hoped the duo will now be able to become Dominik Dijakovic and Dio Maddin again.

As Dijakovic, T-Bar debuted in NXT back in 2018 before going on to become one of the brand's biggest names. Dominik's last run in NXT saw him challenge for both the NXT and North American Championships before being promoted to RAW.

Dio Madden was known for his time on commentary where he was part of both 205 Live and RAW. This came to an end in November 2019 when he was one of the stars attacked by Brock Lesnar.

#2. WWE Superstar John Morrison

John Morrison is currently part of Monday Night RAW, despite his recent feud with fellow WWE star The Miz seemingly being scrapped. This is obviously because Miz went on to become a contestant on Dancing With The Stars.

Morrison is no stranger to the business since he only recently made his return to WWE after making a name for himself in both Lucha Underground and IMPACT Wrestling. Morrison returned to WWE in January 2020 and has since been known by his current name for almost two years.

John Morrison has been known by several names throughout his wrestling career, including Johnny IMPACT, Johnny Blackcraft, Johnny Mundo, and even Johnny Blaze.

Interestingly, Morrison wasn't known as any of the above names when he made his debut in WWE, he was simply called Johnny Nitro. This was back in 2005 when Nitro was part of MNM alongside Joey Mercury and Melina.

Vince McMahon later opted to change his name from Nitro a few years later, when the star became a solo wrestler because it reminded him of WCW.

#1. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is currently the biggest star in WWE but his prospects in the company could have been very different if he had maintained the name he was given when he debuted in WWE.

Many fans will remember Roman Reigns making his main roster debut as a member of The Shield in 2012 but this wasn't the first time that the star had made an appearance.

After signing a developmental contract with WWE in 2010, he went on to debut in FCW as Leakee a few months later. This was a short-lived character and saw Reigns wrestle in very different ring gear, which would make him almost unrecognizable when compared to The Tribal Chief.

When FCW was rebranded into NXT in 2012, Leakee came to an end and instead Roman Reigns made his debut, it was as this character that the Samoan star was later called up to WWE's main roster.

As Leakee, Reigns battled his Shield teammates several times in FCW before the trio went on to clash in WWE.