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It has become a common theme in WWE for a superstar’s in-ring name to be altered, sometimes unexpectedly, during the course of their time with the company or upon their arrival. This has been happening more regularly in recent years than ever before.
These changes are usually due to a decision being made to shorten a character's name, or simply because WWE wants to own the name of the performer and distance itself from any of the star's endeavors prior to signing with the organization.
With that being said, let's list every WWE Superstar that has experienced a name change so far in 2022.
#13 Katana Chance formerly known as Kacy Catanzaro
Ever since signing with WWE in 2017, Katana Chance has performed under the name of Kacy Catanzaro primarily for NXT. In January 2019, she even entered the Women's Royal Rumble match. Now, her name has been altered with no real explanation.
#12 Alba Fyre formerly known as Kay Lee Ray
Kay Lee Ray is a former NXT UK Women's Champion and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winner. You would think, because of those accolades, that her previous name holds some weight. Nevertheless, the company has decided to make a change and she will be known as Alba Fyre moving forward on NXT 2.0.
#11 Cruz Del Toro formerly known as Raul Mendoza
Raul Mendoza competed in the Cruiserweight Classic and pursued the Cruiserweight gold. In recent times, he has been a part of Legado Del Fantasma on NXT. Although still a part of the group, his name has been drastically altered and will now be Cruz Del Toro.
#10 Elton Prince & Kit Wilson form Pretty Deadly in WWE NXT
You may know Pretty Deadly as the current NXT Tag Team Champions, but did you know their individual names have been recently changed? The UK-born duo are now known as Elton Prince and Kit Wilson, a change from their previous names Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley.
#9 Kiana James formerly known as Kayla Inlay
The former Kayla Inlay has not undergone only one ring name change, but two this year alone. The first was with the name Xtina Kay, though this was during her time outside of WWE. Now under Vince McMahon's umbrella, the star will now be known as Kiana James.
#8 Sanga formerly known as Saurav
The former Saurav signed with WWE in 2018, and performed with the team Indus Sher alongside Veer Mahaan, who was known as Rinku at the time. After being separated, Saurav returned as Sanga on NXT 2.0 and became an associate of Grayson Waller.
#7 Ludwig Kaiser formerly known as Marcel Barthel
For years, with the Imperium stable, the now Ludwig Kaiser performed as Marcel Barthel. The German-born superstar became a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Fabian Aichner. Now, despite playing the exact same character, he will perform under a different persona on the main roster.
#6 Gunther formerly known as Walter
An example of WWE wanting to distance itself from a superstar's past is Walter's name change. The unstoppable force became a huge hit on the independent scene and also with NXT UK. Now, performing on SmackDown as Gunther and again playing the same character, a ring name change has been enforced.
#5 Raquel Rodriguez formerly known as Raquel González
Raquel Rodriquez recently made her first appearance on the main roster after spending a number of successful years with NXT. During that run, she was known as Raquel González. Not a major name change by any means, which makes one wonder if it was really necessary.
#4 Butch formerly known as Pete Dunne
The former Pete Dunne wrestled on the UK independent scene before being snapped up by WWE after his stellar performances at the United Kingdom Championship tournament in 2017. After plying his trade on NXT, a move to the main roster saw a character change, now going under the name of Butch.
#3 Ciampa formerly known as Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa said goodbye to NXT at Stand & Deliver 2022 over WrestleMania weekend. He is now officially a part of the RAW roster, and with the move, as per a recent WWE tradition, his name has been shortened to just Ciampa moving forward.
#2 Ezekiel formerly known as Elias
The WWE Universe was stunned last summer when Elias decided to burn his guitar and ultimately kill his gimmick. Nobody had any idea what was next for him. Then, the night after WrestleMania 38, he reappeared under the gimmick of Ezekiel claiming to be Elias' younger brother.
#1 Theory formerly known as Austin Theory
After his WrestleMania 38 defeat to Pat McAfee and being Stunnered by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Austin Theory dropped "Austin" from his ring name and is now simply known as Theory. It has already done him some favors as he recently defeated Finn Bálor to win the United States Championship.
What is the most surprising name change so far this year? Let us know in the comments section below!
