The WWE has just announced that two of its roster are getting their full names back when performing in the ring, canceling out the latest in a string of ideas that originated from former head honcho and now ousted founder, Vince McMahon.
The idea of stripping wrestlers of their names was reported as being reversed by thefine folks at PWInsider.comwhere part of this report was sourced from. What this means is that when fans tune into WWE again, they’ve seen Theory to go back to being Austin Theory and Riddle bouncing off the ropes as Matt Riddle again, retaining their full names as the first of many to regain their identities.
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Back when the WWF was started (and long before it became the WWE), the world of faces and heels contained people from all sides of the spectrum with all sorts of names—usually the longer the better. Characters like King Kong Bundy, Andre the Giant, or Hulk Hogan, even when not using their real (or full) names, got monikers fit for the world of spandex-clad titans that fought in the ring. Others, like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin got nicknames on top of their own names, extra flair for the professionals to dazzle the fans with. Singular names were a rarified thing, and it looks like Vince McMahon’s latest idea—of stripping wrestlers down to a single name—has bitten the dust.
With Vince McMahon out theWWEdoor due to a series of real-life charges in whichhe used the WWE coffers to pay off women he’d cheated on Linda with—aka the type of drama that impacts wrestling in a way that actually is negative as opposed to the drama that’s supposed to go on within the ring itself—Triple H, the new man in charge, has begun to undo the damage McMahon’s final years of creative missteps have made. Not only have Theory and Riddle become Austin Theory and Matt Riddle again, but others have reported the changes as well.
Angel has recently said that he’s been able to add his surname of Garza to become Angel Garza again. Pete Dunne, who McMahon’s edict saw turned into Butch or Tomasso Ciampa’s name halved to just Ciampa are also getting the reversal and will become themselves again pretty soon. The rumor fromother fan sitesis that Butch is going to be split off from his buddies, Seamus and Ridge Holland, and will be able to go back to his original NXT name. He’s been seen wrestling in his old NXT UK gear already. Word is, the same goes for Ciampa as soon as he feuds with splits up with The Miz. With changes like these, Triple H is really flexing his muscle as head ofWWE’s creative division.
