Fans will agree that good ringnames are pretty important in WWE. Nobody remembers “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as The Ringmaster or The Rock as Rocky Maivia. While those weren’t really terrible names, they didn’t have the charm of their later ringnames either. Currently, many wrestlers are suffering from bad ringnames.
RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Overcame A Bad Ring Name
Some have basic names, while others have really weird ones. If these stars could get a name change in the future, it would likely benefit them. However, for some, it might be too late to seek a replacement name.
9 Seth "Freakin" Rollins
Seth Rollins is a pretty good name (not as good as Tyler Black though), but putting “Freakin” in front of it sort of ruins it. The “Freakin” part appeals more to the younger audience, and that might be why WWE changed his name, but it still isn’t something suited for a broader audience. Many fans are in their 20s or 30s, and even Seth calling himself Seth “Freakin” Rollins again and again just makes it sound a bit cheesier and unnatural.
8 Wes Lee
Former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee - yes, that lacks the ringlike of a champion name, right? Lee is indeed a former champ in WWE. He’s certainly got that charisma inside the ring, and his promo skills are good too. He’s got the looks as well.
But a name change is something that he’ll need in the future, especially when WWE brings him up to the main roster. Because Wes Lee just doesn't scream "champion."
7 Dolph Ziggler
Now Dolph Ziggler has done it all: he is a former World Champion, has had many memorable moments in WWE, and is also a former Mr. Money in the Bank. All in all, very few wrestlers get to have the kind of career Ziggler has had. It helps that he’s one of the best wrestlers in the world who can be relied upon for anything inside the ring.
RELATED: 10 Times WWE Could Have Made Dolph Ziggler A Star (But Didn’t)
If there’s one complaint fans have had about Ziggler, it’s most likely his name. Some fans even believe it’s his ringname that held him back. Ziggler’s real name, Nick Nemeth, is just so much better in every way.
6 Riddick Moss
Madcap Moss had one of the most ridiculous gimmicks (actually, who even wrote his jokes?) and as well a ringname. The majority of the fans hated this name like absolutely hated it. The name sucked and it wasn’t going to take him to places. Eventually, WWE reverted him to his previous name, Riddick Moss. But let’s be honest, this is only an improvement because of how awful a name Madcap Moss was. Riddick Moss doesn’t sound like a good wrestling name either, but it’s still bearable.
5 Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler
Jagger Reid is a former NXT UK Tag Team Champion. He has been with WWE for years now, previously working for their NXT UK brand. Reid previously worked under the name James Drake. When he moved to NXT, he and his tag team partner Zack Gibson received name changes. They were now referred to as Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler, respectively. However, both of these are not great ring names. They are part of The Schism, and The Rock’s daughter Ava Raine is also a member of this stable.
4 Butch
When Pete Dunne’s ringname was changed to Butch upon his main roster debut in March 2022, fans weren’t too happy about it. Some months back, there was actually a report that Butch was getting his previous gimmick and name back and that it would happen by the end of 2023.
RELATED: WWE's Long History Of Renaming Their Wrestlers, Explained
Dunne has done a great job as Butch so far, and has really been enjoying this gimmick change, but fans still want the Bruiserweight to make a comeback.
3 Valhalla
Sarah Logan was released from WWE in 2020, and two years later at Royal Rumble, she made another one-off appearance. That year, Logan was also brought back and they repackaged her as Valhalla to pair her with the Viking Raiders. Valhalla hasn't really done much on WWE television thus far. She made her return a few weeks back during a mixed tag team match against the Alpha Academy.
2 Emma
Emma joined WWE a few years back as just Emma. It’s probably one of the basic names in WWE right now. A few years back, WWE did give her a makeover as Emmalina for a very brief time but that wasn’t really a huge upgrade either. She returned to the company a few months ago and still works under her previous moniker. Even in the last few months, Emma hasn’t really done much on WWE television.
1 Scrypts
At one point, Reggie was one of the most entertaining characters on WWE television. But then WWE separated him from Dana Brooke (who asked for a storyline divorce), and he made his debut to NXT as Scrypts. Not only is Scrypts one of the worst names in WWE right now, but also the character isn’t anything to write home about. Last year, before the character debuted, the vignettes said it would "rip all of NXT apart.” Of course that didn’t happen and it quickly became a failed gimmick. After losing to Axiom, Scrypts’ identity was revealed and it turned out to be Reggie. At one point, it looked like WWE was getting rid of Scrypts name but even that was scrapped apparently.
