The trend of shortening names.

[agent817]

We have had a thread about NXT wrestlers getting called up and having their names changed, but what about some wrestlers who have had their names shortened? I mean we have Austin Theory now going by just "Theory." When Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox were called up, they were just called "Shotzi and Nox." Is there a reason behind this?

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

The thing I remember hearing is Vince seeing people like Cher or Madonna be so mega-famous that they’re only known by one name and thinking that’ll happen if he does that for the wrestlers.

[Deleted]

I think this is effective for guys with unique names like Batista, Lashley, and Rusev.

It is highly ineffective, and stupid, for guys like "Otis," "Elias," "Murphy," and "Ali."

Madonna, Cher, Bono, and Prince would have very likely had different careers if they tried to go by mononyms like "Beth," "Jessica," "Steve," and "Roger" or something.

[polarbearpete]

Jun 8, 2022 15:25:15 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

I think this is effective for guys with unique names like Batista, Lashley, and Rusev.

It is highly ineffective, and stupid, for guys like "Otis," "Elias," "Murphy," and "Ali."

Madonna, Cher, Bono, and Prince would have very likely had different careers if they tried to go by mononyms like "Beth," "Jessica," "Steve," and "Roger" or something.

I think it works for the 4 you mentioned in Otis, Elias, Murphy and Ali.

I think it’s worst when done with someone whose name is a regular word, like Theory or Riddle. Although Edge made it work and Riddle is starting to grow on me.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Vince being weird. Thread.

[Chiral]

IIRC Vince logic is the single word names are more iconic with Cher being the example used by him

[Jasper Troy Bolton]

I wish Vince was as weird about this 20 years ago as he is now. Basham and Basham The Basham Brothers, formerly known as Doug and Danny no last names.

[Deleted]

Jun 8, 2022 15:29:26 GMT -5 polarbearpete said:

Jun 8, 2022 15:25:15 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

I think this is effective for guys with unique names like Batista, Lashley, and Rusev.

It is highly ineffective, and stupid, for guys like "Otis," "Elias," "Murphy," and "Ali."

Madonna, Cher, Bono, and Prince would have very likely had different careers if they tried to go by mononyms like "Beth," "Jessica," "Steve," and "Roger" or something.

I think it works for the 4 you mentioned in Otis, Elias, Murphy and Ali.

I think it’s worst when done with someone whose name is a regular word, like Theory or Riddle. Although Edge made it work and Riddle is starting to grow on me.

I agree that Theory and Riddle are also really bad, but I think the 4 I mentioned are pretty atrocious, too. For me, the kicker is this:

If I Google "Otis" I'm going to get about 3 pages worth of information on elevators, the music video for a really good song by Houndmouth, some stuff about Otis Redding, and then, if I'm lucky, a couple of states' Offender Tracking Information System before I ever come across the wrestler.

If I google "Ali" I'll get pages and pages of Muhammad Ali stuff, and maybe a song or two from Aladdin.

Mononyms just don't work when you're roughly the 45th most popular person or product to have a particular name.

I'm sorry, some dude named "Otis" is never going to be a champion. Neither is a dude called "Elias" (or Ezekiel). In every case, the mononyms are actively hindering their careers in my opinion.

[chrom]

Jun 8, 2022 15:42:18 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

Jun 8, 2022 15:29:26 GMT -5 polarbearpete said:

I think it works for the 4 you mentioned in Otis, Elias, Murphy and Ali.

I think it’s worst when done with someone whose name is a regular word, like Theory or Riddle. Although Edge made it work and Riddle is starting to grow on me.

I agree that Theory and Riddle are also really bad, but I think the 4 I mentioned are pretty atrocious, too. For me, the kicker is this:

If I Google "Otis" I'm going to get about 3 pages worth of information on elevators, the music video for a really good song by Houndmouth, some stuff about Otis Redding, and then, if I'm lucky, a couple of states' Offender Tracking Information System before I ever come across the wrestler.

If I google "Ali" I'll get pages and pages of Muhammad Ali stuff, and maybe a song or two from Aladdin.

Mononyms just don't work when you're roughly the 45th most popular person or product to have a particular name.

I'm sorry, some dude named "Otis" is never going to be a champion. Neither is a dude called "Elias" (or Ezekiel). In every case, the mononyms are actively hindering their careers in my opinion.

When I hear Otis, I'm imagining some farmer clad only in overalls with a piece of straw in his mouth

[Final Countdown Jones]

Jun 8, 2022 15:42:18 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

Jun 8, 2022 15:29:26 GMT -5 polarbearpete said:

I think it works for the 4 you mentioned in Otis, Elias, Murphy and Ali.

I think it’s worst when done with someone whose name is a regular word, like Theory or Riddle. Although Edge made it work and Riddle is starting to grow on me.

I agree that Theory and Riddle are also really bad, but I think the 4 I mentioned are pretty atrocious, too. For me, the kicker is this:

If I Google "Otis" I'm going to get about 3 pages worth of information on elevators, the music video for a really good song by Houndmouth, some stuff about Otis Redding, and then, if I'm lucky, a couple of states' Offender Tracking Information System before I ever come across the wrestler.

If I google "Ali" I'll get pages and pages of Muhammad Ali stuff, and maybe a song or two from Aladdin.

Mononyms just don't work when you're roughly the 45th most popular person or product to have a particular name.

I'm sorry, some dude named "Otis" is never going to be a champion. Neither is a dude called "Elias" (or Ezekiel). In every case, the mononyms are actively hindering their careers in my opinion.

Bringing up Muhammad Ali is actually a good example, because like. Even Muhammad Ali isn't just "Ali", y'know? But it invokes the risk of crowding in on that. Mustafa Ali doesn't. That's its own, bespoke name. "Ali" will not break through pop culture and dislodge any other dangling associations with the name. It can't happen.

[The Rick Jericho]

I'm surprised Ford and Dawkins don't just go by this name.

[john84]

It does my head in quite honestly.  I've never liked it but it'll continue to happen.

[thehottag]

I always found it odd that they would seem to remove the first names of the men, & the surnames of the ladies.

[Starshine]

Remember when Apollo Crews just became Apollo, cause the stars was certainly not where he was lauched to.

Like, I just don't get how does a company this big, with this many cooks, can take the name 'Ali' and not consider a moment to think about who that name actually invokes. If you ever hear "Ali wins" you're not thinking of WWE, unless your finger is that far off the cultual pulse.

[agent817]

Jun 8, 2022 17:36:44 GMT -5 thehottag said:

I always found it odd that they would seem to remove the first names of the men, & the surnames of the ladies.

Tegan Nox just became Nox when she was called up to Smackdown. So that was an exception. Although I didn't agree with it.

[Nosnorb]

Jun 8, 2022 15:29:26 GMT -5 polarbearpete said:

Jun 8, 2022 15:25:15 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

I think this is effective for guys with unique names like Batista, Lashley, and Rusev.

It is highly ineffective, and stupid, for guys like "Otis," "Elias," "Murphy," and "Ali."

Madonna, Cher, Bono, and Prince would have very likely had different careers if they tried to go by mononyms like "Beth," "Jessica," "Steve," and "Roger" or something.

I think it works for the 4 you mentioned in Otis, Elias, Murphy and Ali.

I think it’s worst when done with someone whose name is a regular word, like Theory or Riddle. Although Edge made it work and Riddle is starting to grow on me.

Edge did debut at around the same time Blade was released, which helped a lot.

[Tiger Millionaire]

Ironically, Vince's biggest stars were Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena. Even The Rock is known more in talking as the Rock rather than I saw Rock wrestle.

[Friday Night SmackOwn]

In the context of "Elias Samson" becoming "Elias" on the main roster, it works within his whole musician gimmick, so there's that.

[tagteammatchplaya]

I hope one day a wrestler's name gets shortened to one letter, because it would be hilarious


A-Kid To "A"
R-Truth To "R"
T-Bar To "T"

[Mozenrath]

At least Theory is easier to make sense of, that Vince's special little guy wrestling with the name of his archnemesis would bother him, but it's sort of weird not replacing it with anything else. I guess I have an easier time accepting it with Theory than Riddle.

Weirdly, at least since he was a musician, it was easier to accept Elias would shorten his name, but Ezekial doing the same and not being Ezekial Samson is a little more awkward for me, even if that wouldn't be a great name since it'd only further any likelihood of confusing him with Big Zeke, not lessen it.