10 Hidden Meanings Behind WWE Superstar Names
Tatanka doesn't just mean 'buffalo'...
Whilst agonising over her forbidden armour with the boy next door, Juliet Capulet stopped to muse the purpose of names, famously noting that a rose wouldn't upturn sniffers if it were called something less aesthetically pleasing. Like a "sh*tthorn", for example.
It's one of Shakespeare's most memorable lines. But it's also bang wrong. Names are important. A sh*tthorn might well smell as sweet - but no bugger would buy one for their loved one.
In wrestling, a performer can sink or swim based on nothing but their given nom de guerre. The Ringmaster had more chance of running a circus than winning the WWF Championship (though in 1995, that was basically the same). Likewise, Terry Boulder would have made a great henchman, but he was never going to spearhead the Golden Age of wrestling.
It just goes to show that, Adam Rose by another name, may well have enjoyed the sweet smell of success. Though in his case, probably not.
You can't just pick a gimmick's handle out of a hat. They require at least five second's thought to make work. The following had a whole lot more than that - perhaps even more than people realise. And perhaps even more than was necessary.
10. Ember Moon
Ember Moon's marriage to fellow professional wrestler Matthew Palmer saw the bride and groom force all their witnesses to dress up like characters from either Game of Thrones or Harry Potter - whichever embarrassed them the least. Moon - real name Adrienne Reese - is by all accounts something of a massive nerd, which is not only brill, but actually explains her WWE moniker.
As revealed on Xavier Wood's ultra-geeky gaming YouTube show UpUpDownDown, Moon rolls a D10 in her downtime. Her ring-name was inspired by one of D&D's iconic characters, the monk Ember. The Moon bit comes from, er, the moon. That's the big rock in the sky.