WWE has always had a tendency to rebrand talent who come through their doors. Terry Boulder became Hulk Hogan, "Mean" Mark Callous became The Undertaker, "Stunning" Steve Austin became The Ringmaster, and so on. For the most part, it seems to be not only because WWE wants to disassociate themselves from other organizations (or at least not lend them legitimacy), but also because they want a brand they can own. Naturally, this also gives them leverage over the stars who make their names there, as leaving the company can potentially leave them without marketability. Even then, some- such as The Rock and the aforementioned Hulk Hogan- have been able to take ownership of at least some of their persona (Hulk may show up in World Championship Wrestling or Total Nonstop Action, but "Real American" won't, for instance), but in many cases, the "people" we know belong to World Wrestling Entertainment. There are others, though, who manage- by hook or by crook- to retain their gimmick after a trip to Stamford. After all, if you have the multi-time world champion of your closest competition signing with you and bringing their belt along for the ride, that's not something you want to hide, right? They say "you can't take it with you," but when departing other organizations for WWE, these guys sure did!
Honorary Mention: Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
Truth be told, we're including him here mostly because we just love the terrific group shot above. That said, Neidhart did come to WWE with his nickname of "The Anvil" intact, earned after winning an anvil-throwing contest (11 feet, 2 inches, in case you were wondering) organized by Stu Hart to gain the grappler some publicity.
Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died.
You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.
