10 Best Ring Names In WWE History

1. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

The Undertaker
WWE.com

The most perfect wrestling ring name ever, Steve Austin was blessed with the 'Stone Cold' moniker by his then-wife Jeannie.

It's astonishing how little Vince McMahon and his creative team had to do with the company's own success. The AWA invented Hulkamania. StarrCade preceded WrestleMania. Vince, initially, hated the concept of the Royal Rumble. He was also resistant to add an edge to the product in the mid-1990s; his own attitude adjustment was jointly encouraged by Vince Russo, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. And, were Austin not particularly discerning, the man may have been lumbered with the name "Frost McFang' or 'Chilly McFreeze'. Fortunately, Jeannie urged him to drink his tea lest it turn "stone cold" - and thus the icy, Richard Kuklinski-inspired killer Austin was compelled to wrestle as was christened.

Alliterative, blunt, badass, cool: 'Stone Cold' lent itself to hysterical Jim Ross calls and awesome merchandise alike. It left an immediate imprint on the fandom, who were crying out for aesthetic and attitudinal change in the WWF. The name mirrored his sociopathic outlook brilliantly, and just sounded iconic. Austin, as he mastered the character, looked at everything around him so impassively that it bordered on the hilarious, as well as the terrifying. Nothing moved or impressed him.

'Stone Cold', indeed.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!