10 Changes WWE Hoped You Wouldn’t Notice
4. All Those Name Deletions
WWE has a real issue with forenames.
That's why Alexander Rusev, Antonio Cesaro, Adrian Neville and Tegan Nox have all been shortened to solo surnames over the years. Granted, the same could be said for last names in some circumstances too - Shotzi Blackheart, Elias Samson and Big E Langston all shed their surnames at one point or another.
Internally, the argument is likely that shortened names make workers more marketable. That's maybe true in some cases, but marketability isn't the problem here. Asking fans to pretend that these wrestlers have always been called that very much is. That's daft, and it's insulting to people's intelligence.
WWE's ever-changing machine would tell you with a straight face that Cesaro has always just been called Cesaro. It'll be the same with WALTER when the furore surrounding his switch to Gunther fades. You're not supposed to notice these things. Or, at least, you're not meant to talk about them.