10 DUMB WWE Name Changes (That We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS)

9. A-Kid > Axiom

WWE WALTER GUNTHER
WWE

A-Kid had become a popular name on the UK and European independent wrestling scene by the time WWE came calling in 2019. The tag-team star (as one half of Team WhiteWolf alongside Carlos Romo) had turned enough heads to score a spot on the NXT UK roster. Once that brand disappeared, Kid needed something new.

Enter Axiom, and cue some chortling online.

'Oh, here we go again', several mumbled. WWE were wrecking a once-promising indy standout by putting their own awkward stamp on him in 2022. Axiom was a masked character, and immediately drew comparisons to greats like Rey Mysterio by default. That's always slightly unfair, but admittedly unavoidable.

Nearly two years on from the renaming and repackage job, Axiom is doing well. He even took his WWE main roster bow on an episode of SmackDown in November 2023, and has received rave reviews for his ring work. The remodelling allowed A-Kid to build his career within WWE without leaning on his independent past.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.