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

7. Eli Drake > LA Knight

WWE WALTER GUNTHER
WWE.com

What did you think the first time you heard that ex-TNA and NWA man Eli Drake had been renamed LA Knight in early-2021? Be honest here. The name sounded like a TV show Vinnie Mac had watched back in the 1970s, and didn't seem to be a neat fit for the once-proud NXT brand.

Shade thrown at LA Knight's name change was wrong in retrospect.

Obviously, there's a caveat here. WWE rebranded Knight a second time as Max Dupri when they called him up to the main roster, and the dude had to fight hard to shed that moniker so he could return to LA (so to speak) and start showing his worth. Thank God he did, because Dupri certainly wasn't wrestling for World Titles on PLE.

Looking at things with the benefit of hindsight makes it clear that LA Knight is a far sexier name than Eli Drake. The unique thing about this one is that Drake is probs the kind of brand WWE chiefs would've come up with themselves.

Nah, Knight is a huge improvement.

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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.