10 Dumbest Wrestling Name Changes
8. The Red Rooster
Terry Taylor, if you buy into wrestling apocrypha, was saddled with the Red Rooster name - shorthand for abysmal - because he was perceived to be the c*ck of the walk.
"He's limited when it comes to wrestling. He's limited when it comes to size. He's limited with a won and lost record. But I'm gonna make this man the next big superstar in the world of professional wrestling! His name is Mr. Terry Taylor." "Terry Taylor..." McMahon trailed off on commentary. He spoke his name with such disdain that he was doomed there and then - before he was instructed to dye the tips of his hair red and cluck about like an idiot. Before that disgrace, he was subjected to another; the seasoned former UWF superstar was booked as a novice relying on the navigation of Bobby Heenan (RIP, Brain; you really were the funniest wrestling personality of all time).
The 1980s Daniel Bryan, ostensibly.
Of course, this all built towards a breakup angle - but by then, the perception of Taylor was of a figure of pity, not sympathy. The line is thin. The WWF knew this; they just didn't care about stepping over it. This was a dose of proto-poison from the WWF, which previously, in order to secure the success of the national expansion, handled imports with care and flattery. By 1988, a year removed from WrestleMania III, there was no real need - and thus the Red Rooster rib - and a culture of toxicity - was born.