10 Dumbest Wrestling Name Changes

2. Kerwin White

Steve Austin Ringmaster
WWE

Many words describe WWE: Gigantic; toxic; repetitive; gluttonous; stale; terrible; awesome.

Two of the most accurate are unsubtle and hypocritical. Enter Kerwin White - a satirical middle-class white guy act played by Chavo Guerrero aimed to expose the racism at the company's core, or something. The mission statement was hazy. Here was Chavo, Carlton-dancing to a Jimmy Hart Version of a Frank Sinatra ditty, making very dubious comments about non-whites. On his debut, he renounced his real identity. "Chavo? No, I'm sorry. Chavo has left the building. He's probably trying to get a job at some taco stand like all the rest of the unemployed Hispanics."

Which would all be fine, if WWE was in fact a progressive outfit operating within a meritocratic framework. It wasn't and it isn't. Ethnicity isn't celebrated; it's monetised and portrayed as a grave threat to American ideals of rights and liberty. Kerwin White - that last name was so gruesomely on-the-nose it might as well have been delivered by a heavyweight boxer - was, and it's probably unnecessary to point this out, a heel. So his crusade actually reinforced what the character raged against.

Marvellous.

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!