10 Real Wrestler Names 100% Cooler Than Their Ring Names

9. GUNTHER (Walter Hahn)

Ricky Steamboat Richard Dick Blood
WWE.com

There was a ton of chatter when WWE revealed that WALTER would give way to GUNTHER, not least 'cause they initially planned to call the guy Gunther Stark. That was scrapped once people pointed out that the real-life Gunther Stark had been a Nazi u-boat commander during World War II.

The forename stuck though (in all caps, damn it!), and GUNTHER has remarkably gone from strength to strength as the longest reigning Intercontinental Champ of all time. He's walking, talking proof that even WWE enjoys strait-laced pro wrestling every now and then. His real name? Walter Hahn.

How killer does that sound?! It would've kept his indy profile intact and the addition of Hahn into the equation sounds so punchy. Walter Hahn sounds like an automatic villain name - it would've been perfect to lead Imperium on episodes of Raw.

It wasn't to be though. Nah, someone wanted GUNTHER instead. Thank God this dude's as talented as he is...

Contributor

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.