10 Rejected Wrestler Names WWE ACTUALLY Pitched

8. Reginald DuPont Helmsley (Triple H)

John Laurinaitis
WWE.com

Really, is Reginald DuPont Helmsley that much further from the name WWE ultimately settled on, or the reality of what became of his name once he managed to convince the company to just let him go with the abbreviated version instead?

Hunter Hearst Helmsley was some cartoon villain alliteration for some cartoon villain times, but looked good on a spotlight being reflected onto the canvas, or in magazines that still wanted to put the capital letters in luminous yellow. Reginald DuPont Helmsley could have eventually been shortened to RDH and - in the spirit of many of the guys he hires today - would have suited the post-2010 superworker era of indie wrestling. It's proof really that anything, including 'The Game's original moniker can stick given long enough to cling on.

Any long name indicative of his former gimmick needed to go the second his relationship with Shawn Michaels moved to the other side of the curtain. He'd been established as Triple H by commentators enough in the past that the shift was relatively easy.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett