10 Rejected Wrestler Names WWE ACTUALLY Pitched

7. The Mastodon (Vader)

John Laurinaitis
WWE.com

You'd be forgiven for thinking that's what Vader was called in WWE, considering how much Vince McMahon called him this every time he was on screen anyway.

It's funny to listen back to those calls with the benefit of hindsight. McMahon, the gaffer, doing whatever he wants and what he obviously felt quite deeply by beating viewers over the head with his bizarre nickname, as if this psycho killer he'd just signed was actually an...extinct...elephant...thing?

We all know now of The Chairman's penchant for dinosaur bones after that hulking great T-Rex head gifted to him by Triple H finally made it on to pay-per-view at Money In The Bank 2020, but his presumable dislike for name is only matched by his obvious adoration for his own creation. End result "Vader" was of course shortened from the full "Big Van Vader" he'd gone by for the bulk of his career, itself a monument for McMahon's stubbornness and need to own as much of his performers as he can.

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