10 Rejected Wrestler Names WWE ACTUALLY Pitched

6. Hirohito (Kenzo Suzuki)

John Laurinaitis
WWE.com

Eesh.

Kenzo Suzuki was a flawed project from the very beginning as the mid-2000s threw more sh*t at the wall to try and get over underneath the scant few performers Jim Cornette had kindly readied for megastardom in his famously stacked OVW class of 2002.

For every John Cena and Batista there were about 20 guys WWE either signed or failed profoundly to develop as the next ones. Japanese star (and occasional tag team partner of Hiroshi Tanahashi, who nearly came on board instead) Kenzo Suzuki was ultimately the latter, but almost lost his real name to the horrifically misguided one above when he stepped bravely into the the parts unknown that was and is Sports Entertainment.

A single promo snuck online to highlight just how much very real and painful history would have been drilled into with the character before the company saw sense and let him go with what they eventually settled on. That his run was so unremarkable highlighted just how disastrous the name could have been - the company would have welcomed completely unnecessary controversy, all for a midcarder that wasn't even an effective fit.

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