10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About Chris Hero
9. An Inauspicious Start
Chris Spradlin’s most notable name change took place when he became Kassius Ohno after joining NXT in 2012, but his most important took place long before that. In fact, if it weren’t for this particular step, Hero’s career may have ended before it had ever truly started, and we certainly wouldn’t be talking about him as a new WWE signing today.
In 1999, Hero entered the wrestling world as “The Wife Beater.” It was an attempt to drum up controversy and make a name for himself, and with an equally provocative finishing move (“Domestic Violence,” seriously…), he predictably attracted all the wrong kinds of attention.
Hero ran with the Wife Beater character for a few months until a women’s group became aware of the gimmick. The group were so offended that they organised a boycott of an indie show he was set to work in Illinois, and while Hero wasn’t mentioned by name, the incident garnered mainstream attention on Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” show on Comedy Central.
Fortunately, Wife Beater wasn’t long for this world. Hero was booked for a series of family friendly NWA shows in and around his native Ohio, and the promoter demanded he change his name. Thus, “Chris Hero” was born...