Real Reason Why Vince McMahon Has Changed So Many WWE Talent Names Lately
Here's why WWE boss Vince McMahon has been tampering with talent names again.
The Wrestling Observer has revealed why WWE decided to switch up so many talent names recently.
According to Dave Meltzer, Vince McMahon decreed that nobody new should be allowed to use their real names or the monikers they previously used on the independent scene. That's the reason behind recent changes for Raquel Gonzalez (who was re-dubbed Rodriguez on last week's SmackDown), Austin Theory (now just Theory) and more.
It was previously alleged that Theory lost his forename due to the return of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, but The Observer's latest report didn't double down on that. Instead, Meltzer's sources tell him that internal memos say McMahon is dead set against birth names and indy titles.
This, apparently, won't affect anybody who is already established on WWE's main roster. So, guys like Riddle, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton are safe. The same goes for Ronda Rousey, but that's presumably something to do with her celebrity crossover appeal too.
NXT star Raul Mendoza has also been changed to Cruz Del Toro, and recent SmackDown debutant Marcel Barthel is now known as Ludwig Kaiser. Both of those alterations were due to Vince's memo.