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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Our names do not define us, quite the contrary. Consider the true story of Robert Lane, who named his two sons Winner and Loser. Winner Lane became a career criminal, spending much of his life between prison and homeless shelters, while Loser Lane graduated college and became a successful detective for the New York Police Department, rising to the rank of Sergeant.
That said, our names can affect who we become. Would Usain Bolt have become a sprinter if his last name did not describe a blast of lightning? Would Thomas Crapper have invented the toilet were he Thomas Smith?
A name can elevate us or doom us. This is why parents put so much thought into naming our children. Thousands of men named Adolph faced ridicule and harassment in the 1930’s before the name disappeared from use. I have often wondered what became of Richard Head, my college biology lab partner, and how his name affected his life.
Professional wrestlers, like other celebrities, can choose their own name to some degree. A good name can help describe a wrestler’s character (e.g., the Undertaker or Steve Austin) or at least sound cooler than one’s given name (e.g., Shawn Michaels vs Shawn Hickenbottom). A bad name can severely hinder a wrestler’s career: neither Bastion Booger nor the Red Rooster were ever going to be world champions, and Dolph Ziggler should have reached greater heights with a better name.
Which young wrestling stars are boosted by a marketable name, and which are held back by a bad one?
Let’s take a look.
Rising Star of the Week: Oba Femi
Femi’s name is distinctive, simple, yet clean, and reflects the Nigerian roots that help make him unique.
Oba is a West African term meaning king, which describes the character of the man who was known as the “Ruler of NXT.” At once it reflects his power and heritage.
Femi is a term form the Nigerian Yoruba language, is often used as a short form of longer names such as Olufemi, which means “God loves me. On its own, Femi simply means “love me.” What better to describe a main event babyface’s aspirations than to garner the affection of his audience?
Oba Femi is also a great name because it is unique. When Jordynne Grace wrestled Kelani Jordan last week on NXT, it became impossible to tell who Vic Josephs was referring to when talked about “Jordan.” Even Sting and Edge are easily confused with musicians who share their names.
Not so Oba. In professional wrestling, there is only one.
The sky’s the limit on the main roster for this talented, charismatic young man. Whatever his success, Femi’s name will only help.
Runner-up: Je’Von Evans
Another of NXT’s top prospects, Evans has a name which strikes the right tone. First, like Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart, Je’Von Evans simply sounds like a real name. One might even be surprised to learn that it’s not his given name (Malachi Jeffers).
Second, Je’von is unusual enough to be unique in professional wrestling, but not so rare as to cause confusion. Grounding it with a common surname Evans makes it easier to remember.
Third, Je’von, a creative variation of the Welsh Jevon, easily associates with the African American community, connecting Evans to his heritage as well.
Finally, his nickname “The Young OG” is derivative of multiple hip hop artists, most notably Ahsa Gangali and Rio Da Yung OG. The epithet connects Evans to popular culture and the younger generation and applies as well to a wrestler as it does to a musician.
With his incredible athleticism and unparalleled bump-taking ability, Evans has the potential to be a main roster main eventer if he can stay healthy and sharpen his mic skills. His name rolls off the tongue and will fit in nicely on a WrestleMania card.
Second Runner up: Thea Hail
Crisp and memorable, Thea Hail is a play on words while still sounding like a legitimate name. Hail’s name is straightforward, easy to remember, but distinctive enough to stand out.
Thea is a Greek name meaning Goddess, and Hail suggests praise (as in “hail the champion”).
A three-syllable name is always a bonus, because it’s easy to chant.
The NXT audience was quick to discover this. “Thee- ah- Hail! Thee – ah – Hail!”
Honorable Mention: Arianna Grace, Trick Williams, Tony D’Angelo
Runner-Up: Bron Breakker
What the heck? Breakker is in no way a believable last name. Would Steven Austin have been a success if his name were Steve Attakker? Doubtful.
Admitted Bron is a pretty cool sounding name and would be distinctive if he not been paired with Bronson Reed, the only other Bron on the roster.
Additionally, Bron Breakker does have alliteration going for it, which helps make the name memorable as it has for so many Marvel secret identities (e.g., Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Stephen Strange)
However, Breakker sounds completely made-up and just plain stupid.
Given his family legacy, Bron Steiner would have been more conventional choice. Breakker has said in interviews that he didn’t use the Steiner name because he wanted to “carve his own path.” Be careful what you wish for.
Husky Harris had the good sense to change his name to Bray Wyatt. My own personal “Vision” has Breakker following his example.
If the self-proclaimed Future of WWE meets expectations he will need to rise above his wretched name.
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Fading Star of the Week: Lash Legend
Legend’s size, strength, and charisma will all go a long way in setting her up for main roster success.
She’s going to need all of those traits to overcome the disadvantage of a dumb name.
The surname Legend is unusual but not totally unbelievable. Singer John Legend has set some precedent, although his real name is John Stephens. A last name of Legend sounds cool, contemporary, and suggests greatness. Meta-four was a fitting faction for Legend, whose name is nothing if not metaphor.
A first name of Lash is similarly very rare but not completely without precedent. Some might recall Lash Larue, a film actor from the 1950’s whose real name was Alfred.
Coupling a barely credible first name with a barely credible first name is just too much. Lash Legend sounds completely phony.
Plus 5 points for alliteration, minus fifty points for implausibility.
Runner-Up: Jacy Jayne
Similarly, Jayne capitalizes on alliteration, but sounds contrived. The story behind her name is somewhat bizarre.
In 2018 Jayne was wrestling under the name Avery Taylor in American Combat Wrestling. At that time another wrestler Lacey Lane was finding success in Crash Lucha Libre. Lane would come to NXT later that year and wrestled under the name Lacey Lane for several months before changing her name to Kayden Carter.
Shortly afterwards, Taylor debuted in NXT where she took the name Jacey Jayne. Its not clear if this was an homage to Lacey Lane or simply imitation, but Jayne’s new name created some confusion in NXT.
The confusion multiplied this year when Carter was released from WWE and debuted in AEW under her former name Lacey Lane. Ironically, a number of fans online accused her of ripping of Jacy Jayne’s name. Lane responded, calling these fans ‘idiots’ on Twitter.
October would see Lacy Lane wrestling for the TBS title, and Jacy Jayne wrestling for the NXT title. In the event that Jayne moves to AEW, we could see them wrestle one another.
I expect Tony Chiavone to have a field day announcing that one.
Dishonorable Mention: Lexis King, Alba Fyre, & Izzi Dame.
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