The art of the nickname in wrestling can become a huge part of a wrestler’s future. Every major promotion is looking for every way possible to market their talents in hopes of both parties making huge money. Not all nicknames will connect as many get left in the dust. Dean Ambrose’s Lunatic Fringe and Brodus Clay’s Funkasaurus represent times nicknames failed.
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However, there are best-case scenarios that wrestling companies benefited from. Smaller things like merchandise to bigger elements like becoming part of one’s identity factor into the success. Find out which nicknames instantly clicked for talents involved.
10 The Game
Triple H unintentionally created a nickname in a promo that followed him for the rest of his career. Jim Ross often called Triple H a “student of the game” as a diehard wrestling purist who studied countless others.
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The worked shoot promo from Triple H saw him unleashing a lot of pent up frustration and stating he was “the f’n game” as opposed to a student of it. WWE loved it and started calling Triple H “The Game” which still is used today.
9 Big Show
Many fans forget that WWE used Big Show as a nickname for the giant while using his real name Paul Wight in the first few months. WWE realized Big Show was catching on more than his actual name and moved forward as such.
The use of his real name was completely dropped. Big Show was now the name rather than just the nickname since fans seemed to like it more. WWE utilized Big Show on the roster for over two decades with his career still going.
8 The Rated R Superstar
Edge had a few struggles in the road trying to make the jump from mid-carder to main eventer. A heel turn and the alignment with Lita made him a top star finally clicking on all cylinders as the perfect villain for John Cena.
WWE came up with the nickname of The Rated R Superstar for Edge since Cena was viewed as a family-friendly wrestler. The polar opposite made Edge an edgier character thanks to his risque segments with Lita, violent matches, and his overall demeanor.
7 Deadman
The Undertaker’s gimmick was a bit outlandish even for the early ‘90s when debuting for WWE. Fans loved the portrayal and the work enough to overlook some of the sillier associated with the Deadman gimmick.
Even though Undertaker’s performances brought the fans to life with their responses, he was known as the Deadman. WWE kept the nickname going when he ditched the Deadman gimmick for the American Badass, but the name still was associated with him.
6 The Excellence of Execution
Bret Hart’s in-ring technical skills were second to none at his peak. The backstory growing up in the business as part of the Hart family made Bret work hard at all the little things that made him an overall superb performer.
WWE called Hart the Excellence of Execution for his ability to hit all his moves with perfect precision and impact. Bret made the moniker relevant by always living up to it and even improving as he moved into a role as the face of the company in 1994.
5 The Heartbreak Kid
Shawn Michaels became another huge star for WWE shortly after turning on Marty Jannetty to end The Rockers. Everyone could see the obvious in-ring skills of Michaels, but he became a stronger character as an arrogant heel.
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The Heartbreak Kid was the nickname given to Michaels when adding a ladies’ man layer to his character. Michaels’ legendary theme song was inspired by the name that became part of his legacy in WWE.
4 Dirtiest Player in the Game
Ric Flair had a few great nicknames, but one stood out above the rest for his heel character. The Dirtiest Player in the Game nickname made perfect sense since Flair used every trick in the book to steal wins as a heel.
Flair loved the heel side of things more than a face since that character became his identity in wrestling. It reached the point where fans would cheer Flair for cheating as a face since the Dirtiest Player in the Game moniker became endearing later in his career.
3 The Legend Killer
The momentum of Randy Orton started in Evolution working with Triple H and Ric Flair. Orton was clearly a top prospect for WWE, and they wanted the run in such an important faction to catapult him to the top.
A new gimmick of Orton attacking and disrespecting legends earned him heat. WWE came up with the Legend Killer nickname as Orton continued to add new names to the list. Mick Foley, Sgt. Slaughter, and Harley Race were just a few victims of the Legend Killer.
2 The Rock
WWE started The Rock off as a generic face using the name Rocky Maivia when starting off. Fans refused to show love for the character and that forced the change of his heel turn joining the Nation of Domination.
His incredible heel promos saw him using the name The Rock in the third person to get heel heat. However, it stuck since the name was perfect for the character. Rock continued to thrive under the name and WWE dropped the use of Rocky Maivia for good.
1 Stone Cold
The rise of Steve Austin to the top of WWE made him the hottest star in the industry. Everything about Austin started to connect, and that included him referencing the nickname of Stone Cold in a promo to test it out.
Austin’s wife at the time used the term to describe her tea and it inspired him to give it a chance. WWE fans instantly loved it and it became part of Austin’s identity. Some fans still refer to Austin as "Stone Cold" and nothing more.
