10 Pro Wrestlers & How They Came Up With Their Ring Name

Ring names are one of the most essential aspects in wrestling. A wrestler can work without using any complex moves, having promo skills, or even a standout gimmick, but they do need a wrestling name that sticks in the fans' mind. Most wrestlers usually come up with a fictional name, sometimes taking inspiration from various places.

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Some wrestlers don't have to look too far, as they just decide to wrestle using their real names. Many wrestlers have a story to tell about their ring names and how they came across them. The following wrestlers are some examples who have revealed their ring name origins.

10 Edge

During an interview with Fox News recently, Edge revealed the origins of his ring name. He said that after joining WWE, the company tossed around a few name ideas such as Rage and Riot among others. Once when he was driving with Don Callis, listening to 102.1 The Edge radio station, he came up with the name "Edge." The company also liked how it sounded and that's how The Rated R Superstar got his ring name.

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Though he wanted to wrestle as Adam Copeland, which he had used before WWE. But at that time, most wrestlers weren't allowed to wrestle using their real names.

9 Jon Moxley

On the first episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Jon Moxley talked about a variety of topics including how he chose his wrestling name. Before AEW happened, Moxley was known as Dean Ambrose in WWE and he used to wrestle as Jon Moxley in the indies.

On his first match in front of a crowd, Moxley didn't have a ring name for himself. He was part of a tag team of some "stoner football players." Before his entrance, the ring announcer asked for his ring name but he didn't have one. A fellow wrestler said he looks similar to Jonathan Moxley (he got the name wrong) from Varsity Blues, and within a minute, Mox had decided on a ring name.

8 Madcap Moss

On an episode of The Danny Bonaduce & Sarah Morning Show, Madcap Moss revealed that growing up, he really liked Randy Moss when he used to play for Minnesota Vikings. So that's where Moss in his ring name came from. So far, he has had two different first names in WWE (Riddick and Madcap). The first one, he chose because it sounded cool and the other was an idea of Vince McMahon.

7 Adam Cole

Last year on Chris Jericho's Talk is Jericho podcast, Adam Cole discussed his ring name and how came up with it. Cole revealed that his parents were going to name him Cole Jenkins, but just two days before his birth, they changed it to Austin Jenkins. He chose Adam as his first name instead of Austin because there were a ton of wrestlers using it already.

6 Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho was originally going to wrestle as Jack Action, he once revealed on The Rich Eisen Show. But when he told his ring name to someone, they called it "stupid" and Jericho instantly changed his mind about it. When that person asked for Jericho's name again, he instantly came up with Chris Jericho. He took his name from Helloween's Walls of Jericho album. That's where he got the name for his submission move as well.

5 Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega is a massive video games fan. The Cleaner really loved Final Fantasy VII, and there was a character named Omega Weapon that became the inspiration behind Kenny's ring name. His finisher, the One Winged Angel, is a reference to another character from the game called Sephiroth.

4 Alexa Bliss

When Alexa Bliss first came to WWE, she was playing a Southern Belle gimmick in NXT. She had a catchphrase: "Bless your heart." Due to the southern accent, it sounded more like "bliss your heart" and that's where the Bliss in Alexa Bliss came from. Originally, she didn't like this name but her NXT coach did. Eventually, this name grew on Bliss and now she really likes it.

3 Bron Breakker

Bron Breakker is the son of Rick Steiner, one half of The Steiner Brothers. When Breakker made his NXT debut in September 2021, he didn't use the Steiner surname which surprised many fans. Originally, he was going to debut as Rex Steiner but later changed their mind due to trademark issues.

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Before becoming a wrestler, Breakker played football in college and got signed with Baltimore Ravens briefly. In football, Bron said he used to block and break people, and that's how he became Bron Breakker in WWE.

2 Braun Strowman

In March 2018, Braun Strowman appeared on WTMJ-TV Milwaukee for an interview. There, Strowman revealed how he ended up with Braun Strowman as his WWE ring name. The former Universal Champion explained that he pitched a few ideas but they were all rejected. Once, he was in the Performance Center, watching an episode of Sportscenter where they talked about Ryan Braun. Strowman liked the name and decided to use it. Although he didn't reveal where the "Strowman" came from.

1 Austin Theory

Austin Theory's ring name was inspired by a Tekken video game character called Bryan Fury, as he revealed during an interview with Chris Vlan Vliet. Austin is a part of his real name, and Theory rhymes perfectly with Fury. Some months ago, WWE shortened his name to Theory and a lot of fans were unhappy about it. Although Theory was happy with the name change.