WWE Making Another Strange Name Change

They think that’s a good idea? The right name can change everything about a wrestler and it can be both a good or a bad thing. Names like Hulk Hogan, John Cena and Steve Austin are among the best of all time, but there are also some names like the Goon, the Red Rooster, and Bastian Booger, which kid of keep you from having the most successful career. You just aren’t going to get very far with that, and now WWE might be making another questionable change.

Earlier this year, Matt Riddle made his full time main roster debut, becoming one of the latest members of the SmackDown roster. That is the kind of move that could have been a game changer as Riddle was one of the more intriguing NXT stars who was now getting his change on the big stage. So far his results have been hit and miss, but now something might be coming that could make it a bit harder.

According to PWInsider.com, WWE has changed Riddle’s name from Matt Riddle to just Riddle, effective today. There is no word on why the name change took place, though Riddle’s WWE.com profile page still has his full name listed. Riddle has been on the main roster since May and was drafted to Monday Night Raw earlier this month. He lost to Sheamus in a Survivor Series qualifying match this week.

This is a strange move. Check out the full version of Riddle:

Opinion: I’m really not sure I get this one and that has been the case with a lot of these name changes. Fans are going to think of him as Matt Riddle, so why make his name such a strange one? Something like Cesaro or Rusev are names that can stand on their own, but Riddle sounds more like a joke than anything else. I hope WWE rethinks this but it might take a long time to get there.

What do you think of the change? How long will it last? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!