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AJ Styles On Being Told He Might Have To Change His Name In WWE

Posted: May 17th 2020 By: Josh Coulson - TheSportster.com

Triple H originally told AJ Styles that he would probably have to change his name when he signed with WWE.

Triple H initially told AJ Styles he might have to change his name when The Phenomenal One first signed with WWE.

Names are a curious thing in WWE. Vince McMahon frequently decides, seemingly on a whim, that Superstars should have one name instead of two. Rusev, Murphy, Otis, the list of performers who have inexplicably lost either their first or their last name is a long one.

As for new signings getting a complete name change, that makes a little more sense. Stars who have established names elsewhere having to be called something else in WWE can happen for a couple of reasons. Their previous ring name might be owned by whatever company they worked for last. Or it might be a case of WWE not wanting fans to make the connection between their name and where they were previously employed.

The only puzzling thing is there doesn't appear to be a pattern when it comes to a wrestler being allowed to keep their name and those who don't. Fergal Devitt became Finn Balor, but Samoa Joe's name was unchanged. Tommy End became Aleister Black, while AJ Styles continued to use the name he has used everywhere else. The Phenomenal One recently addressed keeping his name while streaming on Mixer, and that he was originally told it might have to change.

"Triple H was like, ‘Hey man, you may not be able to keep AJ Styles. We may have to give you another name.’," Styles revealed. He told The Game that he had no problem with that, but highlighted the fact that he had AJ tattooed on his side in very big letters. Styles wound up not having to change his name when he eventually debuted in WWE but was never told why that was.

If there was anyone with a name big enough outside of WWE that it shouldn't be changed its AJ Styles. Not only has Styles made a name for himself almost everywhere outside of WWE, but he is also a multiple-time World Champion across various different companies. Changing his name wouldn't have changed the fact that he is one of the best in-ring performers in the world, but it made his transition into WWE a lot smoother.