12 WWE Superstars whose real names you didn't know (With Pictures)

12 WWE Superstars whose real names you didn’t know (With Pictures)

WWE Superstars and their real names – When it comes to being a WWE Superstar, the company loves to have a strangle hold on their wrestlers. Whether it be with contract terms or gimmicks, the company has the final say in all proceedings. This has caused some of our favorite stars to look past the company while enjoying their freedoms independently.

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One concept the WWE decides for a Superstar is their name. In some rare instances, a wrestler can keep their actual name, like John Cena for example, whose real name is John Felix Anthony Cena Jr. However, for the most part, others haven’t been as lucky.

Even some of the more prominent stars had name changes like Shawn Michaels, whose real name is actually Michael Hickenbottom, or Triple H who is known as Paul Levesque. Even if you used a name on the Indie circuit you aren’t exempt, as the company would usually change your name, like Fergal Devitt who was re-branded to Finn Balor.

Although it should be noted the WWE finally became a little more lenient with this. The likes of Samoa Joe, Nakamura and A.J. Styles have all been allowed to keep their Indie names. It’ll be interesting to see if this stays the same in the future. We certainly hope so.

For now, let us take a look at some of the more peculiar name changes that might surprise you. These are the 12 real-life WWE Superstar names you wouldn’t believe. Enjoy!

12. Roman Reigns: Leati Joseph Anoa’i

Can you imagine Roman’s in-ring name being altered to LJ Anoa’i? Yikes. Thankfully, the WWE decided against using his real name, despite his family’s storied legacy in the wrestling business. Signing his first developmental deal with FCW, Roman was named Roman Leakee. He was called Leakee most of the time and his entire look and persona was quite different to the dominant force we see in the ring today.

Once FCW re-branded to NXT, so did Roman. The company made the wise choice to change him into Roman Reigns and his wins began to pile up as well, as the company began to see some big time potential in the Superstar. His NXT stint was very short, and despite his limited experience, the company felt like he was ready for the big-time alongside his Shield Brothers Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Say what you want about Roman, but no wrestler on the main roster has improved more than the current United States Champion.