14 Released WWE Superstars: What are their new names?
In December 2019, WWE announced the releases of Luke Harper, Sin Cara and both members of The Ascension, Konnor and Viktor. Four months later, The Revival’s Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder were also granted their releases, while Matt Hardy’s WWE contract came to an end.
All seven of those Superstars either asked to leave or let their contracts expire, but the same could not be said for the group of men and women who were given their releases in April 2020 as a cost-cutting measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since being released, some Superstars have kept a low profile and not given much of an indication on what lies ahead in their future – Curtis Axel, for example, has not even commented on his release – but others have already updated fans on their plans and their new post-WWE names.
In this article, let’s find out some of those new names by counting down 14 released WWE Superstars who have already changed their name.
#14 Rusev - Miro (left WWE in April 2020)
Shortly after Rusev joined WWE’s main roster in 2014, Vince McMahon decided to ditch his character’s first name, Alexander, and he went on to do the same in future years with Superstars including Buddy Murphy, Erick Rowan and Mustafa Ali.
While some of those Superstars were given their first name back, Rusev only went by his surname for the final five years of his WWE career.
Since leaving WWE in 2020, Rusev (real name Miroslav Barnyashev) has called himself Miro on social media and on his new YouTube and Twitch channels.
His wife, Lana, confirmed in a recent YouTube video that he will use the name Miro as a wrestler.
#13 Erick Rowan - Erick RedBeard (left WWE in April 2020)
Shortly after Erick Rowan’s WWE release was confirmed, he changed his name on social media to his real name (Joseph Ruud) and began referring to himself as Erick RedBeard.
Unlike Rusev, who also has a new shaven-headed look to go along with his new name, Rowan’s post-WWE name is similar to the one he used in WWE.
It is also worth noting that Rowan has been used in lots of throwback videos during the Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt rivalry on SmackDown recently, but another former Wyatt Family member, Luke Harper (AEW’s Brodie Lee), is nowhere to be seen.