5 iconic one-word wrestling names
Sometimes all you need is one single word to get the fans’ attention
A wrestler’s name is a critical factor in determining their success. Their name must be intriguing enough to pique fans’ interest, and must also be easy enough to pronounce or repeat so that they stick in fans’ minds. Without a good name, a wrestler cannot hope to achieve much success.
When non-wrestling fans think of wrestling, a few images come up. To them, the first names that come to mind are some of the iconic and most recognisable names of the past: Hulk Hogan, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and The Undertaker. In other cases, non-wrestling fans think of wacky names for outlandish characters when they think of wrestling. The name ‘The Crusher’ is probably the most popular name any child ever gives themselves when they wonder what they’d call themselves if they were wrestlers.
In recent years, WWE has gone in a different direction when it comes to wrestler’s names. Most wrestlers either perform under their own names if they’re easy to remember and pronounce, or are given slight variations to make their names easier on the fans (example: Jinder Mahal’s real name is Yuvraj Singh Dhesi, but good luck getting WWE to use that name).
Back when larger-than-life characters ruled the world of wrestling, it wasn’t uncommon for wrestlers to have random names and nicknames that had nothing to do with who they were in real life. Some wrestlers were given one-word names because it fit their characters without divulging much about them.
It’s these wrestlers with one-word names that we’ll look at today. These are the top five wrestlers with one-word names whose careers have become the stuff of legend in the world of professional wrestling.
#5 Chyna
Chyna was a walking example of irony in action
Joan ‘Chyna’ Laurer was given this name as a form of irony. Fine china, also known as porcelain, is one of the most delicate and fragile materials on earth. One must be very careful when handling china because it can break very easily. This is also the source of the idiom ‘a bull in a china shop’ which describes a clumsy person in a delicate situation.
Laurer being called ‘Chyna’ was ironic because she was the polar opposite of the name she was given. While fine china/porcelain is delicate and fragile, Chyna was powerful, rough and durable. She spent the majority of her WWE career wrestling against men and even lifted them through her shocking power. Chyna was pushed as ‘the Ninth Wonder of the World’, a woman that defied gender boundaries and restrictions.
Even today, most people associated porcelain with quiet old ladies drinking tea and being careful not to break the delicate material. Chyna, meanwhile, made her name for fighting and winning against male wrestlers and becoming one of the biggest wrestling stars of all time.