5 Superstars who changed names after their WWE release

Unlike other sports, pro-wrestling needs a wrestler to have a unique in-ring name that sounds catchy and marketable. In a few rare cases, Superstars' names remain unchanged, as their original names sound good enough.

For instance, WWE legends Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. In most of the cases, the Superstar in question gets an in-ring moniker that suits their character. The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, and Stone Cold are just a few examples of names that suited the gimmick to the T.

When Superstars get released by WWE or when they leave the company on their own volition, they sometimes want to start afresh. In many instances, these Superstars are forced to change their names or adopt their real names in order to compete elsewhere, as their WWE moniker can't be legally used in other promotions.

In the following slideshow, we will take a look at 5 WWE Superstars who revealed new names following their release.

#5 Rusev

After being a mainstay on RAW/SmackDown for six years, Rusev was released by WWE in April 2020 along with several other Superstars. These releases came amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which forced WWE to severely cut costs wherever possible. Rusev wasn't happy with his standing for a while and was removed from WWE TV earlier this year in the middle of his feud with Bobby Lashley.

Soon after his release, Rusev started a YouTube channel as well as a Twitch channel. He regularly posts videos on his YouTube channel and talks about his time in WWE. Rusev and Lana went on to confirm in a YouTube video that he will be going by the moniker of 'Miro'.

Rusev later stated that he's done with wrestling, but fans are still holding hope that this is just a swerve and they will get to see Rusev compete somewhere else in the near future.