Ten Nicknames That Helped Sell The Wrestler

As part of crafting a new identity in AEW Kyle Fletcher has started using the nickname, The Protostar. I haven't exactly figured out the meaning behind the nickname. A protostar in the dictionary is defined as a young star still gathering mass from it's molecular cloud. I can kind of see how that pertains to Fletcher, but also can't so my initial assumption is he's proclaiming himself as the prototype star athlete. I could be wrong, but the nickname got the wheels in my head spinning about nicknames in pro wrestling. More precisely nicknames that helped sell a wrestler and the gimmick. Without further ado here are ten nicknames that helped sell the wrestler. 

10. "Human Suplex Machine" Taz

During his time as a foundational component of ECW, Taz was known as The Human Suplex Machine. A reference to his wrestling style and his ability to essential pull a suplex out of anywhere, he was able to pull off many variations of suplexes in his matches. That led to fan's looking forward to his matches and what type of suplex he would pull off. With his stocky build and stoic demeanor this nickname was what he needed to kind of stand out. If you look up clips today of Taz and his matches you will easily see why he was The Human Suplex Machine.

9. "The Cleaner " Kenny Omega

Before he was the "Best Bout Machine" he was a new member of the legendary New Japan group The Bullet Club known as "The Cleaner". The nickname started to align with his mission statement of cleaning up the Junior Heavyweight division in New Japan, based on people who clean up crime scenes. Once he accomplished that, he then started bringing in more elements to help dive the nickname home, namely bringing brooms to the ring and sweeping away at this competition.

The effort worked and folks took notice of his actions and led them to pay more attention to his in-ring skills. Which allowed him to rise up the ranks of the Bullet Club, and NJPW and then move to AEW with his Elite friends. If he hadn't become the "Cleaner" none of that may have happened.

8. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning

Curt Henning was a very smooth technical wrestler, rarely off and rarely missing a beat. As such in the 1980's when he joined the WWF he was dubbed "Mr. Perfect", a man that never made mistakes. His vignettes even showed he was perfect in every walk of life, even avenues he may not have had much experience in.

Combine the presentation from his vignettes alongside his in-ring skills, and you got a guy who fit his role to perfection (pun intended). To this day if you talk to a casual fan especially from the 80's era and mention Curt Henning, the response you get back usually is who? Mr. Perfect?

7. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas

"You Just Got Your Ass Franchised" was a catchphrase spouted out by one Mr. Shane Douglas who proclaimed himself The Franchise of ECW. He was a top player for ECW holding the world championship four times, leading a legendary ECW stable in Triple Threat and just talking a lot of shit every chance he gets.

The Franchise moniker was so successful in the pond of ECW, elements of it were incorporated (or ripped off) from Triple H when he became the game. That goes to show just how much being "The Franchise" elevated Shane Douglas's career in wrestling.

6. "Rated R Superstar" Edge

In the mid-2000's Edge was one of the most diabolical heel's that graced a WWE ring. He was an opportunist, vicious, cheating to get ahead, running down his opponents and the crowds, and smug very very smug. On an edition of his talk show The Cutting Edge he proclaimed himself The "Rated-R Superstar" because he was pushing boundaries and in my opinion the name aligned with the 2000's rocker look he had at the time. He introduced a custom championship and really proved why he had that nickname during the infamous 2006 edition of Raw when he and Lita had a "live" in-ring sex celebration.

He was the most hated man in the WWE for a good 3 years at least aided by his tag team run with Randy Orton as Rated-RKO and his time leading the stable La Familia with his "wife" Vickie Guerrero. That nickname helped separate him from his early years as a near mute, member of the Brood, and a "cool" dude with Christian. Cementing his legacy on his own.

5. "Y2J" Chris Jericho

In 1999 the Y2K bug was a legitimate concern that once the year 2000 hit, there was a possibility computers would not be able to recognize the digits "00" as a year and all hell would break loose. Depending on what side of the coin you were on, it was either an annoyance or a game changer. So upon Chris Jericho's WWF debut in the summer of '99 he dubbed himself "Y2J". He was an annoying "bug" coming in to the WWF ushering in a new generation of talent.

With his shiny buttoned shirts, he would interrupt other's promos with his funny or annoying schtick. It worked he became a disruptor and worked his way up the WWF chain to glory and championships. Today he is known as a legend who has been able to reinvent himself every few years, but the Y2J moniker is still his most revered incarnation. 

4. "Phenomenal" AJ Styles

He goes by "The Phenomenal" or the "Phenomenal one" entirely based off his in-ring skills. He has never been a master of the microphone, but when it came to the ring there are very few who compete against him as an all-around talent. During his run in TNA he was literally a human highlight reel, performing moves many had never seen before. And it was all the more amazing during the six-sided ring days of TNA.

I consider him a founding father of TNA's X-Division, and his acrobatic often death-defying movesets helped sell the legend of the nickname. Being labeled Phenomenal will have fans who aren't familiar with a wrestler clamoring to see him, and that's just what happened with AJ Styles. Even now as he pushes 50 he can still go with the best of the younger generation and it's all because he is Phenomenal.  

3. Bret "Hitman" Hart

                                 

Bret Hart's act was that he was a very technical and accurate wrestler. So his moniker was the "hitman" always on point with his in-ring style focusing on precision, hitting the right moves at the exact right time. His finisher submission move of a modified leglock was called The Sharpshooter helping sell his act. He also took himself way to serious which probably fit's in with a lot of guys in that field. The Hitman was not only a nickname and moniker, but it was the calling of his business ventures including a Canadian minor league hockey team The Hitmen, and a sports bar he has now called Hitmans Bar. 

Along with his trademark black and pink colors, the Hitman was a full package and the nickname helped sell the brand.

2. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

He was arguably the most popular man on earth during the height of the attitude era, the beer drinking take no shit S.O.B. known as Steve Austin. Yet no one calls him just Steve Austin, he is always referenced as Stone Cold Steve Austin. The nickname was derived to kind of give him that edge and remind people of those cold blooded criminals that are topics of documentaries. His ex-wife thought of the nickname on a whim, advising him to drink his tea before it got stone cold and the rest if history. 

The nickname Stone Cold is apart of the man Steve Austin, he will never be able to escape it. If he didn't have that nickname to fit his take no prisoners persona, we may not have experienced the wild ride of the attitude era the same.

1.  "The Game" Triple H

For Everything we know about Triple H, the nickname of the game fits him to a T. He was and still is a student of the game and he learned how to play the game. From becoming close friends with the Kliq to dating and eventually marrying Stephanie McMahon. Then parlaying that into getting more involved behind the scenes from booking to EVP of Talent to now the COO of WWE with full backing from parent company TKO. While putting his time in and paying his dues, he played the long game alluding to his other nickname the "Cerebal Assassin".

Triple H was so good he was the game of pro wrestling. The opening line of his theme song "It's All About the game, and how you play it", I've found easily translates to many aspects of life. Playing the game whatever one it is, seems to be apart of his DNA and that is why the nickname has worked so great for him.