Ex-WWE star reveals he did not get to keep his family name unlike Cody Rhodes and 3-time champion

A former WWE Superstar and a real-life Bloodline member recently pointed out that Cody Rhodes (son of legendary Dusty Rhodes) and Ted DiBiase Jr. (son of The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase) were allowed to use their family names in the company, unlike him.

Afa Anoa'i Jr., formerly known as Manu, had a very short stint (2006 to 2009) with World Wrestling Entertainment. He was briefly a part of Randy Orton's faction called The Legacy alongside, Rhodes, DiBiase, and Sim Snuka.

During an interview with MuscleManMalcolm, Manu was asked to open up about how his WWE in-ring name came into existence upon his debut in 2006. The Samoan star disclosed that throughout his pro wrestling career, he went by his real name, Afa Jr., but the Stamford-based promotion had different plans, unlike in the case of The American Nightmare and the former Million Dollar Champion.

"I won the FCW Heavyweight title as Afa Jr. and then when I went up the road, I was the odd man out. We had Ted and Cody and they got to keep their names and they [WWE] wouldn't let me keep my name for some reason, so we chose, Manu which is a very spiritual and powerful word in Samoan," he said. [From 05:08 to 05:28]

Watch the full video below:

The 39-year-old star also shared that the "Manu" persona was chosen by one of the WWE higher-ups in the office, and he was cool with it.

Hall of Famer revealed what WWE should do to make Cody Rhodes more credible as a champion

Wrestling veteran Bully Ray recently shared his two cents on what must be done with The American Nightmare to elevate the Undisputed WWE Championship under The Paul "Triple H" Levesque Era.

After dethroning Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, Rhodes successfully defended his World Title against AJ Styles at Backlash France.

Speaking on the Busted Open Radio, Ray explained that Cody Rhodes should put his championship on the line more often on RAW or SmackDown, unlike The Tribal Chief.

"People want to see the World Heavyweight Championship defended. I would love to turn on a Monday Night RAW and know that in my main event (...) I want to know that Cody Rhodes is either defending his championship this Monday Night on RAW or this Friday Night on SmackDown. I don't understand how that's too much to ask," said Bully Ray.

The American Nightmare is advertised for the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring PLE in Saudi Arabia. But it remains to be seen which WWE Superstar will challenge Cody Rhodes for the title next.