7 WWE Superstars whose career took off after changing their name

#2. Batista - From Deacon to WWE legend

Evolution was a game-changer

Batista's main roster debut in WWE was an underwhelming one - appearing as Reverend D-Von's sidekick on SmackDown, and going by the name "Deacon Batista".

They were given TV time, but Batista eventually turned on D-Von and aligned with Ric Flair. This led to him joining Evolution, where his name was shortened to just "Batista".

Batista's WWE career would change forever. He became the powerhouse of Evolution, and although Randy Orton was the Superstar who WWE wanted to have the biggest rise from Evolution, it was ultimately Batista. With WWE having finished the Randy Orton turn in the summer of 2004, it resulted in an unintentionally organic build to a Triple H-Batista feud.

By early 2005, Batista broke out as one of the hottest Superstars in WWE, and his Royal Rumble win that year would lead to his first WrestleMania main event, where he dethroned Triple H to win the World Heavyweight title. While it wasn't the conclusion of the Evolution storyline, it was a definitive moment that saw Batista skyrocket to the top of WWE.