7 WWE Superstars whose career took off after changing their name

#1. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's WWE career could have gone so differently. As you may know, his WWE debut came in early 1996, and he was known as 'The Ringmaster' and was handed the Million Dollar Championship by Ted Dibiase. However, The Ringmaster idea was never going to work, and Austin reportedly asked WWE for a change himself.

Some of the names suggested to him by WWE were Otto Von Ruthless, Ice Dagger, Fang McFrost, and Chilli McFreeze. Thankfully, Steve Austin knew better, and it was the 'Stone Cold' name that he adopted early into his run.

We mentioned earlier how the "curtain call" moment in Madison Square Garden had an impact on the course of WWE history. It was in mid-1996 that Austin's career took off, as WWE chose to make him the King of the Ring winner instead of the originally-planned Triple H.

It was later that year that Austin feuded with Bret Hart, leading to a match at Survivor Series 1996. Their WrestleMania 13 match was a true turning point, where 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin began a babyface run. The name change skyrocketed him into becoming the largest-drawing superstar in WWE/pro wrestling history up to that point. It's hard to imagine an Attitude Era without 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin wreaking havoc in WWE.