8 WWE Superstars who had their names shortened on the main roster

We often see WWE changing up Superstar names on the main roster. In most cases, Superstars have their names shorted although the War Raiders were recently renamed to the Viking Experience and then the Viking Raiders.

Let's take a look at 8 WWE Superstars who had their names shortened on the main roster and what they're up to now.

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#8 Rusev (originally Alexander Rusev)

Lana and Rusev

We start off our list with one of the originals in the category of having your name changed after getting called up from NXT, Rusev. The 'Bulgarian Brute' had a successful run in NXT after debuting under the name Alexander Rusev. Rusev was later paired together with future-wife Lana and the pairing just clicked.

Rusev was fast-tracked made his main roster debut at the 2014 Royal Rumble and his dominant unbeaten run continued until he came up against John Cena at WrestleMania 31. Regardless, that entrance on a tank will remain one of the most badass WrestleMania entrances of all time.

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#7 Neville (originally Adrian Neville)

Pac aka Neville is now signed to All Elite Wrestling

It's unfortunate that WWE didn't push Neville in the way he deserved. Neville could do it all and proved it after his return as the King of the Cruiserweights only for WWE to later job him out to Enzo Amore. This led to Neville quitting the company and WWE's loss was to the benefit of All Elite Wrestling's gain as they snapped him up.

Neville is another WWE Superstar who had their name changed after coming up to the main roster. In addition, he originally got a ridiculous cape to try and make him come off as a superhero. Neville's full name during his time in developmental was Adrian Neville and he was a former NXT Champion during his time in the black and yellow brand.

#6 TJP (originally TJ Perkins)

TJP

TJ Perkins had a brilliant start to his WWE career by winning the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. The first Cruiserweight Champion (current era) didn't do as well on the main roster though. He lost his title shortly after 205 Live began and in place of being the face of the new show, it looked like WWE lost faith in him and turned him heel.

During this point, WWE also shortened his name to TJP. Perkins was released from WWE earlier in 2019.

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#5 Harper and Rowan (originally Luke Harper and Erick Rowan)

Bludgeon Brothers

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan started off in WWE along with Bray Wyatt as part of the Wyatt Family. The Wyatts were successful after moving to the main roster until they eventually split up in 2017.

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were later repackaged as a tag-team, The Bludgeon Brothers. The imposing duo also had their names shortened and they both lost their first names. They did win the SmackDown Tag-Team Championships though, which they dropped after Rowan picked up an injury.

#4 Andrade (originally Andrade 'Cien' Almas)

Andrade

Andrade 'Cien' Almas made his NXT debut as a babyface and it didn't start that well for him. WWE soon paired him up with Zelina Vega and turned him heel and it all seemed to click. The talented Mexican star eventually won the NXT Championship before being called up to main in 2018.

Almas' main roster career started a little slow but WWE have recently started to give him a lot of television time, which has finally given him the chance to show what he can do. WWE also shortened his name to just Andrade.

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#3 Elias (originally Elias Samson)

Elias

Elias is one of those WWE Superstars who had a better time on the main roster than on NXT. After making his debut on NXT as 'The Drifter' Elias Sampson, it was quite unspectacular until he was suddenly called up to RAW after WrestleMania 33.

Elias soon had his name shortened, losing his last name. However, WWE have booked him really well on the main roster and the future looks bright for him.

#2 Big E (originally Big E Langston)

Big E hit his stride after joining the New Day along with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston

Big E had a great career in NXT, where he was NXT Champion, before being called up to main and soon being paired with Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee. He also had his name shortened.

Big E hit his stride after joining the New Day along with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. The trio has become one of the most popular acts in WWE.

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#1 Ali (originally Mustafa Ali)

Ali

This is the newest entry to this list. Mustafa Ali also got his foot into WWE through the Cruiserweight Classic and after lighting up 205 Live, he was called up to SmackDown last year.

After a series of incredible performances over the last few months, Ali looks to have a bright future on SmackDown Live. He also had his name shortened to just Ali for some reason.