Breaking kayfabe: 5 times WWE Superstars' real names were revealed on TV

WWE Superstars like Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Randy Orton have been allowed to use their real names since the start of their careers. However, the majority of men and women who appear on WWE television have been given an on-screen character name.

Kevin Owens, for example, was known to wrestling fans by his real name (Kevin Steen) before he joined WWE. When he became part of the WWE NXT system, the Steen surname was removed and replaced with Owens.

Another current-day WWE Superstar, Baron Corbin, is called Tom Pestock in real life. Roman Reigns has joked in interviews that Corbin was nicknamed “Football Tom” in developmental, but that has never been mentioned on WWE TV.

While the names Kevin Steen and Tom Pestock have not been used in WWE, plenty of other Superstars’ kayfabe-breaking real names have.

In this article, let’s take a look at five times that WWE Superstars’ real names were revealed on WWE programming.

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#5 CM Punk (Phil Brooks) and Triple H (Paul Levesque) – WWE RAW

WWE Superstars’ real names are not exactly a secret. In this case, CM Punk and Triple H have both used their real names in appearances outside of WWE. Still, even though their names are common knowledge, it is surprising when WWE allows its own characters to say real names on television.

This is something that simply does not happen on other TV shows. Would a Game of Thrones character refer to Jon Snow as Kit Harington during a scene? No, that would be absurd. However, in the over-the-top world of WWE, this is something that happens quite a lot.

One of the most famous examples of this came on the September 12, 2011 episode of WWE RAW. Six days before their match at WWE Night of Champions, CM Punk and Triple H exchanged some harsh words in a lengthy promo segment.

Towards the end of the promo, CM Punk said both his and Triple H’s real names:

“Sunday night, Night of Champions, No Disqualification, I’m gonna tell you a little secret, why it’s going to be so satisfying to me to kick your a**. And right now this isn’t CM Punk talking to Triple H; this is Phil Brooks talking to Paul Levesque.”

That comment from CM Punk (08:00 in the video above) drew huge gasps from the live crowd. Some fans could even be seen in the background applauding.

As part of the scripted segment, WWE’s production team cut CM Punk’s microphone. The Voice of the Voiceless then hit Triple H with the microphone and mocked him with a ‘DX chop’ taunt.

#4 Jey Uso (Joshua Fatu) – WWE Hell in a Cell 2020

Roman Reigns retained his WWE Universal Championship against Jey Uso in a match full of emotion at WWE Hell in a Cell 2020. The cell match, which also had an “I Quit” stipulation, ended when Reigns locked Jimmy Uso in a guillotine, forcing Jey to quit.

In the closing stages of the 30-minute encounter, Jey repeatedly refused to quit the match. Reigns looked set to take the punishment one step further by attacking his cousin with the steel steps. Then, in a similar situation to the WWE Clash of Champions finish, Jimmy entered the cell and pleaded with Reigns to stop.

At one stage, Jimmy even referred to his twin brother by his real name, Josh. Jimmy is called Jonathan Fatu in real life, while Jey is called Joshua Fatu.

“What is wrong with you, huh? What the hell are you doing? Whatever you’re going through, man, we can fix this. You ain’t gotta do this, man. Come on, uce, it’s Josh. You hear me? It’s Josh that’s laying right here in the middle of this damn ring.”

Much like CM Punk’s promo, this kayfabe-breaking moment with The Usos and Reigns was based on real life. Both Phil Brooks and CM Punk had issues with WWE management, while Reigns’ storyline revolved around his real family.

#3 The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) – WWE WrestleMania 36 storyline

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE changed AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker from a regular match at WrestleMania 36 to a Boneyard match. The cinematic battle, which The Undertaker won, was widely praised by fans.

In the build-up to the show, Styles cut promos about The Undertaker in front of live crowds on WWE RAW. The March 9, 2020 episode – the final RAW with WWE fans in attendance – saw Styles refer to The Undertaker as Mark Calaway.

“The truth is, I don’t see this mythical monster anymore. I don’t see this Phenom anymore. What I do see is a broken down, old man named Mark Calaway. Undertaker should’ve retired 10 years ago when he was in his prime.”

Mark Calaway (aka The Undertaker) has given lots of out-of-character interviews since Styles made that comment. However, prior to the debut of his Last Ride docuseries on the WWE Network in May 2020, Calaway hardly ever broke character.

When The Undertaker re-emerged ahead of WrestleMania, it was clear that he wanted to show a different side to his WWE persona. The man himself has confirmed that The Unholy Trinity in the Boneyard match was an idea that he came up with.

The Unholy Trinity referred to the three characters he portrayed in the match: himself (Mark Calaway), The Deadman, and The American Badass.

That is why Styles was allowed to call his rival by his real name in the weeks leading up to their match.

#2 AJ Styles (Allen Jones) – WWE WrestleMania 36 storyline

AJ Styles did not just insult the man behind The Undertaker gimmick, Mark Calaway, ahead of their WrestleMania 36 match. He also accused Calaway’s wife, former WWE Superstar Michelle McCool, of refusing to let him retire.

After Styles referred to The Undertaker as Mark Calaway on WWE RAW, The Deadman took a similar approach in another promo before WrestleMania:

“AJ Styles… or should I say… Allen Jones. I mean, since we’re being real now. For such a small man you’ve got a real big mouth. I don’t know if you have a really big set or you’re just really that stupid.”

WWE commentators and fans can usually be heard during regular WWE matches, but the Boneyard match presentation had a very different feel. Both The Undertaker and Styles spoke to each other throughout the match, and their ongoing war of words could be heard from start to finish.

Just like the pre-WrestleMania promo, The Undertaker also called his opponent Allen Jones during their physical match inside the Boneyard.

#1 Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) – WWE RAW

While the other WWE Superstars’ real names were revealed as part of storylines, Roman Reigns’ situation was very different.

On the October 22, 2018, episode of WWE RAW, Reigns announced that he had been diagnosed with leukemia for the second time in his life. The then-WWE Universal Champion began the segment by referring to himself by his real name, Joe Anoa’i.

"I feel like I owe everybody an apology. For months, maybe even a full year, I’ve come out here and spoke as Roman Reigns. I said a lot of things, you know.

"I said that I’d be here every single week, I said I’d be a fighting Champion, I said I was gonna be consistent, and I said I was gonna be a workhorse. But that’s all lies. It’s a lie because the reality is my real name is Joe and I’ve been living with leukemia for 11 years."

Reigns relinquished the WWE Universal Championship and explained that he did not know when he would be back in WWE.

Fortunately, the former Shield member made his return just four months later. His first match back came at WWE Fastlane on March 10, 2019, where The Shield defeated Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre.

Four weeks later, he defeated McIntyre at WrestleMania 35 in his first one-on-one WWE match in over six months.