25 Best Nicknames in Wrestling History
In a series of articles, I've been identifying what makes a superstar the total package. While that can lead to them being successful, it's not everything. A superstar must be over with the fans to achieve success. If they elicit no reaction from the crowd day in and day out, there's no way they'll continue to be pushed. One way to bond with the superstars is to give them a great nickname. The fans love to cheer a great nickname.
Nicknames have been prevalent throughout wrestling history, some have been good and some have been bad. To be a good nickname, the nickname must sound cool and fit the superstar. For example, The Human Highlight Reel (used to describe former NBA star Dominique Wilkins) would not fit The Great Khali, a guy with very limited mobility. Wilkins on the other hand, was fun to watch on the court. In this article, we'll identify the 25 best nicknames in wrestling history. Only nicknames that were given to WWE superstars are eligible. So, even though "The Man That Gravity Forgot" is a great nickname, it doesn't qualify. Also, we're only including one nickname per superstar.
25. The Mastodon- A mastodon is a large, elephant-like mammal that is now extinct. The Man They Call Vader is not extinct, but the nickname does make sense. Vader is a big guy and he throws his weight around. Some have even described his style as animalistic.
24. The Glamazon- The only Diva that appears on this list, Beth Phoenix was one of the top in her division during her time in the WWE. Amazons were powerful female warriors in Greek mythology. Phoenix was one of the strongest Divas of her time (her finisher was the Glam Slam) and she's attractive, so describing her as a glamorous Amazon is apt.
23. The Prince of Parkour- John Morrison had many nicknames: the Guru of Greatness, Shaman of Sexy, etc. But his best nickname was the Prince of Parkour. Parkour is the sport of moving rapidly through an area, especially an urban environment. There are plenty of videos of Morrison showing off his parkour ability, especially backstage.
22. The Innovator of Violence- ECW was known as the Land of Extreme, and for good reason. After all, it had the only Extreme Elimination Chamber match in history (even if it was a bit of a dud). One of the top stars of ECW: Tommy Dreamer. He wasn't amazing in the ring, but give him any object and he would turn it into a weapon, hence the nickname.
21. The Texas Rattlesnake- You can't trust a snake, it's common knowledge. The same can be said for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. You never knew what he was going to do. Case in point: at WrestleMania XXVII, while celebrating in the ring with Jerry Lawler, he hit Booker T with the Stunner out of nowhere.
20. The Biggest Little Man- Rey Mysterio is a tiny dude, especially compared to other superstars. Nonetheless, he has achieved great success in WWE, including winning three World titles and the 2006 Royal Rumble. He's also beaten big guys like Kane and Luke Gallows. This nickname narrowly beats out The Ultimate Underdog.
19. The Iceman- They say Dean Malenko had ice water running through his veins, and that may very well be possible. Malenko was not about style or showmanship, he focused all of his attention on technical wrestling. Everything else, he turned a "cold shoulder" to. Hence, we get The Iceman.
18. Macho Man- Think about it: does any nickname other than Macho Man make sense for Randy Savage? Just look at the guy, macho is the perfect description. The nickname became so popular that it became a part of his name.
17. The Dirtiest Player in the Game- Ric Flair may be one of the best technical wrestlers ever, but he certainly wasn't above using an eye poke or other dirty maneuver to get over his opponent. It's not as iconic at Nature Boy, but it sounds a lot cooler. What the hell is a Nature Boy anyway?
16. The Beast From the East- Tell me this does not sound great. It aptly fits Bam Bam Bigelow, a man who weighed almost 400 pounds and stood more than six feet tall. The nickname also gets bonus points for rhyming.
15. The Million Dollar Man- Like with Randy Savage, this nickname was so popular that it went hand-in-hand with Ted DiBiase's real name. Despite being a little longer than some other nicknames, it still manages to roll right off the tongue.
14. The Best in the World- CM Punk is not only one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, but also one of the best mic masters the WWE has ever seen. So in a way, he's earned the right to call himself the Best in the World. It's simple, yet elegant.
13. The Eighth Wonder of the World- The Seven Wonders of the World are truly magnificent sites to behold. The same could be said for Andre the Giant, a man who weighed more than 500 pounds and stood over six feet tall.
12. The Devil's Favorite Demon- You have to admit, this is one of the coolest sounding nicknames in WWE history. It's used to describe Kane, a 7-foot man who has displayed a demonic side. The only reason this doesn't make the top ten is because the WWE would rather refer to Kane as the Big Red Machine instead.
11. Mr. Perfect- It's easy to see why Curt Hennig was given this name just by watching one of his matches. He was flawless in the ring and exerted a lot of charisma. It's a simple nickname, but is very appropriate for Hennig.
10. The Bad Guy- This may be the simplest nickname on the list, but it fits Razor Ramon so perfectly it's amazing. Ramon, even as a face, came off simply as a bad guy. It's not the most creative nickname but it wouldn't work as well for anyone else.
9. The People's Champion- When The Rock returned to the WWE in 2011, it was a big deal. The WWE Universe loves him and will always give him a big pop. He truly is a champion of entertaining the fans, so The People's Champion is quite fitting. The Great One is a great nickname too, but not as good as this one.
8. The Lethal Weapon- Steve Blackman was always seen with his kendo sticks which he used extremely well. In other words, those kendo sticks became a deadly weapon in his hands. Not only is it fitting, but it sounds awesome.
7. The Beast Incarnate- "Incarnate" is defined as "in human form". So in this case, it means that Brock Lesnar is the living embodiment of the beast. We have no idea what this beast is, but the nickname sounds awesome.
6. The Living Legend- Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE Champion (then known as the WWWF Championship) of all-time. During his career, he was seen in such high regard. There are very few superstars who are worthy of being called a living legend. Sammartino is one of them.
5. The Excellence of Execution- If you watch one of Bret Hart's matches, you will notice how perfectly he executed any move he did in the ring. The Excellence of Execution therefore, is very fitting. The only knock against it is that it doesn't really roll of the tongue.
4. The Legend Killer- Randy Orton may be known as The Viper now, but back in the day he was known as the Legend Killer. This came about after Orton fought and disrespected legends such as Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Sergeant Slaughter, and Shawn Michaels.
3. The Icon- Without a doubt, this is one of the coolest nicknames ever. It's also very fitting for Sting, the icon of WCW. Probably one of the most famous wrestlers to never compete in the WWE, Sting is unarguably the greatest star WCW had.
2. The Immortal One- The word "immortal" means living forever. The effect that Hulk Hogan had on the WWE will forever be felt, so the nickname Immortal One is appropriate. That and the fact that it feels like he's been around forever.
1. The Phenom- You may be surprised at this, but The Phenom is the greatest nickname in WWE history. Think about it: The Undertaker became a professional wrestler in 1989. That was 25 years ago. Yet even now, he has the ability to get in the ring and put on a hard-hitting match. That's phenomenal.
Know any other good nicknames? Comment and let me know.
Nicknames have been prevalent throughout wrestling history, some have been good and some have been bad. To be a good nickname, the nickname must sound cool and fit the superstar. For example, The Human Highlight Reel (used to describe former NBA star Dominique Wilkins) would not fit The Great Khali, a guy with very limited mobility. Wilkins on the other hand, was fun to watch on the court. In this article, we'll identify the 25 best nicknames in wrestling history. Only nicknames that were given to WWE superstars are eligible. So, even though "The Man That Gravity Forgot" is a great nickname, it doesn't qualify. Also, we're only including one nickname per superstar.
25. The Mastodon- A mastodon is a large, elephant-like mammal that is now extinct. The Man They Call Vader is not extinct, but the nickname does make sense. Vader is a big guy and he throws his weight around. Some have even described his style as animalistic.
24. The Glamazon- The only Diva that appears on this list, Beth Phoenix was one of the top in her division during her time in the WWE. Amazons were powerful female warriors in Greek mythology. Phoenix was one of the strongest Divas of her time (her finisher was the Glam Slam) and she's attractive, so describing her as a glamorous Amazon is apt.
23. The Prince of Parkour- John Morrison had many nicknames: the Guru of Greatness, Shaman of Sexy, etc. But his best nickname was the Prince of Parkour. Parkour is the sport of moving rapidly through an area, especially an urban environment. There are plenty of videos of Morrison showing off his parkour ability, especially backstage.
22. The Innovator of Violence- ECW was known as the Land of Extreme, and for good reason. After all, it had the only Extreme Elimination Chamber match in history (even if it was a bit of a dud). One of the top stars of ECW: Tommy Dreamer. He wasn't amazing in the ring, but give him any object and he would turn it into a weapon, hence the nickname.
21. The Texas Rattlesnake- You can't trust a snake, it's common knowledge. The same can be said for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. You never knew what he was going to do. Case in point: at WrestleMania XXVII, while celebrating in the ring with Jerry Lawler, he hit Booker T with the Stunner out of nowhere.
20. The Biggest Little Man- Rey Mysterio is a tiny dude, especially compared to other superstars. Nonetheless, he has achieved great success in WWE, including winning three World titles and the 2006 Royal Rumble. He's also beaten big guys like Kane and Luke Gallows. This nickname narrowly beats out The Ultimate Underdog.
19. The Iceman- They say Dean Malenko had ice water running through his veins, and that may very well be possible. Malenko was not about style or showmanship, he focused all of his attention on technical wrestling. Everything else, he turned a "cold shoulder" to. Hence, we get The Iceman.
18. Macho Man- Think about it: does any nickname other than Macho Man make sense for Randy Savage? Just look at the guy, macho is the perfect description. The nickname became so popular that it became a part of his name.
17. The Dirtiest Player in the Game- Ric Flair may be one of the best technical wrestlers ever, but he certainly wasn't above using an eye poke or other dirty maneuver to get over his opponent. It's not as iconic at Nature Boy, but it sounds a lot cooler. What the hell is a Nature Boy anyway?
16. The Beast From the East- Tell me this does not sound great. It aptly fits Bam Bam Bigelow, a man who weighed almost 400 pounds and stood more than six feet tall. The nickname also gets bonus points for rhyming.
15. The Million Dollar Man- Like with Randy Savage, this nickname was so popular that it went hand-in-hand with Ted DiBiase's real name. Despite being a little longer than some other nicknames, it still manages to roll right off the tongue.
14. The Best in the World- CM Punk is not only one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, but also one of the best mic masters the WWE has ever seen. So in a way, he's earned the right to call himself the Best in the World. It's simple, yet elegant.
13. The Eighth Wonder of the World- The Seven Wonders of the World are truly magnificent sites to behold. The same could be said for Andre the Giant, a man who weighed more than 500 pounds and stood over six feet tall.
12. The Devil's Favorite Demon- You have to admit, this is one of the coolest sounding nicknames in WWE history. It's used to describe Kane, a 7-foot man who has displayed a demonic side. The only reason this doesn't make the top ten is because the WWE would rather refer to Kane as the Big Red Machine instead.
11. Mr. Perfect- It's easy to see why Curt Hennig was given this name just by watching one of his matches. He was flawless in the ring and exerted a lot of charisma. It's a simple nickname, but is very appropriate for Hennig.
10. The Bad Guy- This may be the simplest nickname on the list, but it fits Razor Ramon so perfectly it's amazing. Ramon, even as a face, came off simply as a bad guy. It's not the most creative nickname but it wouldn't work as well for anyone else.
9. The People's Champion- When The Rock returned to the WWE in 2011, it was a big deal. The WWE Universe loves him and will always give him a big pop. He truly is a champion of entertaining the fans, so The People's Champion is quite fitting. The Great One is a great nickname too, but not as good as this one.
8. The Lethal Weapon- Steve Blackman was always seen with his kendo sticks which he used extremely well. In other words, those kendo sticks became a deadly weapon in his hands. Not only is it fitting, but it sounds awesome.
7. The Beast Incarnate- "Incarnate" is defined as "in human form". So in this case, it means that Brock Lesnar is the living embodiment of the beast. We have no idea what this beast is, but the nickname sounds awesome.
6. The Living Legend- Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE Champion (then known as the WWWF Championship) of all-time. During his career, he was seen in such high regard. There are very few superstars who are worthy of being called a living legend. Sammartino is one of them.
5. The Excellence of Execution- If you watch one of Bret Hart's matches, you will notice how perfectly he executed any move he did in the ring. The Excellence of Execution therefore, is very fitting. The only knock against it is that it doesn't really roll of the tongue.
4. The Legend Killer- Randy Orton may be known as The Viper now, but back in the day he was known as the Legend Killer. This came about after Orton fought and disrespected legends such as Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Sergeant Slaughter, and Shawn Michaels.
3. The Icon- Without a doubt, this is one of the coolest nicknames ever. It's also very fitting for Sting, the icon of WCW. Probably one of the most famous wrestlers to never compete in the WWE, Sting is unarguably the greatest star WCW had.
2. The Immortal One- The word "immortal" means living forever. The effect that Hulk Hogan had on the WWE will forever be felt, so the nickname Immortal One is appropriate. That and the fact that it feels like he's been around forever.
1. The Phenom- You may be surprised at this, but The Phenom is the greatest nickname in WWE history. Think about it: The Undertaker became a professional wrestler in 1989. That was 25 years ago. Yet even now, he has the ability to get in the ring and put on a hard-hitting match. That's phenomenal.
Know any other good nicknames? Comment and let me know.
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