During his tenure as the chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon changed the names of several wrestlers after they joined the promotion. A popular star, who used two different monikers in the company, recently opened up about the time McMahon approached him regarding a name change.

Johnny TV (fka John Morrison in WWE) is the star in question. On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former ECW Champion shared the story of becoming John Morrison after debuting as Johnny Nitro. McMahon told the 46-year-old that ‘Nitro’ didn’t sound like a name suitable for a top champion. Johnny revealed that his first moniker reminded the veteran promoter of WCW Monday Night Nitro.

“Vince had mentioned a few times that like Johnny Nitro is not like a champion’s name or not like a good name. You [have] got to change it. Why do you think that, Vince? Is it because it reminds you of WCW Monday Night Nitro? ‘Yes,'” Johnny said.

Vince McMahon asked the AEW star to make a list of names he liked. A couple of hours later, Johnny TV gave the list to McMahon, and the John Morrison moniker was at the top. McMahon liked the name and instantly locked it.

“Vince walked up to me in catering, which is rare, [and] said, “Uh, you [have] got to change your name. You got to got to have a new name.” He put like a paper down on the table and a pen and just make [sic] a list. Make a list of names. And the first one that I’d written down was John Morrison, and, um, like a couple [of] hours later, I handed this list to Vince, and he just went like this and read the top. He’s like, “John Morrison, I like it. That’s it,” Johnny TV added.

Vince McMahon dropped the maiden names of several stars in WWE

WWE RAW Superstar Rusev was initially known as Alexander Rusev. However, Vince McMahon dropped his maiden name from his in-ring moniker. The Bulgarian Brute found much success as Rusev, feuding with top names like John Cena and The Undertaker. Claudio Castagnoli, who debuted as Antonio Cesaro in the promotion, also underwent a name change and had a memorable stint.

Over the years, many popular superstars underwent a name change, including Neville, Mustafa Ali, Matt Riddle, Tommaso Ciampa, and Austin Theory, among others.

If you use quotes from here, please credit Insight and give an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.