Famous Wrestler Nicknames That Have Really Weird Origins

William Shakespeare once penned the following: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Well, Shakespeare was wrong and should be ashamed, because names do matter, especially in professional wrestling. Seriously, just ask any famous wrestler who has ever had a nickname and how important it is to them. If someone says "The Excellence of Execution," "The Cerebral Assassin," or "The Heartbreak Kid," the fans instantly know who is being spoken about. More importantly, it adds that extra dimension to the personality of these characters, as there are a lot of emotions attached to a moniker.

In the wacky world of pro wrestling, though, there are some nicknames that don't always make sense, or have the strangest origin stories. Sometimes they are inside jokes among the industry that end up being shared with the fanbase, while there are others that come from tributes or outside inspirations such as movies and television shows. So let's take a look at the most famous wrestler nicknames that have really weird origins.

Billy Gunn is a man of many monikers. Heaven knows how many names he went through during his WWE days, including "Rockabilly," which made him sound like a dolled-up rooster with a penchant for Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll. However, he found his calling as "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn and "Mr. Ass" as one half of the New Age Outlaws and a member of D-Generation X.

When he joined AEW, he reverted to being known as Billy Gunn while he managed the Gunn Club, a group which featured his sons, Austin and Colten. However, the team soon started being called the Ass Boys — mostly because that's what Danhausen called them, since he's convinced that "Ass" is their last name. Eventually, the Gunns teamed up with The Acclaimed, who were getting over with their scissoring catchphrase, and Billy was soon heralded as Daddy Ass.

But where did the evolution of his nickname come from? Turns out that Anthony Bowens coined the Daddy Ass nickname due to a behind-the-scenes incident. In an interview with TSC, Bowens said: "I was sitting in gorilla and I was in my wheelchair at the time because I was injured, and we were minutes from going out and this idea just popped into my head because Austin Gunn kept calling his father 'Daddy' and I was like, 'It'd be kinda funny if I said scissor me, Daddy Ass, live on television,' I'm just gonna go out and say it."

If there's one thing Chris Jericho loves more than a sports entertainer (or appreciation society), it's a good nickname. Throughout his career, he has utilized his fair share of names to suit his personality and gimmick of the time. When he debuted in the WWE in 1999, he wasn't only known as "The Millennium Man" or "Y2J" but also as "The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla." 

An ayatollah is an honor bestowed upon religious leaders who have shown a superior understanding of Islamic religion and law. While it's indisputable that Jericho certainly knows a thing or two about rock 'n' roll, thanks to his band Fozzy, he didn't come up with this mellifluous nickname all on his own.

In fact, the phrase and even the tone of delivery comes from 1981's "Mad Max 2" movie -– specifically the scene where Toadie introduces Lord Humungus. He refers to him as "the warrior of the wasteland" then "the ayatollah of rock 'n' rolla." Undoubtedly, Jericho drew inspiration from this, even adding an exaggeration to "rolla" like Toadie did in "Mad Max 2." That said, who else would like to hear "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard say the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla in the same way as Toadie on an episode of "Dynamite"?

In terms of interactive entrances, no one gets the crowd involved quite like Adam Cole. Not only does his entrance music get the audience pumped with its rap-rock attitude, but everyone — whether they love or hate him — gets in on the "Adam Cole Bay Bay" chant at the end. Appearing on Chris Van Vliet's YouTube show, Cole revealed the origins of Adam Cole Bay Bay. He explained how he started doing it in 2009, but it only really took off in 2014.

"It kind of started early on in my wrestling career at a Maryland Championship Wrestling show," Cole said. "Joey Matthews was on the show, and he was in the finals of the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup. He was the heel and he was just walking around going 'Joey Matthews!' and putting his fists up in the air, and he said it so many times. I remember sitting there and thinking that is so smart."

Being a fan of Chris Jericho, Cole also noticed how Le Champion would pose on top of his opponents and say, "Come on, baby!" Suddenly, it clicked for him. He could combine both Matthews and Jericho's shtick into one element, thus birthing the big boom known as Adam Cole Bay Bay.

When it comes to nicknames, Steve Austin possesses more than a few iconic ones, such as "Stone Cold" and "The Texas Rattlesnake." However, he also showcased a new one in his latter WWE run: "Bionic Redneck." Now, this wasn't simply a cool phrase that commentators came up with on the spot or in the heat of the moment. Instead, it had more to do with the real-life wear and tear Austin experienced in his career that required some medical assistance and accessories.

On "The Steve Austin Show," the former WWE champion admitted he created the Bionic Redneck nickname and gimmick because of the necessary additions to his ring gear. "That was the reason I had those knee braces, man," he said. "It wasn't for looks. It was because I needed them. But it turned out to be part of the Bionic Redneck. I came up with that gimmick just because, by the time it came down to it, my right arm wouldn't straighten out, I had some plates in my neck and I had those two knee braces on, it became part of my gear."

In many ways, Chyna paved the way for women's wrestling in the '90s. She broke the mold for many women in the business at the time, beating up the male superstars on the roster and even becoming the Intercontinental Champion in the process. For this reason, and her chiseled physique, she was dubbed "The 9th Wonder of the World." While the WWE did a good job of explaining why she was the ninth and not the eighth world wonder at the time, there are many newer fans who may not understand the reference.

As per Britannica, there are Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá, Petra, the Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, and the Taj Mahal. When Andre the Giant debuted, he was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World due to his size and larger-than-life presence by the wrestling industry. Naturally, when Chyna came along, she became known as the ninth. To date, no encyclopedia has added Andre the Giant or Chyna to the list of world wonders, but who knows what could happen in the future.

As the second-best Kenny after Kenny Powers, Omega cleans up the gold at every promotion he works for. However, that isn't the reason for his clinical nickname: "The Cleaner." Instead, this particular nickname is influenced by the people who clean up the crime scenes and make sure there are no loose ends left behind, as per TSN. In wrestling terms, this means Omega is the guy who leaves nothing behind in the ring, as he goes in there with a singular goal: to mop the floor with the competition. Many mistook the nickname to mean he was a janitor, which he told SLAM! Wrestling caused him great irritation before he decided to embrace. Thus, he started bringing cleaning supplies out with him during his entrances.

The nickname has also become synonymous with Omega's time in Japan, establishing him as a global superstar. Hence the surprise it isn't mentioned more often during his AEW run. Even so, the person whom Don Callis calls a wrestling god isn't afraid to get silly and embrace all the different meanings of The Cleaner either, dressing up as a janitor and bringing a mop to the ring on the odd occasion as well.

In WWE, Jon Moxley went by the name of Dean Ambrose and was known for being a part of The Shield with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. For a good part of his run, he sported a fringe that drooped over his eyes and gave him an unhinged look — one that matched his chaotic, uncontrollable character. He also boasted the apt nickname of "The Lunatic Fringe," hence many people believing this alluded to his wild and unkempt hair. Yet, the name has more to do with the actual term "the lunatic fringe," which refers to the stranger elements of society, as well as a special connection to Moxley's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

A Reddit user pointed out that Cincinnati has a rock radio station named WEBN, and its slogan is "the lunatic fringe of American FM." Considering how proud Moxley is of his roots and his affinity for good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll, especially a certain track named "Wild Thing," it shouldn't be all too surprising that he found a clever way to include a homage through his on-screen persona.

Juventud Guerrera stands out as one of the showstoppers of the cruiserweight division. In WCW, ECW, and WWE, he put on some legendary bouts with his opponents, as he became renowned for being a high-flying lucha superstar who soared higher than the eagles. However, he also developed an interesting nickname: "The Juice." While many wrestlers called him Juvi for short, it's difficult to place where The Juice fits into his whole character. Did he drink a lot of OJ or something?

Appearing on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast (via Wrestling Headlines), Guerrera opened up about how he got his nickname. He revealed how no one could say Juventud, so they started to shorten his name. "Somehow, someway, somebody just started calling me Juvi," he said. "From Juvi, I think Konnan was the guy who said Juvi Juice. 'Give me some of that Juvi Juice.' Then from there, The Juice came along. The Rock was doing his name, and then it was like, you're gonna be The Juice. Later on, it was like the imitator compared to him."

The latter years of Vince McMahon's WWE reign brought about some peculiar decisions and choices for the presentation of the company's superstars. For example, wrestlers having first names was considered a no-no, so Austin Theory and Matt Riddle had to go by Theory and Riddle respectively. Then, a decision was made that "NXT" performers would need new names when they moved up to the main roster. 

Established performers weren't safe from some head-scratching decisions either. In Seth Rollins' case, he became known as Seth "Freakin" Rollins — or Seth Franklin Rollins for those who get the joke.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for "BT Sports," Rollins revealed the middle name was a McMahon decision; however, even the Monday Night Messiah wasn't a big fan of how it kept being repeated on a broadcast. "He wanted the whole brand every single time I was referenced and I'm like, 'You gotta stop that. You're gonna turn people off. That's not what we want, you know?'" Rollins said. "So he was like, 'Okay. On the commentary, they can refer to you as Seth Rollins.' I was like, 'Alright, thank you.'"

That said, Rollins isn't exactly rushing to burn it down. He admitted he liked to have a middle name since not a lot of pro wrestlers have one nowadays, comparing it to Bret "Hitman" Hart.

When watching AJ Styles in the ring, it's easy to see where all the "phenomenal" adjectives come from. Without a shadow of a doubt, he's one of the best in-ring performers of his generation and he deserves every accolade showered on him throughout his illustrious career. That said, did he simply wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and come up with that nickname on his own? The answer is no. Much to Styles' disappointment, it wasn't a lady who coined it for his bedroom performance either, as he joked to KISS FM.

"I want to say around 2000, maybe 2001, I was wrestling where I started in Cornelia, Georgia, at a place called Wildside, and one of the commentators just started calling me 'The Phenomenal' AJ Styles and it stuck," he said.

All things considered, it's surprising how when he joined the WWE, the "phenomenal" part was allowed to stay as part of his moniker. Many performers have gotten their nicknames over in other promotions; however, when they sign with the WWE, they are forced to leave the names behind. Or maybe the brain trust of the company couldn't figure out another synonym for phenomenal at the time.

Le Champion loves nothing more than to have a litany of nicknames to pick from. Regardless if he's "The Wizard" or "The Painmaker," there's one name that holds a special place in the hearts of wrestling fans around the globe: "Lionheart." For many, that was their first introduction to Chris Jericho and remains a firm favorite iteration of the various gimmicks he's portrayed.

On the Chris Benoit episode of Vice's "Dark Side of the Ring" (via Complex), Jericho revealed how he chose the name Lionheart as a tribute to the two pro wrestlers he looked up to: Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. He detailed how he watched them perform in Japan where Guerrero competed under the name of Black Tiger and Benoit as Wild Pegasus, so he wanted a name in a similar sort of vein. The name Lionheart proved to be a winner, and followed him around for several years afterwards as he established himself as a major talent in various promotions. Then, decades later, Jericho competed under the name again in AEW.

While "Big Daddy Cool" is one of Kevin Nash's most famous nicknames, there's another that most fans are familiar with too: "Big Sexy." It fit his ego-centric nWo character at the time and even followed him to TNA. Plus, who can dispute the legion of fans who would give their left lung to hang with the sexiest outside in the business? For some, the big boot and Jacknife Powerbomb combination is highly seductive and titillates the juices of guilty pleasures.

Speaking on his "Kliq This" podcast (via Inside the Ropes), Nash discussed how he came up with the Big Sexy name for himself while watching television with his wife. "My wife and I were sitting in bed, and we're watching television," he said. "And at the time, Paul Newman was still alive and he was on one of the talk shows. And they kept saying like, 'The sexiest man, Paul Newman.' I looked at my wife and I said it's amazing, if somebody's deemed sexy, they're sexy."

Nash explained how he went on television the next week and announced himself as Big Sexy. His sexiness was further solidified when he dyed his hair blonde and stole all of "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels' thunder and fondest admirers.