Undertaker's "Big Evil" & 9 Other Wrestling Nicknames You Forgot About
Mia Lopez
Published Mar 27, 2026
Nicknames in wrestling are commonplace, whether they're created by the wrestler themselves or by the company, they can really help. They give fans something else to call them or create signs about, while commentary will often throw them out like buzzwords in order to help a wrestling company market the talent themselves.
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That is ultimately what they're done for, as it provides an option for merchandise and other things that can make money, which is often what matters. Some nicknames, such as The Game or Y2J end up becoming iconic and memorable, but there are others that become forgotten about as they simply don't stick.
10 The Undertaker - "Big Evil"
With "The Deadman," The Undertaker has one of the greatest nicknames in the history of professional wrestling, and because of that anytime something else was thrown out, it didn't really stick. "Big Evil" is something that was tried for a while with WWE, but it's never something that clicked with fans.
This period of his career lasted from 2001-03 during his spell as the American Badass, and while he had some of his best performances during this period, the nickname wasn't something that audiences would remember forever.
9 Sheamus - "The Great White"
Sheamus has pale skin, that much is obvious. However, WWE decided to play on that by creating a nickname specifically with that in mind when they began calling him "The Great White." It was something that never really made much sense and didn't catch on.
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Fans have always used the nickname of "The Celtic Warrior" when it comes to Sheamus and adding another one was never really needed for him as what he had already worked. Despite WWE's best efforts with the new nickname, it just didn't become a memorable one.
8 Finn Balor - "The Extraordinary Man Who Can Do Extraordinary Things"
Nicknames are best when they are simple, easy to remember, and can be thrown onto a t-shirt. That is why this ridiculous nickname didn't end up becoming popular because it made no sense and was so long and drawn out that people began forgetting it before Michael Cole had uttered the phrase.
Everybody who works for WWE should be a top-level star, so saying he is extraordinary didn't really make Balor seem any better than other people. The company has tried a lot of nicknames for him over the years, but this one was the worst and most forgettable.
7 RVD - "Mr. Thursday Night"
Sometimes WWE can work hard to really force something in order to suit what they're doing and that was obvious when the company tried to call Rob Van Dam "Mr. Thursday Night." He had become known as "Mr. Monday Night" when working on Raw, which was a nickname that felt natural.
However, when he was put on SmackDown, the company tried to force this new name, simply by switching the day of the week. It didn't feel genuine anymore and it ruined the magic of things, which is why it didn't become memorable.
6 Sting - "The Vigilante"
Because Sting came into WWE and went up against The Authority, he was seen as a pain by the heels in charge. This led to him becoming "The Vigilante," which wasn't a great nickname when he has been known as "The Icon" for most of his career.
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WWE should have kept his name the exact same as a change wasn't needed for him, yet the company decided t switch things up anyway. This was likely done to create a name that they could own, but it never really caught on.
5 Roman Reigns - "The Juggernaut"
This was a phrase first uttered by Michael Cole as he was attempting to put over Roman Reigns as a true monster. However, it didn't work out well as nobody knew who he was referring to when the commentator first started trying to use it.
Roman has had a lot of different nicknames over the years and many of them have really worked for him. This was not one of those, which is why it quickly ended up being dropped and forgotten about.
4 Jeff Hardy - "The Rainbow Haired Warrior"
Jeff Hardy has always been a charismatic wrestler who has happily been as creative as possible with his appearance, making him feel larger than life. This has often included bright colors, face painting, and hair dye, and that is what led to this particular nickname.
It didn't sound great, with the color of his hair not exactly being an important factor in the grand scheme of things. That is why the nickname never really took off in the manner that WWE was clearly hoping for at the time.
3 Ryback - "Big Hungry"
"Big Hungry" is one of the worst nicknames in WWE history, therefore it is no surprise that it didn't stick and failed to become memorable. Fans simply didn't want to accept this and there's no surprise about that because it was awful.
This was a phrase Michael Cole tried to push, with WWE combining the fact he was known as "The Big Guy" with his "Feed Me More" chant. However, it just didn't work, mainly because it made no sense at all.
2 Batista - "The Altered Beast"
Batista's first return to WWE started off very poorly due to fans not wanting to treat him like a babyface, and WWE trying to force a brand new nickname for him didn't help. Everybody knew him as "The Animal," which was a great one that suited his character.
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However, WWE tried to change that up to showcase that he was a different type of wrestler to what was around before. That wasn't really needed though as the name he had worked perfectly and fans not warmly welcoming him back meant this was a poor time to even try a new one.
1 Steve Austin - "The Bionic Redneck"
Steve Austin is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, so the fact that people do not remember this particular nickname showcases just how forgettable it was. "The Texas Rattlesnake" was the name that fans liked to use, so adding another wasn't needed.
However, following his neck surgery, WWE decided that this one would be appropriate to bring in and mention on a regular basis. It's not something that WWE talks about anymore, and the reason for that is how bad the nickname was.
