5 WWE Legends' Old Ring Names

A ring name can make or break the career of a WWE superstar. While a great name like Stone Cold Steve Austin can help in building a rabid fan base, an awful name like Bastion Booger will make sure that you are never a star in the WWE.

But it is common in wrestling to adopt multiple ring names over the course of a career. Most wrestlers that you love and adore today were previously known as something else, and most probably it was terrible as well. Picking a ring name is a trial and error method.

So let's take a look at 5 WWE Legends whose old ring names will surely shock you.

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#5 Batista - Leviathan

Before becoming 'The Animal', Batista was 'The Leviathan'.

Batista might have had a short wrestling career but he managed to find great success in it, even managing to main event multiple Wrestlemanias. Since then he has moved on to a career in Hollywood and has appeared in blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War, Spectre and Guardians of the Galaxy.

But before all the fame and fortune, Batista was just a wrestler trying to make it to the WWE. And on WWE's development territory, OVW, he wrestled under the name of Leviathan.

But the gimmick of a vampire with fangs was 10 years too late. If this was the '90s then Leviathan would have been a great addition to the roster. He would have surely feuded with the likes of The Undertaker and Kane. But times had changed and the WWE decided to drop the Leviathan gimmick when Batista moved up to the main roster.

#4 Triple H - Terra Ryzing

He was not always 'The Cerebral Assassin' we know today.

It is safe to say that Triple H had his fair share of terrible gimmicks before striking gold as 'The Game'. Terra Ryzing was undoubtedly the worst of them all.

It was as Terra Ryzing that Triple H began his wrestling career and was even known by that name during his early days in WCW. It is hard to say what he was trying to achieve with this gimmick.

Probably he believed that being called Terra Ryzing would intimidate the fans automatically but clearly that did not work. And soon, WCW would change his name to Jean-Paul Levesque. Not a great name in itself but a huge improvement upon his previous one.

#3 Chris Jericho - Corazon de Leon

The List of Corazon!

Today, Chris Jericho's name maybe synonymous with the WWE but what most people don't know is that the Canadian wrestler was already a veteran before ever stepping foot in a WWE ring.

Trained in the infamous Hart Dungeon, Jericho started his career way back in 1990. Soon he would travel all over the world and perfect his craft. One place Jericho would spend a great amount of time in was Mexico where he wrestled for a number of small promotions as well as the world famous Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).

Jericho started wrestling in Mexico in 1992 and was originally known as Leon D'Oro before changing it to Corazon de Leon. Corazon de Leon means 'Lion Heart' in Spanish. A pretty great name when compared to the likes of Terra Ryzing and Leviathan.

#2 John Cena - The Prototype

Cena spent his OVW days as The Prototype.

John Cena has been the face of the WWE for the most part of this century. With 16 World Championships under his belt, Cena is going down as one of the all time greats. But it all could have turned out so differently if WWE had followed through with their original plans for Cena.

Back in his developmental days, Cena played the character of The Prototype. He was basically half-man and half-machine who had a penchant for causing mayhem. His main claim to fame as 'The Prototype' was cutting promos backward.

Thankfully, WWE did not bring him to the main roster as The Prototype. It is hard to imagine children all over the world wearing Prototype t-shirts, caps and wristbands.

#1 The Undertaker - 'Mean' Mark Callous

The Undertaker was not always known for digging holes and taking souls.

The Undertaker is arguably Vince McMahon's greatest creation of all time. For three decades he has been a pillar of the company and to this day remains one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. Mark Calaway has played the role of a Deadman better than anyone could have ever expected and deserves all the fame and respect that he has earned over the years.

It is hard to think of Calaway as anything other than The Undertaker. But surprisingly, Calaway had been struggling to make it in the wrestling industry for more than half a decade before becoming The Undertaker.

One of his early wrestling names was 'Mean' Mark Callous back when he was in WCW. He was booked as a morbid character who had a fondness for pet snakes and Ozzy Osbourne. Just try and imagine The Undertaker listening to Ozzy Osbourne's heavy metal songs. It is impossible!

Let's just say 'Mean' Mark Callous would have never had a 21-match winning streak at Wrestlemania.