In June 2023, reports indicated that Vince McMahon’s creative influence in WWE was expected to continue growing into July. During this period, there was a noticeable increase in the use of alliterative nicknames for wrestlers on WWE television. Commentators referred to various wrestlers with such nicknames, adding a unique flair to their personas.
The wrestlers received alliterative nicknames that matched the first letter of their names with an adjective or descriptor. Examples included “cantankerous” Kevin Owens, “spirited” Sami Zayn, “cheeky” Chelsea Green, “self-aggrandizing” Sonya Deville, “braggadocios bully” Bronson Reed, and “scintillating” Santos Escobar.
Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com revealed that the directive to use alliterative nicknames on the July 17th episode of Raw came directly from Vince McMahon himself. However, the idea wasn’t well-received by many, and it wasn’t pushed as strongly in subsequent episodes of Smackdown on July 21st or Raw on July 24th. It seems that Vince McMahon might have abandoned the concept after initially trying it out.
Despite the toned-down usage of alliterative nicknames, some of the monikers have stuck with certain wrestlers, such as “Dirty” Dominick Mysterio and “Big” Bronson Reed. These catchy monikers have added a new dimension to the wrestlers’ characters and are likely to remain part of their personas moving forward.
“It was confirmed to us that all the alliterative nicknames on the 7/17 Raw were a directive from Vince McMahon. It wasn’t pushed nearly as hard on Smackdown on 7/21 or Raw on 7/24, so it looks like it was just an idea he had (and that most thought was bad) and he gave up on it after.”
