Reason for WWE Changing NXT Star’s Ring Name Revealed

Tokyo Olympics competitor Tamyra Mensah-Stock made her in-ring television debut with WWE earlier this week at their NXT Level Up show.

Tamyra Mensah-Stock became the Olympic champion at 68 kilograms at the Tokyo Games in 2021, earning the distinction of being the first black woman to win gold in freestyle wrestling. She continued her impressive streak by clinching her second world title at the 2022 World Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.

In March of this year, the Olympian signed with WWE and competed in her first match at an NXT house show in Melbourne, Florida, where she defeated Breanna Covington. This past Tuesday, Tamyra Mensah-Stock made her in-ring TV debut during the NXT Level Up tapings, competing in a singles match against Wren Sinclair.

Interestingly, she wrestled under the ring name Tyra Mae Steele. This change in the ring name has sparked curiosity among fans and within the promotion as well. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, even people within WWE are questioning why she wasn’t allowed to use her real name.

Dave Meltzer stated that the feeling was that many fans were unaware of Tamyra Mensah-Stock, and a new name would help her become more synonymous with the average wrestling fan, unlike current SmackDown star Jade Cargill, as a large section of fans already know her.

“The feeling is that the average WWE fan doesn’t know her name, so they should give her a name they know, unlike with Jade Cargill, where the idea was that the average WWE fan already knows her name and that name has cache.”

NXT Level Up airs every Friday night after SmackDown on Peacock, providing fans with the chance to witness Mensah-Stock’s highly anticipated debut with a new ring name moving forward.

What are your thoughts on Tamyra Mensah-Stock’s ring name change upon her NXT Level Up debut? Sound off in the comments!