Reasons Behind WWE's Name Change for Tamyra Mensah-Stock Revealed

Tamyra Mensah-Stock, the historic Tokyo Olympics champion, made her in-ring TV debut with WWE earlier this week. It airs tonight.

Mensah-Stock became the Olympic champion at 68 kilograms in 2021, the first Black woman to win gold in freestyle wrestling. She also claimed her second world title at the 2022 World Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.

In March, she competed in her first match at an NXT house show in Melbourne, Florida, defeating Breanna Covington. This Tuesday, during the NXT Level Up tapings, she made her in-ring TV debut.

The Olympic gold medalist, wrestling as Tyra Mae Steele, faced Wren Sinclair. Fans and WWE insiders alike questioned the decision to give her a ring name instead of using her real name.

Dave Meltzer explained in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, “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.”

He also noted that WWE showed interest because of her gold medal. NXT Level Up airs every Friday night after SmackDown on Peacock.

⚡ Trish Stratus Will Be At WWE Money In The Bank 2024

The Scotiabank Arena is gearing up for a night of high-stakes action as WWE Money in the Bank 2024 rolls into town this Saturday, July 6th. [...]

— Ben Kerin Jul 05, 2024 04:08PM