Buddy Murphy Isn't Called Buddy Murphy Anymore

Judging by his profile on WWE.com, Buddy Murphy will be going by just Murphy from now on.

No matter how many years a wrestler has been working in other companies and on the independent circuit, things change if and when they sign with WWE. WWE is often described as having its own specific style. It's why most of its new signings have to first pass through the Performance Center regardless of previous experience. It's not to train them to wrestle, it's to prepare them for life in WWE.

Something else that might change upon arrival, or soon after, is a name change. That can happen for a number of different reasons. WWE might not own the rights to their new signing's previous ring name, or maybe they just don't want fans thinking about that person's past. What we still don't really understand is Vince McMahon's love for wrestlers with one name.

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New signing or not, McMahon has a long track record of removing a Superstar's first or surname, seemingly on a whim. Rusev, Harper, Ali, Apollo, just a few examples of when WWE split someone's name in two without officially announcing it. Seems as if we can now add Buddy Murphy to that list since WWE.com has him listed as Murphy, as you can see in the screenshot below.

As for why WWE has decided to change Buddy...sorry...Murphy's name, that is anyone's guess. There's a very real chance McMahon didn't really care about Murphy before now. However, since he is now one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions alongside Seth Rollins, the boss has taken an interest. Maybe he thinks announcing two full names every time Murphy and Rollins come to the ring is too much of a mouthful.

As for how long it will last, or if it will even be acknowledged on Raw, that remains to be seen. While not everyone gets their lost name back, some Superstars do, and it will be as secretive and unexplained a change as when they lost their name in the first place. Murphy will try his new shortened name on for size and if the chairman doesn't like it, he may be called Buddy again one day soon.

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