10 Wrestlers Whose Names Were Ribs in WWE & WCW

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Were these wrestlers’ names in WWE and WCW a clever jab at their rivals, or simply a backstage joke taken too far? Whether designed to poke fun or stir the pot, these hilarious and often shocking rib names reveal the playful—and sometimes spiteful—side of the wrestling world that fans rarely get to see. And as it turns out, this type of behind-the-scenes mischief was more common in WWE and WCW than you’d think! 1. Akeem “The African Dream” Stories of ribs and practical jokes have been a big part of wrestling lore over the years. Whether it be the mischievous antics of Owen Hart, Mr. Fuji, or “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, these tales often show a different side of the wrestlers we grew up watching. Although most hijinks occur behind the curtain, there have been a few surprising times when ribs trickled into the public eye in the form of a wrestler’s name. “One Man Gang” George Gray was a prominent heel in the WWF during the 1980s. He main-evented the first-ever Survivor Series pay-per-view in 1987, reached the semi-finals of the WWF Heavyweight Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV, and was the runner-up in the first televised Royal Rumble in ’88 (having won the first try-out of the stipulation at a house show one year prior), before the first official Royal Rumble PPV the next year. With these distinctions in mind, it was all the more bizarre when the leather-clad biker suddenly became interested in his African roots. Advised by his manager, Slick, One Man Gang would attend a ceremony in “deepest, darkest Africa.” He would emerge as Akeem — a jiving, flat-top Kufi hat-wearing depiction of an African despite being, in real life, born in South Carolina.