People Within WWE Questioning Why The Company Changed Tamyra Mensah-Stock's Name
Why WWE gave Tamyra Mensah-Stock a name change
One year on from signing with the company and Tamyra Mensah-Stock made her NXT TV debut at Tuesday night's taping of Level Up. Repackaged as Tyra Mae Steele, the Olympic gold medallist suffered a loss to Wren Sinclair at the taping.
Due to Mensah-Stock's status as an Olympic gold medallist and the first woman Olympic gold medallist in WWE history, people within the company have questioned why exactly WWE decided to repackage her with a new name, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The feeling within WWE, though, was that the average WWE fan doesn't know the 31-year-old's real name, "so they should give her a name they know."
Mensah-Stock won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2021 Olympic games in Tokyo. She also won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Serbia.
Mensah-Stock made it clear following her gold medal that she was interested in joining WWE, even appearing at SummerSlam 2021 alongside Gable Steveson. Since signing in 2023, Mensah-Stock has reportedly impressed many within WWE NXT with how quickly she has adapted to pro wrestling.
When WWE plan to move Tyra Mae Steele to NXT TV proper on Tuesday nights is unknown.
Written by Aidan Gibbons
Editor-in-Chief of Cultaholic.com Twitter: @theaidangibbons