Alex Zayne Details "Hectic" Process Of Coming Up With His WWE Name

Former WWE Superstar Alex Zayne has detailed the "hectic" process of coming up with his in-ring name while on WWE NXT.

A standout on the independent wrestling scene, Zayne was signed by WWE in late 2020 and he made his TV debut on a May 2021 episode of 205 Live as Ari Sterling.

Speaking to Fightful about coming up with the name, Zayne noted he had "probably hundreds of names" on a list for WWE to choose from.

"The name process is kind of hectic, really. In my case, anyway. I know some people have it a little easier. But for me, they were like, 'Hey, we want to get some reps on 205 Live. Need to come up with your name. Go ahead and compile a list, send it over to us.' I did a lot of 'Chilly McFreezin.' I put together a list, sent it over to them. They were like, 'Hey, we need more names.' I don't know, probably hundreds of names into it they were like, 'Okay, we liked this.' We found Ari early on and then, of course, I was always trying to go with something like Zayne or Zayden I had on one of the many lists. They were like, 'Oh, we can't use any of that Zay stuff because Zayda Ramier is a new thing. Can be too confusing or whatever.' So, I had to scratch that," Zayne said.

"We had Ari for a while, now we're trying to find the last name. Finally landed on Sterling through one of my many lists, which literally just came from me being like, Ari Gold in Entourage, Ari Silver, sterling silver, Ari Sterling. That was the thought process behind it. That's what we landed on."

Zayne was ultimately released by WWE on August 6 as the company's cuts to the NXT roster continued. The Sauce has landed on his feet so far and he has already made appearances in Ring Of Honor and IMPACT Wrestling.