PJ Black Recalls How Justin Gabriel Name Happened In WWE

PJ Black, who was formerly known as Justin Gabriel in WWE, has revealed how he got his ring name in WWE. 

Name changes take place frequently in WWE, and even after a wrestler has been part of the company for a while and enjoyed success, they're not exempt from a switch happening such as when WALTER became GUNTHER. However, this is even more the case when people first join WWE. While wrestlers are often given the chance to pitch names, that wasn't the case for PJ Black.

"At the time, I was wrestling as Justin Angel, that was my gimmick," he told "The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy." "I remember watching 'SmackDown' when they were announcing the show, and announcing who are pros were, and it said Justin Gabriel on TV. I was sitting at home and I was like, 'What? Who the hell is Justin Gabriel?' ... I didn't pick that name at all, I guess they just changed it without even consulting me, so that was one of the things I was like, I guess I'm going to go with this."

While Black wasn't able to have any say in his name, he was able to keep his 450 Splash as a finishing move. It was something he busted out on the main roster for the first time during Nexus' debut, and it's a move that managed to make an impression on his former boss.

"I was just really stoked they let me do the exclamation, the 450," he recalled. "I really took my time and I got that beauty shot too, and I got to the back and Vince [McMahon] really liked that, he was like, 'Yeah, keep doing more of that.'"

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.