Je’Von Evans has revealed the story behind how he got his WWE name.
Before signing with WWE, Evans wrestled on the independent scene under the name Jay Malachi. During an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet (see video below), Evans explained that his new name came together just days before he was scheduled to make his WWE Level Up debut.
“So Je’Von literally happened before I did my Level Up match, I think the day before, or maybe two days before. One of the writers was like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna put you on TV, so we need you to give you a name.’ I was like, all right, cool. They were like, ‘Send me 10 names.’”
Evans said there had previously been some confusion surrounding the Jay Malachi name because of his twin brother. When WWE asked him to submit potential names, Evans took a fairly straightforward approach to coming up with options.
“Well, you know, it was kind of back and forth. It was Jay Malachi, but because some people think me and my twin brother we’re [the same]. So we would get mixed up. We would both be called Jay Malachi. If you look into it, you’ll see the resemblance, I guess. But basically, I looked up 10 black people names, and then I just did 10 first names, and then like one of them was Je’Von and 10 last names, one of them was Evans. I sent it to them, and they’re like, ‘Hey, we like Je’Von Evans, we like Je’Von Porter,’ and then something else. I wanted Je’Von Porter because there hasn’t been a Porter in WWE.”
Van Vliet pointed out that MVP’s full name is Montel Vontavious Porter, meaning Evans wouldn’t have actually been the first Porter in WWE. Evans laughed about the oversight before explaining that WWE ultimately settled on Je’Von Evans.
“So this is actually good. Okay, because I was like, I’m gonna be the first Porter, Je’Von Porter. I’ll be the first one, but they had MVP. But yeah, they picked Je’Von Evans and I was like, that’s cool I guess. Then Shawn comes up and he says, ‘You cool with Je’Von? Because that’s going to be your name for the rest of your life.’ Yeah, it’s ok, I promise. I guess it’s Je’Von Evans now.”
Evans made his WWE debut in 2023 and has continued using the Je’Von Evans name ever since.
Also during the interview, Je’Von Evans discussed a spoiled surprise moment in WWE and a scary match-ending spot from a memorable WWE TV match.
