Marie Malenko has reportedly been handed a second ring name less than three months after WWE assigned her the first one. False Finish reports the third-generation wrestler, introduced by WWE in May as Lacey Simon, will go by Kenzie moving forward.
WWE has not confirmed the change. The Simon name was still in use as recently as the August 4 taping at the Performance Center, where she defeated Gianna Capri in a dark match.
Malenko is the daughter of Dean Malenko, the WCW and WWE veteran now working backstage as a producer for AEW, and the granddaughter of Boris Malenko. WWE announced her on May 20 as part of a Performance Center class that also included Mason Rook, Marcus Brown and Nicole Martinez, formerly known as Nikki Blackheart.
The switch is a sharper break from her family name than the original choice was. Simon is reportedly the Malenko family’s actual surname, meaning WWE’s first pick still carried a thread back to her father. Kenzie cuts that thread entirely.
She has yet to debut on NXT television. Her in-ring debut for the company came against Zena Sterling in a dark match ahead of the May 26 episode, and she competed for Pro Wrestling NOAH and Marigold in Japan earlier this year before signing following a February tryout in Orlando. She was also among the NXT talents booked for a community appearance at Roper YMCA on August 1.
Until WWE uses the name on air or in a graphic, treat it as unofficial. Renamings before a television debut are routine and nothing in the report points to a change in how she’s being positioned.
