Think twice if you assumed Zoey Stark‘s name was derived from pop culture.
When WWE signed the former Lacey Ryan, she took on the name Zoey Stark. For the past 15 years, the name “Stark” has become synonymous with Tony Stark, or Iron Man, the famous Marvel Comics superhero who starred in the first movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has been its central figure for over a decade.
However, in an interview with the Miami Herald, Zoey clarified that her WWE name was created in a much less exciting way.
“I do like the movies, and I am a fan of Robert Downey Jr. It’s one of things, where I’m not a big comic book person. I’ve watched a couple of Iron Man (movies) and I understand a little bit of what they do. The name does not come from Tony Stark. I gave them a list of ten different first names and ten different last names, they put them together and said, ‘here you go.”
Not as appetizing of a superhero, or in Zoey’s case, villain origin story. She sent WWE just a list of names she liked, and that was it. Nothing deeper than that and no Marvel connection.
Over the past three months, Zoey has been making the Stark name recognizable among pro wrestling fans by aligning with the WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and feuding with Becky Lynch on WWE Raw, which is carrying into SummerSlam. With a longer run on the main roster, the Stark last name could become even more viable.