Tag: Michin

Backstage Clarification On Mia Yim’s New Ring Name

WWE has been flip-flopping on what to call Mia Yim since her return to the company months ago. WWE announcers have continued to stumble with apparent uncertainty over if she’s Mia Yim or Michin or both. This week on “Raw,” Corey Graves repeatedly referred to The OC member as Mia Yim. Yet, during her entrance, “Michin” was plastered across the Titantron while the ringside announcer referred to her as “Michin Mia Yim.” Bayley, her opponent, only referred to her as “Michin.”

But, according to Fightful, despite any on-screen confusion, Michin is still officially only listed by her singular nickname backstage.

The wrestler, whose real name is Stephanie Lee, has gone by a handful of in-ring names throughout her career, including “Jade” when she worked with IMPACT Wrestling throughout the mid-2010s. “Mia Yim” was the first name Lee used when she began her pro wrestling career at 18 years old, and it’s also the name she used during her initial run with WWE from 2018 until late-2021. Lee continued going by “Mia Yim” when she went back to the independents, including appearances with Impact.

Karl Anderson began referring to Lee as “Michin” when she returned to WWE in mid-November and joined The O.C. She told backstage interviewer Cathy Kelley it meant “crazy” in Korean. “It’s kind of a nickname,” she said. WWE then changed her name to “Michin” on its website, before then changing it back. The head-spinning continues, though, as Lee’s name remains listed as “Mia Yim” online, which runs contrary to her internal listing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Backtracks On Change For Mia Yim

Less than 24 hours after WWE officially changed Mia Yim’s ring name to Michin on its website, it appears it’s back to Mia Yim again, as you can see at this link here.

Yim even confirmed the ring name change Tuesday on the “Ten Count” podcast. She noted during the interview that Michin was a nickname within The O.C. They told her that she needed one and she used Michin because it was something that her mom called her since she was a child. Michin means crazy in Korean. Yim also shared the name change news on her Twitter. WWE also filed to trademark the name Michin a few weeks ago.

WWE released Yim on November 4, 2021, alongside her husband, current AEW star Keith Lee. After being with Impact Wrestling for a few months, Yim made her WWE return on the November 7 episode of “Raw.” She helped The O.C. battle Rhea Ripley and The Judgment Day.

It’s worth noting that a week after her return was when WWE first revealed the Michin nickname. On the November 14 episode of “Raw” was when The O.C. officially introduced her as the solution to their “Rhea Problem.”

“Michin handles her business tonight in her return match,” Anderson said in the backstage segment.

The match was against Tamina and it was Yim’s first-ever singles victory on the WWE main roster. When Yim moved to the main roster from “NXT” as part of the Retribution stable, Yim wrestled only one singles match and she lost to Dana Brooke.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Officially Gives Mia Yim New Ring Name

A week after Karl Anderson referred to Mia Yim as “Michin,” which means “Crazy” in Korean, WWE officially changed the returning Superstar’s in-ring name on this week’s “WWE Raw.” 

For starters, the television graphic referred to Yim as only “Michin” ahead of Team Bianca Belair’s in-ring promo, even though Yim was not present for the segment after being ambushed by Rhea Ripley in the backstage area. Furthermore, WWE’s official website made several changes to Yim’s profile page, referring to her as only “Michin” in the bio that recaps her WWE journey, including her participation in the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017, her run in “WWE NXT” and her recent return to the promotion as the solution to The O.C.’s “Rhea Problem.” Interestingly, the bio doesn’t include any information about her time as a member of RETRIBUTION.


WWE had filed to trademark the name “Michin” a few weeks ago, but it was previously believed that the moniker would only be used as Yim’s nickname, not her actual in-ring name. Yim herself confirmed the name change via Twitter, as seen below.

https://twitter.com/MiaYim/status/1594878738805800960

Michin will be a part of Team Bianca in a WarGames Match this Saturday at the Survivor Series premium live event. The team of Michin, Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka & a mystery partner will square off against Damage CTRL (Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai), Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley. On this week’s “WWE Raw” in Albany, NY, Ripley defeated Asuka in a WarGames Advantage Match to secure the entrance order advantage for her team on Saturday. After the bout, Michin attacked Ripley, leading to a brawl between the two women as the show went off the air. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.