Overwatch pro sashays into fans hearts with new in-game name

Overwatch Contenders player Rupal ‘Pascal’ Zaman has switched out his in-game name for his forename, and the internet is having a blast. 

While professional gamers do, in fact, have real names, most of the time their respective communities just refer to them by their gamertag. It’s quicker, easier, and oftentimes a lot cooler.

This is no different in the Overwatch sphere, where the title’s competitive league, OWL, has spawned some of the title’s biggest names. From late Philadelphia Fusion support, Alarm, to San Francisco Shock’s iconic main tank Super, there’s a whole host of pros that have etched themselves into history.

One pro hoping to follow in their footsteps is Overwatch Contenders star, Pascal, who has rebranded his in-game name to mirror his real forename, Rupal – a name that has instantly called to mind one of the television’s most famous faces.

Overwatch’s Pascal rebrands to Rupal

While the WISP player has simply chosen to use his real forename in-game, it turns out that his alias is similar to that of drag icon and self-professed Supermodel of the World, RuPaul Charles, the host and founder of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” franchise.

• Read More: Blizzard must memorialize Overwatch League’s Alarm but it doesn’t look likely

Clarifying that his name is pronounced “roo-paul,” the exact same as the LGBTQI+ star, fans were quick to draw parallels between the two.

“The yassification of flex supports,” writes one fan on the game’s competitive subreddit, while another jokes that “he hit that slay button.”

One comment calls for an “OW drag show soon pls,” with a response suggesting that it be called “Rupal’s Frag Race.” Highlighting that Super (the aforementioned SFS tank) would be the perfect contestant due to his recent cosplay efforts, they note that “Super is ready to dominate.”

A final post pleads that the Contender’s casters “use ‘sashay’ every time he dies or his team is eliminated.”

Of course, all of this is simply coincidental, but it’s great to see the community come together to celebrate Rupal’s new gamertag. Will he be Overwatch’s next drag superstar? Or will he get the Pork Chop? Either way, we have one thing to say: good luck, and don’t f**k it up.