WWE Makes Shocking Change to Long-Standing Talent Naming Policy

WWE has reportedly changed a major policy that has been in place for decades.

Last September, WWE officially merged with UFC under parent company Endeavor to form TKO Group Holdings. Between the merger and Triple H taking full control of the company following Vince McMahon’s resignation, there have been a lot of changes at the sports entertainment giant over the past year, and a new report from Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live highlights one of those recent changes.

According to Alvarez, the company trademarks talent when they sign with it. He cited Ethan Page as an example, saying:

“I was told that these new TKO contracts are such that when you go to WWE, they’re going to trademark everything. For example, Ethan Page went and they trademarked their Ethan Page. That came from someone in the company, when you leave, they hand everything over to you now.”

“It’s a really big change” – Bryan Alvarez on WWE’s new policy

However, despite talent names being trademarked while they are under contract, the sports entertainment giant has made a drastic change to its policy as some talents will be able to use their WWE names once they leave the company.

“Apparently when you leave WWE, and it’s kind of the same thing with AEW I think, it’s like she (Vaquer) can leave and take her name. Ethan Page can leave and take his name. While you’re there, they own the rights to everything in professional wrestling. But it’s a huge change from when they owned you in perpetuity. She really wanted to keep her name and apparently they’re allowing her to keep the name in WWE. They’re going to trademark it while she’s there…”

Alvarez and co-host Mike Sempervive cited the examples of Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik, two stars who continue to use their names after being released from their contracts.