New WWE Trademark Indicates A Huge Training Expansion

WWE often files trademarks for things, hoping to get them accepted. These trademarks are not always accepted, but they usually are. Normally, the WWE Trademarks are for things like Superstar Names, PLE Names, and other WWE-affiliated needs. Sometimes, people can figure out what WWE is planning with specific trademarks mostly because the company has to give some type of description to the United States Patent & Trademark Office. One new WWE Trademark is starting a lot of buzz online.

Technically, we have two trademarks filed by WWE, but they are for the exact same thing. The first is “WWE Independent Development,” while the other is “WWE ID.”

Some initially thought that this was WWE’s way of trying to monetize their work with independent wrestling companies, where companies could be part of their WWE ID program. However, this appears to be similar to WWE’s NIL stuff, which began a little while back when the NCAA allowed student-athletes to accept payment for their likeness, work, etc., for the first time.

Ultimately, when looking into the name’s copyright and reasoning, WWE references “training and development.” However, they also discuss far more than this mostly so that it could be utilized in multiple avenues. Let’s discuss what it references.

WWE TRADEMARK FILING

WWE applied for both new trademarks on June 21st. Acceptance seemed to take place almost immediately. WWE is great at getting its trademark concepts accepted, mostly because of how unique they can be. Other things, however, can be harder to get. For example, the word “Yeet” was a significant hassle for WWE’s Legal Department. It is now under WWE ownership for Jey Uso to use regularly, but it took a while.

In something like this, the WWE Trademark makes a lot of sense and even includes WWE’s name. Usually, anything with your company’s name will be accepted without much of an issue. What does the WWE Independent Development copyright involve? This is the breakdown.

• Organizing and Conducting A Program To Enhance, Educate, & Develop Athletes
• Educational Services, Namely, Organizing and Conducting Training In The Field Of Collaborative Partnerships with Athletes For Brand Building, Training, Development, Education, Communications, Promotion, & Community Relations Services
• Entertainment Services, Namely, Organizing and Conducting Sports Events Rendered Live and Recorded For The Purposes Of Distribution
• Organizing and Arranging of Exhibitions and Cultural, Entertainment, & Sporting Events For Sports and Entertainment Purposes
• Entertainment Services, Nameley, Provision of Information and News About Sports, Entertainment Rendered Live and Through Broadcast Media Including Television and Radio, & Via The Internet or Commercial Online Service
• Providing Information In The Fields Of Sports, Entertainment, And Pop Culture Via An Online Community Portal
• Providing A Website In The Field Of Sports, Entertainment, and Pop Culture
• Providing Wrestling Services
• Providing Wrestling News and Information Via The Internet

WHAT THIS TRADEMARK FILING TELLS US

This is a lot and clearly tells us they have a lot planned for this trademark. Initially, we assumed it would resemble the WWE’s NIL stuff. Meanwhile, it tells us all of these things while also giving us what seems to be exactly what the WWE Performance Center does. It trains, develops, and educates athletes about the world of professional wrestling and “sports entertainment.” They also often go over how one promotes oneself and communicates in different situations, and WWE is big on community relations.

This is also interesting because it references the distribution of live and recorded sports events. This is pretty much exactly what a Premium Live Event is, which WWE NXT already does, just like the main roster.

One could take from this either one or two things.

The first is that WWE might want to start sharing the earliest part of WWE trainee journies. Basically, showing how WWE trains athletes and makes it so that fans can learn from this.

The other possibility is that WWE is preparing to expand its training sector, and NXT will no longer be the first stop for wrestlers. Usually, a new person will come in for training, and within six months, they will have matches in the WWE PC. From there, if they show they are ready, they will be put on WWE’s Level Up program on YouTube. Most only wrestle one to three matches here.

If they show they are good to go, they’ll have them head to NXT. Based on what these references say, we see them mention things like a website and an online community portal. This is literally what streaming is.

OUR VIEW:

It is not always possible to know what every WWE Trademark is for. Often, we see one used for various things like wrestler quotes or similar things. In these situations, the copyright and use of this are pretty easy to figure out. For something like this, however, that is not as clear.

We’re leaning toward WWE doing both of the things we mentioned. WWE has tried the concept of showing a wrestler’s journey and following them as they grow. This was once a design for a show they had on the WWE Network. They also did it for an ESPN special years ago, too. Many felt that this could be a very useful show for WWE to utilize in a bigger way.

A cool, behind-the-scenes look at how a superstar develops, how they come up with their gimmick, and their progress. This can be amazing. It is a pure reality show concept, where WWE does not have to make anything up or write a script. We just follow talent as they grow, which can create a nice, organic fanbase for them even before debuting on the main roster.

Of course, we won’t know what either WWE Trademark is truly going to be about until they announce something.