WWE talents who leave the company used to keep their in-ring names if it were their real name or a name they used before joining the company. However, that seems no longer the case, especially after the company was acquired by Endeavor and falls under the TKO company.
Bryan Alvarez mentioned on the latest Wrestling Observer Live that WWE will trademark everything when a talent joins the company but will give everything back to the talent if and when they leave WWE.
Alvarez said, “I heard that with these new TKO contracts, WWE will trademark everything. For example, when Ethan Page joined WWE, they trademarked ‘Ethan Page.’ But now, when you leave, they give everything back to you.”
“When you leave WWE, just like with AEW, you can take your name with you. Ethan Page can leave and keep his name. While you’re in WWE, they own the rights to everything for pro wrestling, but this is a big shift from the past when they kept those rights indefinitely. Stephanie Vaquer wanted to keep her name, and it seems they’re allowing her to do so in WWE, though they’ll trademark it while she’s there.”
Alvarez also noted that talents like Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik retained their names after leaving WWE.
