As PWMania.com previously reported, 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.
Both Fightful Select and PWInsider.com have shot down the news and revealed that this is not the case. WWE will not allow talents to use their in-ring names after leaving the company unless it is a name they have been using before they joined the company or it’s their real name. The confusion was said to have come out of a conversation about NXT Champion Ethan Page’s name being trademarked, during which the notion spread that WWE was allowing talent to use their ring names after they leave.
Fightful Select and PWInsider.com noted that some talents have been able to use their names, but those were cases where WWE could not prevent them from doing so because those talents had ownership of the name and they licensed the WWE to use it. Talents like Chris Jericho, Adam Cole, Toni Storm, Mustafa Ali, Sting, and CM Punk are examples of people where that has been the case.
It was also mentioned on the reports that WWE cannot prevent talents who use their real names outside the company.
Ryback and Ultimate Warrior both changed their legal names to their ring names in attempts to use that loophole. Talent like Metalik are still able to use that name, but he cannot use Gran Metalik which was his WWE ring name.
Talent such as Seth Rollins would not be able to use that name should he leave WWE at some point. This is the reason Dolph Ziggler is using the “Nic Nemeth” ring name and why Raj Dhesi cannot use the name Jinder Mahal. AJ Francis is also unable to use Top Dolla.
