The WWE to DROP "wrestling" from its name?

[SteveNJ]

Its hard to market two of the same brands, King Jaek. More so, when someone wins a title now-a-days they dont say World Wrestling Entertainment Champion...

Break it to WWE and you can market it entirely as one thing. Instead of having to C both brands.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Nothing lasts forever, and corporations change their names periodically for a variety of reasons. Some results are good, some results are bad. I haven't read every reply, so if someone already brought this up, I apologize for duplicating your statement:

But it strikes me as odd and ironic that the WWE is doing this right before WRESTLEMania. The fact that they're taking the term "wrestling" out of their name is probably something McMahon has been trying to do for years, however, what does this do to their premier event, since the word WRESTLE is certainly apart of the mix. Every fan will know the actual "act" of their program will never change and thus the "wrestling scope" of it will always be there. I have to ask though, if the WWE had a better corp of "wrestlers" (ala Chris Benoit, Eddie, etc etc) would the WWE hesitate on dropping the term since almost everyone else is essentially an "Entertainer"?

 

[Yrrab]

Not gonna happen, only because I remember last year or the year before, Vince wanted to drop "Superstars". He didn't want any of the guys referred to as such, but that quickly flopped and he realized it. He won't be able to, so him toying with the idea is fine with me.

 

[Kizzo]

What I read is that they aren't DROPPING the word "wrestling" they are just gonna refer to the business as "WWE" instead of saying the entire thing. That way you don't hear/see the word "wrestling" anymore. So now its gonna be simply "WWE" not refered to as "world wrestling entertainment." I found this to be no big deal; however it kinda makes no sense due to WRESTLEmania. Unless they plan to refer to that as "W.M" ahaha.

It's just a corporate brand name change. You guys are blowing this thing wayyyy out of proportion. Everyone likes to bitch about something.

 

[Clem]

With every step Vince McMahon takes to erase wrestling from his company, the less sense anything makes. I mean if they're not a wrestling company, why do they have a wrestling ring and hold wrestling matches for wrestling championships at Wrestlemania?

If Vince wants to be a self-loathing idiot, do it on his own time. Wrestling is a wonderful sport and deserves some respect.

Who wants to bet next years PPV will just be called "Mania".

 

[SullivanSmith]

Guys, I know we've grown up with the WWF and now WWE but we have to face the facts... Vince and his company have been positioning this company as, first and foremost, an entertainment company. Someone earlier in the thread made the KFC reference, which I'm glad they did (and high-five to you folks who did), because it suits it.

I love wrestling as much as you guys do. And there's no doubt that every now and then you're probably going to see some actual really cool wrestling in WWE. But that's no the direction they're going. If you don't like it, go watch ROH or the independent scene or TNA.

No, seriously... go watch that! That's not a criticism, I'm serious. Go find where the kick-ass wrestling is, like Dragon Gate USA or others like them and tell your friends and help them make some damned money. Be an ambassador for them, just like I will. On my website, which I won't post a link to, we've done a few articles on DGUSA, especially on Pac.

OK.... I'm rambling. Let me cut this short. Anyone who's upset with WWE for basically trying to cut "wrestling" out of their name... I get why you're upset. But for crying out loud, wrestling is entertainment. If you don't like the entertainment WWE is giving you, evangelize someone who IS. Not just here, but everywhere.

That's all.

 

[Clem]

Dropping wrestling from a wrestling company is just downright bizarre.

If WWE isn't a wrestling promotion anymore, should we even be talking about it on Wrestlezone?

Nevermind the fact they're in a wrestling ring holding wrestling matches at a PPV called Wrestlemania, but shouldn't we wrestling fans follow Vince's wishes and just ignore him.

 

[Kenny Powers]

What will WWE be referred to now? "World Watching Entertainment" I mean WWE will always be known as "wrasslin" no matter how you put it. You can call it sports entertainment, plinko, or even hopskotch, but its still wrestling to the main stream audiences out there. Its like calling a prostitute an escort or valet.

 

[buddyriffic]

And check this one out......

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/article/wwe-publicist-says-dont-call-them-a-wrestling-company-126617

The thing is, I totally understand that the WWE is (and I quote) "no longer a wrestling company but rather a global entertainment company with a movie studio, international licensing deals, publisher of three magazines, consumer good distributor and more." (uhhhh, ok) but as pointed out, why is it SUCH a big deal to mention that they also wrestle?

2 main points come to mind.

#1) They still have television and Pay-Per-View brodcasts which are packed with "matches". They do call them that, right? Matches? Are they "entertainment" matches? Really? Really? Really?

and #2) Is next year's Wrestlemania going to be called "EntertainmentMania"? I rest my case.

 

[Young Money]

It doesnt really bother me as I dont take much notice to the name anyway, but its still considered wrestling. So they shouldn't drop the 'wrestling' from the name.

 

[zephyrs]

I find it offensive that WWE is disassociating itself from the word 'wrestling.' This has little to do with WWE seeing itself as more than a wrestling company, but more with WWE trying to distance itself from some sort of perceived negative stereotype revolving around the word 'wrestling.'

Calling their wrestlers Superstars, Divas, sports entertainers, etc. is one thing, and something WWE has been doing for years. But, now they've gotten to the point where their calling out journalists who call what they do wrestling. Really, if WWE doesn't like being called a wrestling promotion, then they should stop putting on wrestling matches.

They're not fooling anyone by refusing to ackknowledge that they're a wrestling promotion. The general public knows what WWE is. To me, all they're doing is coming of as elitists who think they're too good for 'wrestling' fans.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I'm pretty sure this will be an April Fools joke, given that it was posted on 1st April, and its just a dig at the WWE trying to distance themselves from actually acknowledging they are a wrestling company.

However, I am just waiting for the announcement of EntertainmentMania, the showcase of the immortals....

 

[Tugboat Reloaded]

However, I am just waiting for the announcement of EntertainmentMania, the showcase of the immortals....

Just wanted to make a Thread about this after the first After-WM-Thread-Flood was gone.

How consequent will they be about this?

WWEmania? Really? Will they start to extend even more into so called Entertainment? When will we see Big Brother WWE? Maybe replace NXT with it and lock them in a container so we can watch them 24/7! The Movies were just the start. Next goal, WWE the daily soap. Oh my God, did you see that? Daniel just turned down Maryse and admited he is in a secret relationship with Kane! Dont miss the "Tonight Show" with your host Hornswoggle! His guest tonight...Festus! Ring the damn bell!

 

[Uncle Chester]

This move is obviously another step into the gradual process of changing the branding and name recognition of WWE into something less socially frowned upon. WWE is trying to market themselves as more than strictly wrestling due to the negative connatations associated with pro-wrest and particularly the WWE name (due to their strong casual appeal). It's turning an unofficial policy into an official one. No biggie.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

So... people are complaining that World Wrestling Entertainment, otherwise known as WWE, will now be referred to as WWE, otherwise known as World Wrestling Entertainment? All they are doing is officially recognising something that the WWE's broadcasting has been doing for years since the move towards entertainment and that's refer itself to the abbreviated company name. How many people commonly refer WWE as World Wrestling Entertainment in conversation outside of explaining what the three letters mean anyway? It's a logical business move that is not only allowing the company to "distance" itself from being mentioned as wrestling but also allows people to become comfortable with an easy pronunciation to remember and converse with. As previously mentioned about KFC, it's the psychological factor that aims to remove something in their name that detracts people from the product to bring in more revenue.

Who cares if wrestling is mentioned less and less? The people that do care already know it's professional wrestling and will continue to preach it as such... but that's a small amount of people. The majority either don't care or have a biased against the wrestling aspect, so removing it is the best option to satisfy the masses.

 

[slimmshady]

The really funny thing about this new branding idea is that wwe's biggest event of the year is called "WRESTLEmania". So how does that work out? Unless the wwe decide to change the wrestlemania title into something - which we all know will never happen.

 

[The Wolf]

To be honest I understand where he is coming from cause it does have a sterotype, BUT change the name all together evn have a story line like an invation of some form or something to change the name. NOT just drop the meaning of the letter cause then it is empty.

 

[blackmetalbuick]

The really funny thing about this new branding idea is that wwe's biggest event of the year is called "WRESTLEmania". So how does that work out? Unless the wwe decide to change the wrestlemania title into something - which we all know will never happen.

Haha my friend pointed this out last night as we were talking about the "WWE" issue and WM was about to start. It hadn't even occured to me. Hilarious and ironic. I was almost going to start a thread about it but I guess it fits in this thread well enough. I wonder if Vince would be bold/stupid enough to really change the name of WrestleMania. I wouldn't think so, but obviously he is so haunted and embarrassed by the word wrestling. We also laughed at Cole getting dressed up in amateur wrestling gear. "I thought this wasn't wrestling?!".

Get ready for EntertainmentMania next year.

 

[The Curtis]

It's kind of aggravating but at the same time not a big deal. I still feel it's silly that Vince is trying to pretend that WWE is something that it is not. No matter what way you spin it, it is still a WRESTLING COMPANY! They say things like "We are no longer a wrestling company but rather a global entertainment company with a movie studio, international licensing deals, publisher of three magazines, consumer good distributor and more.” But aren't all the movies they do starring a wrestler? Aren't the three magazines wrestling magazines? And the licensing deals and consumer goods based on wrestling and wrestlers? Until they start making films, merchandise, magazines etc. that are independent of any wrestlers or mentioning of wrestling they can't claim that they are not a wrestling company!

But I guess the whole thing about them not mentioning the word "wrestling" in World Wrestling Entertainment is not a huge deal. Like somebody already said, it's just like how MTV got rid of the word "Music" from MTV. To be honest, I probably would have never noticed the word "wrestling" gone from it if people hadn't started talking about it. So as long as they don't go and try to change to logo or change their name to something stupid like WSE (World Sports Entertainment) or start referring to it as World Wide Entertainment I'll be fine. At least keep logo the same and continue referring to it as WWE.

 

[MrHashasheen]

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/article/wwe-announces-renaming-of-the-company-vince-comments-128047

LATimes.com is reporting that World Wrestling Entertainment has in fact renamed itself, and it will now simply be referred to as WWE. Vince McMahon spoke on the renaming, and the following is an excerpt from the article: "I think every brand has to re-create itself," he said. "I want everyone to look at us in a vastly different way than they have."

To do that, McMahon plans to go on a spending spree to acquire media assets that could expand WWE's business beyond the ring. In particular, he said, WWE is targeting companies involved in production, live entertainment and branding.

"It is a logical broadening of what we already do," McMahon said in an interview."

I thought this was just bullshit rumors, but they're really going through with this.

Won't deny that I'm more than a little annoyed by it, and that it's also another way to help cut costs on the wrestling side, but whatever.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

It's been painfully obvious for many years that Vince is ashamed he made his fortune promotin' rasslin' and he's tried everything from the XFL to starting a film company, to bringing in celebs, to even calling the wrestlers "superstars" and "entertainers" and the fans "the universe" but regardless of whatever stupid spin they try and put on things, the product that "WWE" creates bell to bell is wrestling. In my mind it doesn't change anything, he can call it whatever the hell he wants as long as the "entertainers" still "entertain" at events like "EntertainMania"

 

[Mighty NorCal]

It effects nothing, purely superficial. It saddens me anyone would be the least bit upset by it.

 

[HellBoundPower]

I seriously can't believe that they're ACTUALLY going through with this STUPID name change! I don't know why Vince is so ashamed of owning a WRESTLING company! His family have built their fortune off of wrestling for almost a century, so it seems asinine to change it now! Besides, if he's trying to phase out the term "wrestling", what are we supposed to call Wrestlemania? WMania? WM? I don't get this thought process at all, and I'm surprised the boys in the back aren't offended. Truly a stupid move.

 

[stasheroo]

He's failed at every thing outside of wrestling that he's tried to do.

The WBF

Icopro

The XFL

WWE Films

Linda's failed political campaign

And I know I'm leaving some other failures out!

But by all means crap on what made you and continue to waste millions trying to be something that you - and your company - are not...

 

[Reddog1146]

I like the move but only because i hate the word wrestling. i love the sport just do not like the name. when i hear wretling i think of hicks wresling in their yard.

on the name change, i do not really care about it, it will save time to say the name of the brand. i do not really understand why Vince is focussing on the name so much when he should focus on making his brand better not sound better.