MJF ‘Reign of Terror’ among new AEW, WWE trademark filings
In today’s pro wrestling scene, trademark filings are often as newsworthy as what happens in the ring as they can provide insight into what might be coming down the pike in the future.
Several WWE and AEW-related trademark filings in the last few days fit that bill including ones by MJF and Sasha Banks.
After uttering the phrase “reign of terror” during a segment on last Wednesday’s Dynamite, a representative for AEW World Champion MJF filed to trademark the term the following day for merchandise like hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and bandanas.
On December 3rd, AEW filed a trademark for the commonly used hockey term “hat trick” as “intended to cover the categories of entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances, entertainment services in the nature of production of television shows and multimedia entertainment content featuring wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a group or individual wrestlers; Entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of ongoing television programs in the field of wrestling.”
On the WWE side of things, the company filed for “WWE Ring Leaders” on December 1st as relates to their Next-in-Line (NIL) program for college athlete recruitment.
Finally, while she hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since May, Sasha Banks filed to trademark her real name (Mercedes Varnado) on December 1st as relates to “live audio performances by an actor or musician and “wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.”
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.