WWE name change, explained: Why Vince McMahon was forced to renamed his WWF wrestling promotion in early 2000s

World Wrestling Entertainment has been a driving force in pro wrestling for years. Initially led by Vince McMahon Sr., his son turned a territory brand into an international powerhouse. 

The name of the promotion has gone through several changes since its inception. It started as Capitol Wrestling Corporation and then went from World Wide Wrestling Federation, World Wrestling Federation to what we know today. The most popular of the names was WWF, which is synonymous with the Attitude Era. 

How we got from WWF to WWE in 2002 is a long history featuring a plethora of court battles.

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In a WWE-produced documentary series called Ruthless Aggression, it was explained that the name change was a change of direction, calling it a tidal wave of change in attitude and creative direction. 

“Shortly thereafter, the company was reimagined and rebranded in typical McMahon fashion: World Wrestling Entertainment: Get the ‘F’ out! Getting the ‘F’ out was a way to keep some of the old attitude and an opportunity to begin the process of moving in a new direction. And with no ‘F,’ WWE was born,” narrator Michael Rapaport said in Ruthless Aggression via David Bixenspan.

However, that may not be the whole truth.

Why Vince McMahon was forced to rename WWF wrestling promotion

The simple answer is legal action from the World Wide Fund for Nature, then known as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961. Its goal is to work on wilderness preservation through conservation and environmental projects.

Then-WWE CEO Linda McMahon, Vince’s wife, pointed out in a 2002 New York Times article, “When we first registered our name in the early 1980s, the wildlife fund did not raise any challenges.” However, things started to take a turn when WWE got an injunction in Switzerland in 1993.

Per Forbes, the World Wildlife Fund had concerns about the attention the logo was getting following a sexual misconduct scandal in 1992, followed by the Steroid Scandal in 1993.

WWE and the World Wide Fund agreed to a mutual settlement agreement in 1994, with WWE agreeing to cease using the WWF initials internationally. That did not last, as WWE grew in popularity during the Attitude Era, and, per CNET, WWE breached the agreement multiple times.

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WWE changed its logo to a “scratch logo” in 1997, which was a breaking point in reopening a case. It was argued the block was an evolution of the brand, and the creation of the Internet heightened awareness to a point nobody could anticipate. However, it read more as “WWF” than “WF.” The company also used the domain “WWF.com” for its website. 

British Court judges did not buy it when 2002 hit. 

“[I]f the Federation wanted to develop a worldwide trade, whether through the Internet or any other means, the letters WWF were a very risky base on which to build it. When it established its website, it was, or should have been, fully aware of that fact. The costs of ‘rebranding’ now, after some five years of development, are entirely attributable to its own decision to take that risk. The scratch ;go may be less significant in itself, but it was part of the same strategy. It was likewise a clear breach of the agreement, and the risks were apparent,” appellate court judges said via Babyface vs. Heel. 

WWE eventually changed its name to what it’s most known for, adding entertainment to the mix. The company sent out a release when it was forced to change its name in 2002. 

McMahon said the company began considering dropping the word ‘Federation’ from its name when World Wildlife Fund (a/k/a World Wide Fund for Nature) prevailed in a recent court action in the United Kingdom. The court ruling prevents the World Wrestling Federation from the use of the logo it adopted in 1998 and the letters WWF in specified circumstances. The ‘Fund’ has indicated that although the two organizations are very different, there is the likelihood of confusion in the marketplace because both organizations use the letters WWF.

“The Fund has indicated that it does not want to have any association with the World Wrestling Federation. ‘Therefore,” said, Linda, “‘we will utilize this opportunity to position ourselves emphasizing the entertainment aspect of our company, and, at the same time, allay the concerns of the Fund.'”

Can WWE change back to WWF?

For years, WWE had to blur out the “WWF” logo or references to the name on all archival footage. That was until 2012, before the launch of the WWE Network when PW Insider reported a settlement agreement regarding WWE’s usage of the WWF name and logo.

WWE can use older material that showcases the logo but cannot promote itself as WWF. 

What is the difference between WWF and WWE?

WWF comes out to the “World Wrestling Federation.” 

WWE comes out to “World Wrestling Entertainment.”