Why the WWF Changed to WWE

The World Wildlife Fund has changed their name to the World Wrestling Entertainment. Why did they make this decision?

The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was founded in 1952

The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was founded in 1952 by popular American wrestler, television personality, and promoter Vince McMahon Sr. The organization initially served as a governing body for various territorial professional wrestling promotions across the United States. In 1963, McMahon Sr. passed control of the WWF down to his son, Vince McMahon Jr.

Under Vince Jr.’s leadership, the WWF began to expand into a national promotion, running shows and operating merchandise stands at venues across the country. The company also began producing its own television programming and distributing it through syndication. In the 1980s, the WWF exploded in popularity due largely to the introduction of characters such as Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. The organization capitalized on this popularity by creating its own cable network, MTV’s “Superstars of Wrestling”, which aired weekly from 1984 to 1985.

In 1993, the WWF was embroiled in a scandal when several of its wrestlers were accused of sexual misconduct with underage fans. This led to a decline in popularity for the company, culminating in Vince McMahon selling the organization to Turner Broadcasting System (the parent company of World Championship Wrestling) in 2001. The sale included all WWF properties, including its then-popular wrestling show “Raw”.

In 2002, Vince McMahon regained control of the WWF after buying back all of Turner Broadcasting’s stake in the company. He then changed the name of the organization to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and refocused its image on entertainment rather than competition. Since then, WWE has remained one of America’s most popular professional wrestling companies, with regular televised events and PPV broadcasts reaching millions of viewers around the world

The company went public in 1999

In 1999, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after a legal battle with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This was not the first time that the company had been involved in a legal dispute over its initials. In 1994, the company lost a lawsuit to the World Wild Fund over its use of the “WWF” initials. The company then changed its name to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (WWFE) and began using the initialism “WWE” in 1997.

In 2001, the company was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

In 2001, the company was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) following a legal battle with the World Wildlife Fund over the WWF initials. The new name was introduced on the January 8, 2002 episode of Raw. In 2007, WWE dropped the “Telecasts” from their television programming name and began referring to their weekly shows as just WWE.

The main reason for the change was to avoid legal issues with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

In May 2002, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) sued the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) over the latter’s use of “WWF” initials, claiming that it had created “confusion” between the two groups and damaged its own reputation. The lawsuit was settled out of court in August, with the two organizations agreeing to share the acronym and use it only within their respective wrestling promotions. As a result of the settlement, on September 6, 2002, Vince McMahon announced that WWE would be changing its brand name from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment to simply World Wrestling Entertainment.

The change was also made to appeal to a more family-friendly audience

In May of 2002, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a result of a lawsuit with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The change was made in order to avoid confusion between the two organizations, but it also allowed the wrestling company to appeal to a more family-friendly audience.

The WWF had been using the “WWF” initials for over 30 years, but in 1986 the organization lost a trademark case in which it was revealed that the WWF had been using the initials without permission. The organization then reached an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund in which it would pay a licensing fee to use the initials.

However, in 2000, the World Wildlife Fund filed another lawsuit, claiming that the wrestling company was no longer adhering to the terms of the agreement. As part of the settlement, the WWF was required to stop using its old logo and name by May 5th, 2002.

While many fans were upset by the name change, it did allow WWE to reach a wider audience. The company had long been criticized for its graphic and violent content, and by changing its name and image, WWE was able to appeal to a more family-friendly demographic.

The company has continued to grow and be successful since the name change

In May 2002, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) filed a lawsuit against the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), alleging that the non-profit organization was infringing on its pretend-fighting-based trademarks. After a long legal battle that went all the way to the European Court of Justice, the two organizations came to an agreement in which the entertainment company would keep using the WWF initials in North America, while the international conservation group would stick to its full name everywhere else. As part of the settlement, the World Wrestling Federation also had to pay WW€3 million.