You've been hearing a lot about World Wrestling Entertainment lately, in anticipation of WrestleMania 23 on April 1 at Ford Field. But didn't the company used to be called the World Wrestling Federation?
Indeed it did. But in 2002 the WWF changed its name to WWE, after the World Wildlife Fund -- also known as the WWF -- sued the sports entertainment company for unfair trade practices relating to the company's merchandising efforts.
Both companies had shared the same initials for several decades, but the World Wildlife Fund -- which is now known as the World Wide Fund for Nature -- claimed the wrestling WWF violated an international agreementover the international use of the WWF initials. Hence the WWE's forced name change.
The switch to WWE was not an altogether smooth one. Courts ordered the WWE to retroactively remove all references to "WWF" from its video library, which resulted in a barrage of blurred images and audio censors on its arsenal of video products.
Not that the WWE didn't have fun with its name change. When the company first switched monikers, it employed a typically aggressive advertising campaign, urging in its new slogan, "Get the 'F' Out."
You can reach Adam Graham at (313) 222-2284 or agraham@ detnews.com.
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