All Elite Wrestling Trademark Filings Update, WWE Talents Reportedly Interested In Potential Venture
As previously noted, the braintrust behind the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be getting into the professional wrestling business, as a limited liability company named All Elite Wrestling has been formed and is headquartered out of the TIAA Bank Field, where the Jags play their home games.
Recently, All Elite Wrestling, LLC applied for several trademarks that provide some insight as to the possible direction of the new pro wrestling promotion. The trademark filings suggest that The Elite [Thee, Thee Elite] will be involved in the startup.
With that said, Dave Meltzer spoke this morning on Wrestling Observer Radio about how important The Young Bucks are to making sure this venture even happens. Bluntly, he stated that if The Young Bucks do not decide to be a part of AEW, the deal will not exist. Since The Young Bucks are still under contract with ROH until the end of the year they are not free to negotiate. So, it is possible The Young Bucks do decide to sign with WWE or ROH after the first of the year and the whole idea is scrapped.
The situation, however, is different for Chris Jericho, Cody [Rhodes] and Brandi Rhodes. Since those three are currently not under a contract with anyone they are free to begin negotiations. Whether they decide to sign with the new AEW venture, WWE, ROH or NJPW has also yet to be determined.
In addition to seeking trademarks for 'All Elite Wrestling', All Elite Wrestling, LLC has attempted to procure two trademarks for 'AEW', a standard character mark for the letters 'AEW' as well as a mark for an 'AEW' logo featuring lettering akin to military stencilling.
Additionally, All Elite Wrestling, LLC has applied for trademarks for 'AEW Double or Nothing', 'Double or Nothing', 'AEW All Out', 'All Out', and 'Tuesday Night Dynamite'. The applications for 'AEW Double or Nothing' and 'AEW All Out' are accompanied by logos while the filings for 'Double or Nothing', 'All Out', and 'Tuesday Night Dynamite' are merely standard character marks for the wording only.
Interestingly, the application for 'AEW Double or Nothing' carries with it a logo of a poker chip with the wording 'AEW Double or Nothing' scrawled over the chip. While 'AEW Double or Nothing' has been rumored to be the title of the follow up pay-per-view to ALL IN, this common sense assumption cannot be confirmed through review of the trademark applications alone because the trademark, along with all of the other marks on record for All Elite Wrestling, LLC, are general and outline identical goods and services to each other.
Similarly, although it makes sense that 'Tuesday Night Dynamite' would be the name of All Elite Wrestling, LLC's weekly television broadcast, the application for 'Tuesday Night Dynamite' lists identical goods and services as all of the other trademark applications filed by All Elite Wrestling, LLC.
If there was any question whether 'The Elite' would be involved in this provocative venture with All Elite Wrestling, LLC, the filing for 'AEW All Out' should lay such doubts to rest, as the proposed 'AEW All Out' logo looks like the 'ALL IN' logo with a line striking through 'IN' and 'OUT' inscribed over it. This suggests that All Elite Wrestling, LLC will be associated with the people behind 'ALL IN' or at least that The Khans would not be receiving a cease and desist from The Young Bucks. Jokes aside, Killing The Business, Inc., The Jacksons' company, would be fully within its legal rights to contest All Elite Wrestling, LLC's trademark of 'AEW All Out' and 'All Out' as 'All In' was recently trademarked by Killing The Business, Inc.
Another interesting detail is that as of this writing, Killing The Business, Inc. has made no attempt to trademark 'The Elite' for pro wrestling purposes. Given that The Young Bucks, Cody, Hangman Page, Marty Scurll, and Kenny Omega call themselves 'The Elite' and Killing The Business, Inc. has trademarked 'Being The Elite' for the purposes of the stable's highly successful YouTube show, it is curious that 'The Elite' has not been snapped up by Killing The Business, Inc. and we have seen instead the formation of a new company, 'All Elite Wrestling, LLC'.
Meltzer also confirmed on Wrestling Observer Radio earlier today that he knows of people in WWE that are very interested in the new AEW venture. He was quick to point out that it does not mean any of the names he has spoken with in WWE will do anything. They are open to it and if AEW gets off the ground, ala WCW in the 90s, it could become a new destination for talent.
Source: Wrestling Inc.