Breaking News: WWE Officially Changes Name

WWE announced today that the organization would no longer be referred as World Wrestling Entertainment due to Vince McMahon's decree to eliminate the term "wrestling" from the product. The company will be solely branded as WWE.

Here is the press release from WWE:

To better reflect the company's global entertainment offerings, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) announced today a new business model for future growth, including formally rebranding itself, WWE.

Two key components to WWE's brand expansion will be the active pursuit to acquire entertainment content companies and the outsourcing of WWE's core competencies – television and film production, live event production and licensing. As part of the new business model, the company will also focus on the development of new television products including scripted, non-scripted and animated programs, as well as the launch of a new WWE network in the next 12-18 months. The first new program of the brand expansion is Tough Enough, WWE's non-scripted program that debuted on the USA Network on Monday.

"The new business model of the company better reflects what WWE is all about, being a global entertainment company," stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. "We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring."

This new rebranding initiative will be highlighted through a national consumer and business-to-business advertising campaign entitled "Bigger. Badder. Better.™" The campaign kicked off at WrestleMania® XXVII on Sunday and will be featured on cable TV, print and online.

In addition to focusing on the expansion of the company, the company will bolster its core business with the launch a new talent development department headed by Paul "Triple H" Levesque. The new department will put a greater emphasis on worldwide recruitment, training and character development to identify future WWE Superstars and Divas. The first recruit acquired under Levesque's new department was the signing last month of future WWE Superstar, Sin Cara, formerly known worldwide as Mistico.

DOYLE192 wrote:The only good thing to take from this is lets face it, vince wont be around for much longer as chairman. I really think once HHH takes over it'll get back to being aboutt the wrestling and entertaining us wrestling fans... not amount just making a quick bit of money out of cheap efforts to target the so called 'mainstream media' i.e 'SNOOKIMANIA'

talkingpoint wrote:

DOYLE192 wrote:The only good thing to take from this is lets face it, vince wont be around for much longer as chairman. I really think once HHH takes over it'll get back to being aboutt the wrestling and entertaining us wrestling fans... not amount just making a quick bit of money out of cheap efforts to target the so called 'mainstream media' i.e 'SNOOKIMANIA'

I fear that is more wishful thinking than realism. I too would like to believe HHH would bring a more wrestling oriented product but if the company's official name no longer reflects its wrestling roots and Vince has created a new entertainment empire by the time he leaves complete with entertainment channel, films and tv programmes that bear no relation to wrestling then I find it hard to believe HHH would be able to do a 180. There is no going back from this decision - Vince said they will always be loyal to the wrestling side of the business but it is clear WWE effectively want to become like MTV, which betrayed its music roots too. I just hope the quality of the wrestling product improves with the new signings and recruitment policy. I think that's the best we can hope for.

the-gaffer wrote:Thats the way it goes, when you where growing up the generation behind you would have felt the same

the-gaffer wrote:Totally agree, the best guys to watch are the 35+ year olds who where taught all over the world and territories, not just the WWE way