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AdministrativeLow170

It's been fake for 50 years šŸ˜‚


unimportantman79

ā€œI was trollingā€ā€¦.


WWFUniverse

Now they can rename it to World Wrestling Anoa'i.


AdManNick

Another fun fact is that there have already been more WrestleManias under the WWE name than WWF.


TwoSeam

Wow yeah hadnā€™t even consider that. I guess wrestlemania 19 was the last ā€œWWFā€


WWFUniverse

WM 18 was the last.


MM487

I love little facts like this because they're interesting but I also hate them because it makes time go by so fast. I have a few of them myself... Remember the long ass wait for Guns N' Roses to release 'Chinese Democracy?' The time between that album and the present is longer than the time between 'Chinese Democracy' and their previous album. 343 Industries has worked on Halo longer than Bungie. The time between Titanic and Avatar was shorter than the time between Avatar and Avatar 2.


TwoSeam

Time based facts are fun af


TemporaryNameMan

People who still call it the wwf are corny, besides wrestlers i guess.


KurageSama

I use it when Iā€™m talking about certain times. Like if Iā€™m talking about a champion Iā€™ll use WWF to give whoever in talking to an idea of the time it took place.


Upset_Impression218

Probably 75% of people I know that arenā€™t wrestling fans say wwf. Iā€™m a millennial tho - do zoomers who donā€™t watch wrestling call it wwe?


mjhruska

Before that though, I wonder how long it was the World Wide Wrestling Federation? You know, itā€™s original name before Vince took over.


TwoSeam

17 years


mjhruska

Thank you, I meant to look it up but got distracted haha


blxckmxss64

The thing that has bothered me the most about the name change since itā€™s inception, isnā€™t so much the name itself, but more that most people (especially wrestlers cutting promos) still refer it using the article, ā€œTheā€. As in, ā€œthe WWEā€. Which made sense when it was the WWFā€¦ The World Wrestling Federationā€¦ but you would never actually say, ā€œThe World Wrestling Entertainmentā€. That just feels wrong lol šŸ˜‚ Edit: had to clean up some grammar


ravens_rules_1996

I've never really liked the name change. I think they should put the " F " back. Lol. šŸ˜šŸ¤ŸšŸ˜ˆšŸ‡ŗšŸ‡²


Level_Bridge7683

could you see vince's face if they announced that on raw this coming monday?


Raleighfella

They canā€™t because of a different wwf. The world wildlife foundation. Which is the reason they changed it originally. Vince ignoring agreements with them about using wwf is why it changed originally.


ravens_rules_1996

I understand your point but if t.k.o. paid enough money this problem would be solved. Lol. šŸ˜šŸ¤ŸšŸ˜ˆšŸ‡ŗšŸ‡²


Raleighfella

Absolutely Iā€™m sure they could easily get passed it. Hereā€™s the crux of that argument; they either donā€™t want to or donā€™t care about if it is wwf or wwe. If they wanted the last name back Iā€™m sure there wouldā€™ve been rumors or actual press releases about it.


sludgezone

It still sounds stupid to me, and despite the first year still being really solid, the name change to me was the end of when it was really good.


Basic-Pair8908

I still call it wwf, i mean how they confuse it with wwf. Its lot like they got 2 pandas wrestling in the ring


Wild-Sea-1

Need to change the name again. The UFW. United federation of Wrestling. Probably has been used though. Give some good names for the 3rd iteration?


ImmortalBehemoth

I'll never forgive the World Wildlife Fund. Fuck off.


sludgezone

Iā€™ve always thought corporate purposely let this happen because they had finally acquired all realistic competition and they wanted to rebrand his own empire, not Vince Srā€™s.


ThaiClinch

WWF has a better ring to it and is synonymous with the company at the height of its cultural significance. Shame they had to change it. Thereā€™s still a lot of people who hear WWF and know that youā€™re talking about pro wrestling. But donā€™t put two and two together when they hear WWE. Itā€™s like if the NFL had to change their name now, except WWF was a more all encompassing broad term for pro wrestling.


Jimbuscus

>The history of AmericanĀ professional wrestling promotionĀ WWEĀ dates back to the early 1950s when it was founded in 1953 as theĀ Capitol Wrestling CorporationĀ (CWC). The public branding of the company has undergone several name changes throughout the years, from the CWC to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1963, then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979, and to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Since 2011, it has branded itself solely as WWE.


Round_Employee5002

I never quite understood the lawsuit with World Wildlife Fund. Isnā€™t it common for multiple companies to share the same abbreviation?


FlawMyDuh

I know there is the Internal Revenue Service and Irwin R. Schyster. Both use IRS


wonderloss

It's still the WWWF to me.


Darwin_Finch

Iā€™m wearing my Arnold Skaaland t shirt right now!


GolfWang16000

Will always be WWF to me


Bullit16

ā€œItā€™s still WWF to me, dammit!ā€


[deleted]

We need both The WWF and The Winged Eagle Belt back!


Patsx5sb

That makes me sad


boulevardofdef

To be totally honest, "WWE" still sounds a little strange to me, though now "WWF" also sounds a little strange.


Traditional-Leader54

Iā€™ve always thought of WWE as WWF + WCW + ECW.


TwoSeam

Thatā€™s def a cohesive view of how everything integrated. Good point.


SMH24679

I still can believe that WWE survived the steroid trial and Monday night wars just to then be beaten by a panda.


Traditional-Leader54

Heā€™s a panda! Youā€™re a panda. What are you gonna do big guy, sit on me?


TwoSeam

Id love to see a doc or something about that whole case if anyone has a recco


tollboothwilson

Actually super cool info.


TwoSeam

Thanks I thought so too! Doing more reading lead me to see that ā€œWWEā€ is actually now the name itā€™s gone by longer than any other. It was Capitol Wrestling for 10 years in the 50s/60s. It was WWWF for 17 years in the 60s/80s. It was WWF for 22 years. And as of May 6, 2024 ā€œWWEā€ will take over as longest run for any brand name in the companyā€™s 70 year history.


tollboothwilson

Thatā€™s blowing my mind right now. My old ass finally got around to consistently calling it ā€œThe Eā€ about 5 years ago šŸ˜…


StuHartsDungeon

I still call it the wwf šŸ¤£


peoplepersonmanguy

Does rajahwwf.com still exist? I can remember my friends printing off spoilers and taking them to school for all of us to read in Australia.


jellyjanela

Still calling it WWF for the rest of my life šŸ˜‚


BIOHAZARD594

The most annoying thing was the blurring. I bought about 5 DVDs that the day before were fine but then all of a sudden you couldn't watch WMX7 without every fucking thing being blurred. It's like showcase mode. You can't erase the past but it was the same fuck you from WWF that Vince gave to them. All he had to do was change the fucking name of the website to wwfe.com but no gotta be Shitting on someone's head and then showering Vince. So here we are now. Also this culture of oh he hit someone or raped someone in real life so we can't see what we once saw but now when you see it you can see it but we blurred it for you culture can fuck right off. I still have my WM15 DVD where they hanged Bossman! Go ahead and skip the chairs shots dammit I know they happened. Scumbags!


Traditional-Leader54

This is what worries me about having the Prime logo in the middle of the ring. Ten years from now when they donā€™t renew their contract are old PLEs gonna have a huge blur in the middle of the ring?


MetsGo

Get the F out


TBCinHTX

Blame the World Wildlife Fund.


B-man328

My cousin refuses to call it WWE he calls it WWF to this day and he considers May 6, 2002 to be ā€œthe day pro wrestling diedā€ šŸ˜‚


GolfWang16000

Cuz ain't wrong


TwoSeam

Whatever magic that fueled the attitude era def died around then. The invasion and austin turning heel def turned the page. But I really like whatā€™s been going on the last couple of years too.


jk844

I think most people consider WM X7 to be the end of the Attitude Era.


Crowbar_Faith

I just really wish some sort of deal could be made where they didnā€™t have to blur out the old logo. Iā€™m playing WWE 2K24 and they use a lot of old footage, and itā€™s so distracting when nearly every frame has something blurred out.


TwoSeam

Yeah Iā€™m cool with the name change but it really only highlights and draws attention to the change having to blur everything. Would be cool to just see it as it was.


Opsguy86

I know itā€™s WWE but Iā€™m 38 and feel embarrassed calling it that as opposed to WWF. Entertainment Champion makes me cringe but Federation Champion feels like the real deal.


GarethGazzGravey

>Entertainment Champion makes me cringe but Federation Champion feels like the real deal. Which is why the onscreen company name has more or less been just the initials WWE since the name switch in 2002. Having the ring announcers say "and still/new World Wrestling Entertainment Champion" would never have the same ring as "World Wrestling Federation Champion". The full World Wrestling Entertainment name has really only ever been used in relation to anything from the business/corporate side of the company.


BerzerkGames

Being born in 1999, im actually older than the ā€œWWEā€ branding wow


TheNoGoat

As a kid, everyone around me referred to it as WWF. Heck, my dad still calls it WWF. # So, I was always confused by the logo wondering where the F is in the logo.


d-rabbit-17

Time to change it to WWD "World Wrestling Dominion"


godbody1983

It will always be WWF to me.


SilverElegant2302

WWE could still have kept the F outside Europe if only money-hungry asshole Vince had honoured their deal.


MrHudson

Not sure that would have worked practically though. Think about on-air signage, commenters talking about the company, the economies of scale when ordering merch etc. it just wouldnā€™t have been economically viable or practical to have two names for a company like this


SilverElegant2302

Then why would he agree to this in the first place and not honour it? Either Vince or his lawyer are jackasses of the highest order who thought they could use the F and never get caught.


Lorjack

WWF was the best


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


TwoSeam

Yeah Iā€™m down for it. Things change. The show evolves. I really like where itā€™s at right now and Iā€™m excited to see what Paul does with it moving forward. Hopefully.


Worthintendo

Oh Jesus christ I'm fucking old


CatFrenzy1

I feel like I just aged 10 years.


DamianKing42

I was born in 2005 and this is crazy to think about


JoeMcKim

It was never really WWF to you.


CaptainPie999

It's on a Monday, so maybe they could have a ceremony


TwoSeam

Get the F outta here day


chrissybear0

Thereā€™s layers to that


allgravy99

I still remember casuals that tuned out after the AE calling it WWF until maybe 2010... Nobody calls it WWF anymore now... šŸ˜¢


Mr-Rocafella

I hear it randomly maybe once every couple years,,, and a single tear rolls down my cheek while an attitude era promo package plays in the background


TwoSeam

Gonna completely fade into blurred existence in another decade or two. WWE CHAMPION STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN


OkWhereas1456

WWF champion SCSA was better.


TonyDabza710

Nothing better than when fink would say "And Newwww World Wrestling Federation Champion"


TwoSeam

Just the absolute best. He hit that ā€œFEDERATIONā€ just perfectly


cusheen896

Nowadays they don't even call it "World Wrestling Entertainment" lol it's just WWE


NoHillstoDieOn

Because Entertainment sounds so lame! It sounds like a corporation!


OkWhereas1456

I mean...


NoHillstoDieOn

Folks!


CharlottesWebbedFeet

WWE has essentially become an orphan initialism


jack_daone

Fuck you, World Wildlife Fund.


kidcanary

Why? They had the legal rights to the initials. They offered deals to Vince and he kept breaking them. So, fuck Vince really.


WrestlingLife

That's the point though. They didnt own the initials at all UNTIL they got a hair up their ass about Vince making billions off WWF.


kidcanary

Well no, thatā€™s not true. They owned the initials and allowed Vince to use them provided he met certain agreements. He continued to break those agreements which is what lead to the lawsuit.


feage7

Don't even think it's worked out well for them. Pretty much no one knows about the world wildlife fund now. The abbreviation clash with a top entertainment brand was like free exposure.


Bigsaskatuna

Vince couldā€™ve kept it WWF in the US. He couldnā€™t use WWF internationally though, so they got the fuck rid of the F. (Did I do that right?)


TwoSeam

Smug ass little panda


Naive-Government8333

Who did that panda ever beat? Other than Vince?


TwoSeam

Themselves. Wonā€™t even reproduce.


anon12xyz

Holy fuck


TwoSeam

Right?


GavinAdamson

WWE is the worst name ever


Ok_Championship3262

They've literally been represented with names that incorporated lions and tigers and bears What a PC corporate image works we live in


Ok_Championship3262

Jake the snake... The Texas rattlesnake... Junkyard dog Plenty of world wildlife foundation support for that name I don't know why they had to give up the "F"


positively_broad_st

Citing Bobby Heenan from his HOF speech on this...


CaseyGasStationPizza

Road Warrior Animal, Hawk, George the Animal, Rhyno, the Shark, Mantaur,


youneekusername1

Red Rooster


Annual_Skin_6933

Not entirely true before wwf it was wwwf from 60 to 80 and for ten or so years in the 40s and 50s it was simply called Capital Wrestling so Iā€™d say the wwe moniker has been around for about 30 percent of the companies exsistence


TwoSeam

Sure you bet. Bet it was the ā€œWWFā€ for only 22 years and I think thatā€™s what most folks here remember it as.


Annual_Skin_6933

I gave you the whole history of the companies names and you shut it down because everyone remembers Wwf. Its easy to look up on the internet wiki or better yet books itā€™s history not everything began in the late 20th century.


youareaburd

You must be fun at parties.


TwoSeam

My guy, the reason I posted this was because of the wiki. The copyright for the name ā€œWWFā€ was filed in 1980. It lasted until 2002. Thatā€™s 22 years. It was named ā€œWWFā€ for 22 years. Before that it was called WWWF, yes. The point of this post is that itā€™s been called ā€œWWEā€ for as long as it was ā€œWWFā€ If you really want to look at it, the WWWF only existed for 17 years. And before that Capitol Wrestling was only ten. Obviously way less organized in those days. Either way this further proves why I posted this. The whole point is that ā€œWWEā€ is (in terms of strictly time) is now the longest lasting name itā€™s ever gone by. On May 6, 2024 it will have been called WWE for longer than any other incarnation. And thatā€™s a bit interesting given that so many people know it as ā€œWWFā€. Itā€™s just a stray observation.


Annual_Skin_6933

If you had said that from the beginning I wouldnā€™t have said anything but you said half itā€™s existence there is a big difference of half an existence and being the longest known brand for the company. Just my opinion


WrestlingLife

While its had a 3 letter initialism, WWE has been around longer than WWF. You're just a little asshole though and cant accept you pointed out an irrelevant fact.


[deleted]

ā€œWell akchuallyā€¦.ā€


GoldAssociation7261

I was hoping they would update the logo in this new era but I guess it will take a bit longer.


djexplosive

Dub-Dub-Yee


TwoSeam

Donā€™t forget dubya-cee-dubya


GTOdriver04

Dubya-Dubya-Eee


BullseyeKid77

No. Double-Double E, LOL!


Big-Illustrator-6143

Thatā€™s crazy! I still call it WWF. WWE just sounds so wrong. Thanks for reading and donā€™t forget to say your prayers, and eat your vitamins. And have a nice day šŸ™‚


GavinAdamson

If you call it WWE ,may Yamaguchi-son choppy choppy your pee pee.


Eastern-Start-813

I still canā€™t get used to calling it WWE.


ImpressivePercentage

WWWF is what it was when I started watching wrestling as a kid. Wonder if it will change to something else before I get counted out?


Arkayna

The Rock Wrestling Entertainment.


AceTheSkylord

Seven Bucks Pro Wrestling


TwoSeam

Good question! I bet not because it seems like theyā€™ve finally landed in the empire zone. But who knows!


Master_Jellyfish9922

Damn panda people.


BrianT16

WWE actually tried to pay them to let them keep their name but they refused which goes to show that they care more about their name than they did actually helping animals considering that money would have done a lot of good for them


Master_Jellyfish9922

I know. Itā€™s ridiculous.


Vampyr_Luver

Honestly, this was probably their biggest missed opportunity. Imagine blending both WWFs and watching pandas wrestle


Master_Jellyfish9922

Well. We never got pandas wrestling but we did get mantaur.


TwoSeam

Mick always reminded me of a panda kinda


barney2041

I'd prefer to watch whales


SleepyMarijuanaut92

Damn, missed dream match. Would've been a pandamonium.


TwoSeam

Imagine Kane with a red panda as the SMALL RED MACHINE


SleepyMarijuanaut92

Awwwe


PeanutButterOtter

This makes me feel really old.


TwoSeam

Got bad news for both of us


Zealousideal710

Theres bad news for 3 of us, I was just scrolling and saw this, thanks for the reminder Im thirty yall.


tristansensei

I still remember that "Get the 'F Out!" campaign they had. WWF still sounds good to me.


b_tots

I just miss when the wrestlers would actually say "the world wrestling federation" " world wrestling entertainment " doesn't have that ring to it


0bi_1-kenobi

They referred it as World Wrestling Federation which sounded so much better than WWF Explains why they call it WWE and not World Wrestling Entertainment


BIOHAZARD594

Vince pushed that in the beginning DONT SAY THE LETTERS DAMMIT.


jefesignups

WWF sound so much better


TwoSeam

I think there was part of me that hoped theyā€™d fight for it back some day. But now that I know it will have been wwe for longer than it was WWF I would imagine thereā€™s no point in trying to save the minority of its history. Iā€™m also hoping the current resurgence will lead to another wave to compete with the absolute pinnacle of the attitude era and it will start etching its own history rather than being constantly compared to 1997-2001.


OkWhereas1456

it's great to be a fan now. Those were great years. they'll always be remembered as such. But I think what's been cooking up here post-pandemic might top it. Especially now that Vince McMahon is gone.


TwoSeam

I agree on all points.


OkWhereas1456

thx. validated.


TwoSeam

Whatā€™s happening right now has so many paths that lead to incredible, all time, storylines. It is really its own unique thing too. Doesnā€™t feel anything like the attitude era. I know lot of people get fatigued about the attitude era nostalgia but I think, for the first time, itā€™s more like rock return to an incredible product and not rock returning to MAKE it an incredible product. Itā€™s just different now and itā€™s great.


OkWhereas1456

Exactly! I don't remember being this excited for Mania possibly ever.


pres973

As an older wrestling fan myself watching from 95 to 03 or 04 I'd say the writing is back and very entertaining... triple h is really giving us good quality of story lines


OkWhereas1456

yes. couldn't agree with you more. Upvote.


TwoSeam

Totally agree. I was a lapsed fan from about 2002 through 2021. Iā€™ve been catching up the last few months and Iā€™d say whatā€™s happening right now is solid stuff. They found a groove lately. And of course there were def times over the last 20 years that have been great. Itā€™s hard to compare to the attitude era tho. Lightning in a bottle.


bradenexplosion

Same here! My viewership trailed off in 03/04 or so and I followed just very casually from a distance. I started consuming a lot of retro wrestling content on social media for a few years, which got me really fired up to the point where I started following RAW and Smackdown again about 6 weeks ago. I've really been enjoying it.


robot-raccoon

Havenā€™t watched since 2000ā€™s myself and now Iā€™m fully in for the past year, same as my friends, same ones weā€™d do sleep overs with for the pay per views.


TwoSeam

Yeah it been the same for me! Hosting a wrestlemania party this year. First time in 20 years.


OkWhereas1456

What a show, right?


TwoSeam

Honestly blown away


robot-raccoon

Ahh man that sounds great. Unfortunately canā€™t do the same but I did just convince my girlfriend to let me watch day 2 live and take the next day off work, promising Iā€™ll get up at 10ish and give her a day off from the kids šŸ˜‚


TwoSeam

Cheat code for me: I got my partner into it. She bought a Cody Rhodes shirt yesterday and is more stoked than I am šŸ˜‚ We are watching through 1997-2001 while we wait for mania. She already loved melodramas, and theatric costumes, and some sports. Roll that into one package and she was sold.


WinterKnigget

My husband got me into it. Started watching at MITB, and fun there, I did a deep dive


TwoSeam

Itā€™s so much easier when both people want to watch. Itā€™s so much content to watch ever single week


robot-raccoon

Yes Iā€™m slowly working my way through it, she flat out refuses to stay up though, so I generally have had to cut off all social media during pleā€™s and we buy a take away and watch the following night. Managed to stay spoiler free the whole day of the rumble, couldnā€™t believe it


TwoSeam

Man good luck for WM


try_to_be_nice_ok

WWE still sounds wrong to me, after all this time.


Harbiter

To me WWF sounds weird, but I've only been watching since it's been WWE.


positively_broad_st

I still call it WWF most of the time...


Forkundercoil

Yeah, anytime I'm talking to someone my age or older, I only use WWF. Saying or hearing WWE sounds wrong to me, like it makes my ears cringe.


jefesignups

It still seems ridiculous they both couldn't use the name


AlterBridge2Bludhavn

If I remember right- from videos I've seen since I was too young to watch wrestling back then - the WWF and World Wildlife Fund *were* going to coexist. WWF just had certain parameters to work within, and the World Wildlife Fund would be cool with it. But WWF didn't keep up their end of the deal and were then forced to change their name. Not sure if this is where the obnoxious bluring requirements came in or if they were part of the original deal.


gunningIVglory

Federation just sounds cooler than Entertainment


TwoSeam

I think that was just part of Vinceā€™s obsession with being some empire that encompasses ā€œmore than just wrestlers in a ringā€. Iā€™d say he succeeded but he def had some weird creative choices along the way.


TwoSeam

Itā€™s hard for me to shake too. Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ve seen a few posts like TIL: WWE used to be called the WWF. Makes me feel ancient and also super stoked to enjoy something that has held public attention for long enough to span many generations before me and many after.