For decades, WWE talent was not allowed to keep their names in other companies unless it was their real name or a situation where the name was used in a wrestling organization prior to their WWE signing. Per Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, that has changed in the TKO era.
Alvarez said, “I was told that these new TKO deals are such that when you go to WWE, they are going to trademark everything. For example, Ethan Page went and they trademarked Ethan Page. This is from someone in the company, when you leave they hand everything over to you now.”
Alvarez continued, “Apparently when you leave WWE, and it’s kind of the same thing I think with AEW, it’s like she [Vaquer] can leave and take her name. Ethan Page can leave and take his name. While you’re there, they own the rights to everything for pro wrestling. But that is a very big change from back in the day when they owned you into perpetuity. She very much wanted to keep her name and apparently, they’re allowing her to keep the name in WWE. They’re gonna trademark it while she’s there…”
Alvarez and Mike Sempervive pointed out how Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik were able to keep their names after leaving WWE.
Note: Stephanie Vaquer’s full legal name is Ana Stephanie Vaquer González so she would have been able to continue as Stephanie Vaquer if she left WWE and Julian Micevski used the name Ethan Page before WWE but the point still stands as Alvarez stated about wrestlers now being able to use their name elsewhere when they leave.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit F4WOnline.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.Â
