Football Player Feels Disrespected By WWE Star Using His Name

Football Player Feels Disrespected By WWE Star Using His Name

A former Australian football player has said he feels disrespected by his real name being used by a WWE star as his ring name.

The former Brendan Vink, who we’ve seen on Raw several times earlier this year and is in NXT, is now going by the name Tony Modra, which also happens to be the name of an Aussie footballer.

Speaking with NewsCorp, the ‘real’ Modra said (via POST Wrestling):

“I’ve got no idea who he is. He claims to be an Adelaide fan but it’s a bit disappointing, a bit disrespectful. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know you had to copyright your own bloody name. My lad loves WWE and I see a lot of that stuff but he’s even asking why some wrestler he’s never heard of before wants to change his name to his dad’s.

“I’m just bewildered. I’ve had people texting me left, right and center about it. I don’t think there’s anything I can do. If he was doing it for charity or something – I do a lot of stuff for Little Heroes Foundation – I wouldn’t mind, but it seems like personal gain.”

WWE filed a trademark on Tony Modra (and several other new names) on October 20 before revealing it to be Vink’s new name. The description with the filing was as follows:

International Class 041: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment, via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment

3 years ago by Liam Winnard

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