Which Released Stars Can & Can’t Use Their WWE Ring Names Elsewhere

WWE released 10 of its main roster talents yesterday, and here’s a look at which of them can use their WWE ring names.

It’s well-known that WWE often trademarks its talents’ ring names so they can’t use them outside the company.

Here’s the situation for the 10 who were released yesterday, as outlined by Heel By Nature per USPTO records:

Samoa Joe – Joe owns his ring name under several classifications and will be able to use it elsewhere
Bo Dallas – WWE filed to trademark Bo Dallas in February 2019 but it has yet to be registered. It will be abandoned if WWE can’t provide written consent from Taylor Rotunda by June 21. If it ends up being abandoned, he’ll be able to register it and use it if he wants to
Chelsea Green – This is the same situation as Bo Dallas, except WWE filed for it in September and the abandonment date will be August 16
Mickie James – WWE owned the Mickie James name until 2010, before transferring ownership to her. However, they applied for a new trademark for it in 2017 and currently own it, so she won’t be able to use it unless the company transfers ownership to her again
Kalisto – WWE owns the Kalisto name as it was registered on August 22, 2017, so he won’t be able to use it
Tucker – WWE owns the name Tucker Knight which was his ring name before he was Vince’d. He’s changed his Twitter name to Levi Cooper, which is his real name, so it looks like he’ll use that going forward
Peyton Royce – WWE owns the Peyton Royce name as it was registered on October 8, 2019, so she won’t be able to use it
Billie Kay – The exact same goes for Billie Kay
Mojo Rawley – Rawley is in the same situation as Bo Dallas and Chelsea Green, with WWE having filed for it in January 2020 and only having until April 23 to submit written consent from him
Wesley Blake – WWE owns the Wesley Blake name as it was registered on May 7, 2019, so he won’t be able to use it