WWE has reportedly abandoned its trademark for the name Gunther Stark.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, WWE initially filed the trademark application on January 13th. The mark was to be used for:
“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.”
Unfortunately, Günther Stark was the name of a German U-boat Commander during World War II. This ignited a firestorm of controversy, with WWE getting global headlines for the gaffe.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s NXT 2.0 broadcast, NXT star WALTER announced his new name as Gunther. WWE stopped short of using the Stark name and is now cutting bait entirely.
WWE has reportedly abandoned the trademark application for Gunther Stark. The USPTO database now lists the application as “DEAD/APPLICATION/Withdrawn/Abandoned.”
