10 Most Insane Vince McMahon Lies WWE Fans Fell For

7. The Real Reason WWE Changed Its Name

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You shouldn't learn wrestling history from a WWE documentary.

If you did, you might be under the impression that D-Generation X invaded WCW in a tank, that Steve Austin became an overnight sensation after cutting a promo at King Of The Ring 1996, and that WCW lost the war because WWE was simply too good (and not because the organisation was systematically inept).

You might also be under the impression that the WWF changed its name to WWE for reasons that nothing to do with the the fact that the World Wildlife Fund successfully sued the promotion for frequently reneging on an agreement that the Fed wouldn't market the 'WWF' name outside of the United States. They could've referred to themselves as the WWF stateside, but felt it was a better idea to sync and clean everything up on a global level.

The Ruthless Aggression documentary suggested otherwise.

Brian Gewirtz said "As Vince McMahon said over and over again, he doesn't want a wrestling company, he wants an entertainment company". Narrator Michael Rappaport continued "Suddenly, with a new name, a new logo, and new vibe, business was picking back up."

No mention was made of the World Wildlife Fund, not one, and business didn't pick back up; revenue was down 3.27% in 2002 and 13.09% in 2003.

If "suddenly" means "by 2007, WWE finally achieved higher revenues than in 2001", then Rappaport might have had a salient point.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!