7 Times WWE Was Plunged Into Chaos

For nearly quarter of a century, the acronym 'WWF' was synonymous with the bright-lights and bone-bending of professional wrestling, frequently dropped as a synecdoche for the whole industry and by clueless football commentators following an even vaguely meaty challenge. However, the initials had also represented the World Wildlife Fund for a lot longer - and by 1994, the panda protectors were growing mighty frustrated at their ecological heroism being undermined by Hulk Hogan and co.

A 1994 agreement between Titan Sports and the World Wildlife Fund deemed that 'WWF' was the sole property of the conservation group. Henceforth, the Federation was strictly prohibited from using the moniker. Typically bullish, they forged ahead as though nothing had changed, with the company's stolen consonants blossoming to a new height of mainstream relevance throughout the Attitude Era.

By 2002, with WCW and ECW dust, WWF, and not just the name, basically was synonymous with the business. The environmentalist lobby, rightly infuriated, took McMahon to court again. In a rare legal defeat, it was ruled that World Wrestling Federation had beached the 1994 agreement, and the organisation was forced to relinquish its universally recognised brand with due effect. WWF became 'WWE', and for the next ten years any footage bearing reference to the old initialism became a copyright minefield. That said, clueless football commentators continued to refer to agricultural tackles as "like something out of WWF!"