There was a bus I used to take when I was in elementary school, and there was always this one specific thing about it that bugged me.

Up in front, by the dashboard, there was a sticker with a panda on it, and below that were the letters W-W-F.

I didn’t understand. Where was the block logo, and why was a panda there instead of the Ultimate Warrior or Bret Hart?

Eventually I asked the bus driver what that stupid sticker was all about, and she angrily responded (as bus drivers do) that it wasn’t “stupid” and that it was supporting the World Wildlife Fund.

The World Wildlife Fund?! What kind of nonsense was that? In my mind, there was but one WWF, and the only animals it supported were Jake’s snake, Koko’s parrot and Davey’s bulldog.

As you undoubtedly know, the professional wrestling empire lost a lawsuit against the activists, and the World Wrestling Federation became World Wrestling Entertainment. Despite the fact that their hand was forced, the WWE decided to own the change. They launched a campaign that lovingly told us to get the “F” out. The change was for the better, they’d say, as it represented the company’s foray into films, music and other programming by being more inclusive.

It was a sad day, though. It’s kinda like when the store attached to the parking lot you hung out in changed, and for the first month or so everyone was all like “We’re hanging out at the Taco Bell parking lot,” even though it was technically a CVS parking lot. Then in like two months everyone got over it and started referring to it by its proper name.

The WWE change had a similar feel. Some diehards refused to call it by its new name at first, but eventually everyone fell in line and accepted the fact that things were never going back to the way they were.

What you may not know, however, is that the WWE took it one step further. Though WWE initially stood for “World Wrestling Entertainment”, as of about a year ago, it now stands for nothing. Yup, the WWE became a phraseless acronym, just like KFC did for a while.

Unlike the previous name change, the removal of the actual words behind the initials was handled in a relatively low-key fashion. Most fans had no idea that the change had even occurred.

The professional wrestling business has evolved a lot in the last twenty years. It’s not just the names, but the whole culture. There used to be a time when good guy wrestlers would have rocks thrown at them for riding in a car with bad guy wrestlers. Sure, we’re a little “smarter” now, but even beyond that, the internet has made sure every “secret” of the business is exposed. Virtually nothing is a surprise anymore.

It takes a little bit of the magic and mystery out of the show, but what are ya gonna do. To really appreciate the twists and turns, you just have to make a conscious effort to avoid the spoilers, kind of like how you would for a good movie.

I’ve gotten used to the WWE name by now, but I’ll always miss the World Wrestling Federation. There was something about those words that just made the whole thing seem so official and important.

But if my kids can get on without ever knowing Kentucky Fried Chicken, they’ll be able to enjoy the kind of entertainment that is now strictly referred to as WWE and nothing else.

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