17 Years Ago Today, The WWE Got The F Out!

Today, May 5, 2019, marks 17 years since one of the biggest changes in wrestling history.

Back in 1994, the World Wrestling Federation came to an understanding with the World Wildlife Fund, which allowed both parties to use the initials WWF.

As part of the deal, the wrestling promotion agreed to use the term WWF as little as possible, often referring to the company by its unabridged name. 

In exchange, the World Wildlife Fund agreed not to pursue any previously-held litigation against the company.

This deal held until 2000, when the Wildlife Fund sued the wrestling promotion for breaches of the deal. 

After a long legal battle and a trip to the court of appeals, the World Wrestling Federation changed to WWE. 

After the last Pay Per View under the WWF banner (Insurrextion 2002), the company launched their 'Get the F out!' campaign, officially changing the name and all references to the name on May 5, 2002.

For a decade, any references to the WWF were heavily edited, until July 2012, when a new deal with the World Wildlife Fund allowed WWF archival footage to be used unedited, though content produced today (video games for example), must not use the WWF term.