WWE's official word on the name change

WWE announced today that the organization would no longer be referred as World Wrestling Entertainment due to Vince McMahon's decree to eliminate the term "wrestling" from the product. The company will be solely branded as WWE.Here is the press release from WWE:

To better reflect the company's global entertainment offerings, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) announced today a new business model for future growth, including formally rebranding itself, WWE.

Two key components to WWE's brand expansion will be the active pursuit to acquire entertainment content companies and the outsourcing of WWE's core competencies – television and film production, live event production and licensing. As part of the new business model, the company will also focus on the development of new television products including scripted, non-scripted and animated programs, as well as the launch of a new WWE network in the next 12-18 months. The first new program of the brand expansion is Tough Enough, WWE's non-scripted program that debuted on the USA Network on Monday.

"The new business model of the company better reflects what WWE is all about, being a global entertainment company," stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. "We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring."

This new rebranding initiative will be highlighted through a national consumer and business-to-business advertising campaign entitled "Bigger. Badder. Better.™" The campaign kicked off at WrestleMania® XXVII on Sunday and will be featured on cable TV, print and online.

In addition to focusing on the expansion of the company, the company will bolster its core business with the launch a new talent development department headed by Paul "Triple H" Levesque. The new department will put a greater emphasis on worldwide recruitment, training and character development to identify future WWE Superstars and Divas. The first recruit acquired under Levesque's new department was the signing last month of future WWE Superstar, Sin Cara, formerly known worldwide as Mistico.

I'm not sure how I feel about this whole name change thing. I mean, I see what there doing. There not just wrestling anymore, now there so much more. Movies, scripted television??? , I surely hope they're not thinking about relying on the roster to do any acting.

But with HHH behind hireing new talent, I'm kind of of interested in seeing what he can do. He already got Sin Cara, and he looked great against sheamus. I wonder what his next pick will do. I've heard he wants to get Jim Ross back, wich would be AMAZING! Let Michael Cole become a manager. A male vickie gurerro (sp) and draw heat for a guy who needs it.

As many has said before, dropping the "wrestling" seems almost like they are ashamed of what they do, but of course i understand the point they are making being a global entertainment business. But they started out as a wrestling company and I just scared that one day in the future they will come across the idea to actually drop the wrestling programming all together and stick with their other media outlets. A small fear and something that might never happen but its still a thought in my head.

Seeing Hunter having this job at corporate, we all saw knew he was there learning from Daddy in law and now he is in charge of bringing in new talent. If he can get JR to come back, it would help him a lot since JR has been doing forever.

I might not agree totally with the name change, but I still wish them luck with it and I have my gripes with not seeing Hunter in the ring anymore but being married to the billion dollar family, it was only inevitable he would be working actually at the corporate office, especially giving him the chance to be home more with his lovely...lovely wife and 4 kids.

I can see why they would want the total brand to be called WWE. They have diversified and have their fingers in many pies now. But to drop it from everything, which it sounds like they are doing, is silly.