In a surprising turn of events, WWE has officially withdrawn its trademark application for ‘Big Time Becks,’ the name associated with Becky Lynch, the reigning WWE Women's Champion.
This move comes after a two-year legal battle with an unnamed Opposer who challenged WWE's claim to the trademark.
Lynch, a fan favorite, rose to superstardom under the iconic ‘The Man’ moniker. However, upon her return from maternity leave in 2021, she adopted a flashier and more heelish persona, titled ‘Big Time Becks.’
WWE, seeing merchandising potential, promptly filed a trademark application for the new name.
But their plans were met with a swift uppercut. According to public records, the Opposer, who held ownership rights to the term ‘Bigtime’ within a wrestling context, filed an opposition to the trademark application just nine days after it was submitted, obtained by Ring File News.
“Applicant was made aware of Opposer's 'Bigtime' Trademark as far back as 2006,” the Opposer's official statement reads.
The statement goes on to detail extensive communication attempts made between the Opposer's and WWE's legal teams, including a rejected monetary settlement offer from WWE.
Despite this long-standing awareness of the Opposer's claims and ongoing legal proceedings, WWE seemingly dropped the ball.
“Applicant [WWE] received email notification updates from the USPTO on their Application...Applicant is a multi-billion dollar LLC that is part of an even larger multi-billion Corporation,” the Opposer's statement continues.
The crux of the issue lies in WWE's failure to meet a critical deadline to respond to the Opposer's claims.
“Applicant was notified by the USPTO on November 15th, 2023 that an opposition had been initiated and was given 40 days in which to file an Answer,” the statement clarifies.
However, WWE ultimately missed this deadline, citing the Christmas holiday as the reason. The Opposer refutes this claim, highlighting that alternative options were available to submit a response within the designated time frame.
“These facts clearly show that Applicant had no intention of filing an Answer by the required deadline of December 25th, 2023,” the Opposer concludes.
With the trademark battle lost, WWE has seemingly conceded defeat. Becky Lynch has already transitioned back to her dominant ‘The Man’ character, further suggesting the company has no plans to revisit the ‘Big Time Becks’ persona.
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