WWE Files For Significant Steve Austin Trademark

WWE recently filed for two trademarks, including a significant one as far as Steve Austin is concerned. 

On September 16, the company filed to trademark the phrase 'Austin 3:16' under the entertainment services classification with The United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

Austin first uttered the iconic phrase following his victory over Jake Roberts in the 1996 King of the Ring final and WWE have held the trademark for decades. At this stage, it is unclear why they filed to trademark it again, though the rights to it may have expired. 

The phrase has been used on one of WWE's biggest-selling t-shirts, making the company (and Austin himself) millions of dollars. According to Wrestlenomics, Stone Cold placed ninth in merchandise sold for the month of August, despite not being an active WWE star.

The WWE Hall of Famer recently said that he would be happy to make an appearance at WrestleMania 41, after an appearance at WrestleMania 40 failed to materialise (although it was close to happening). 

The other trademark WWE filed for was 'Shotzi Blackheart'. Shotzi used that name several years ago, before WWE shortened it. The former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion is currently on the shelf after tearing her ACL.