WWE Needs Jon Moxley's Consent To Re-Trademark 'Dean Ambrose'

WWE has run into some issues trying to re-trademark the name 'Dean Ambrose', after it became apparent they require the written consent of the man who used the name - Jon Moxley. 

Under the Ambrose persona, Moxley worked in WWE from 2011 until his departure in 2019. The former Shield member and WWE Champion's exit from Vince McMahon's promotion was not on the greatest of terms, with Moxley speaking out on his unhappiness with certain elements since leaving. 

WWE is currently trying to re-register the trademark for the name 'Dean Ambrose' with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. The trademark was originally allowed to expire in August but WWE entered their re-registration for the name in November. 

However, it seems WWE have run into some issues. 

The USPTO review of the application, per Heel By Nature, says that WWE have failed to identify whether 'Dean Ambrose' is the name of a "living individual". This includes if it's an actual name, a nickname, a pseudonym or a stage-name. 

Despite Dean Ambrose being a character on WWE television, USPTO still require the person who was assigned to that name to provide written consent for the trademark; in this case, Jonathan Good (Jon Moxley). The only exception is if this person has passed away. 

If WWE does not provide the written consent then their trademark filing for the name 'Dean Ambrose' could be refused. Additionally, WWE has six months to respond to the issues or the application will be completely abandoned. 

Interestingly, it appears WWE's failure to renew their trademark of the 'Dean Ambrose' name in August has cost them. The need to re-apply for the trademark is treated as a new filing. 

It is not the first time in recent months that WWE have faced trademark issues over television character names. They failed to have consent documents signed when attempting to apply trademarks for names like Pete Dunne, Drew Gulak and Tony Nese.