Eric Bischoff Discusses WWE Abandoning Jey Uso's 'Yeet' Catchphrase Over Trademark

It seems as though Jey Uso's use of "Yeet" as a catchphrase is no longer in the cards after WWE reportedly discovered a previous wrestling-related trademark on the popular slang phrase. The company had already printed and started selling shirts with the word, including with Uso wearing one this past Monday on "WWE Raw." However, the word was censored when Uso wore the shirt, and had a different shirt on by the time the main event rolled around. Speaking on a recent episode of "Strictly Business," former WWE and WCW executive Eric Bischoff offered his thoughts on the snafu.

According to Bischoff's co-host Jon Alba, WWE ran into an issue attempting to trademark the term when they discovered that a previous professional wrestler had trademarked it in 2022. However, that trademark lapsed last year, which should theoretically leave the word open for WWE to lay claim to. Bischoff then offered up his opinion on what the hold-up may be.

"I'm not a trademark and copyright attorney by any stretch of the imagination, but I have had some experience in that area," Bischoff said. "My guess is this is a very corporate reaction, risk-management reaction, to that trademark issue, meaning that they don't ... want to go out and build this entire licensing-merchandising program ... if there's any chance that they may not get it."

While WWE would have a strong chance of securing the trademark, Bischoff believes that the company may have just decided that it wasn't worth the risk of potentially losing out on loads of printed merch if an issue did arise. Bischoff clarified that he isn't particularly familiar with the terminology of today's youth, but has plenty of respect for performers like Uso and LA Knight who can use it to their advantage.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Strictly Business" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.