WWE & MLW Continue To Battle Over Trademark

After several years of legal wrangling following the filing of an antitrust lawsuit in early 2022, WWE and MLW seemed to put their issues behind them when they agreed to settle the case to the tune of $20 million last December. As it turns out, only that situation was settled, as the two promotions now find themselves at odds again, this time squabbling over a trademark.

Just five days ago, WWE filed a motion to the United States Trademark and Patent Office asking for a 90 day extension in order to file an opposition against MLW's attempts to trademark "Hart Foundation." The motion has been granted, meaning that WWE will now have until September 11 to make an official filing on the matter.

Most wrestling fans will associate the Hart Foundation with WWE, as the name has been used several times during the promotion's history. The most famous example was when the Hall of Fame tag team of Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart took on the name during the 1980s, followed by it being used for a stable consisting of Hart, Neidhart, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, and Davey Boy Smith in 1997, during Bret Hart's feud with Steve Austin.

Despite that, the Hart Foundation name has been used outside of WWE in the past, most notably by the tag team of Jack Evans and Teddy Hart, who went by the name Hart Foundation 2.0, and the New Era Hart Foundation stable, consisting of Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Brian Pillman Jr., which was active in MLW from 2018 to 2020. Smith has continued to work in MLW since returning in 2022, suggesting MLW's attempted trademark was made with the intent to build a new Hart Foundation around him.