AEW Shockwave Trademark Being Legally Contested By Independent Promotion

Wrestling promotions AEW and NWA could be in a legal battle over the "Shockwave" name after the latter opposed AEW trademarking the name for a new show.

Last year, AEW filed a trademark for the name "AEW Shockwave," which was then rumored to be a one-hour show to air on FS1. NWA has registered an opposition to the name on June 5, due to them using the Shockwave name for their programming, as per "PWInsider." The report added that AEW has yet to reply to NWA after they filed a "Notice of Opposition" last September, not to use the Shockwave name. It further stated that AEW has time till June 15 to respond to the notice.

NWA initially used the Shockwave name in 2020 for a TV program that aired on its YouTube channel. The name was revived earlier this year by NWA for a series of shows that were held in Forney, Texas, which aired on "NWA Powerrr."

Reports last year had suggested that AEW's new TV deal with WBD could include a new show called Shockwave, but that didn't come to fruition. Other reports from last December revealed that Fox was interested in airing the show on their network and that Fox and AEW had discussions, but AEW's falling ratings resulted in the deal not going through. Aside from trademarking the Shockwave name, AEW had also filed trademarks for names like AEW WrestleMax, AEW Max Month, WrestleMax, and AEW Parade of Champions, to name a few. 

As of now, AEW has two weekly shows — "AEW Dynamite" and "AEW Collision," both of which air on WBD and their streaming service, Max. AEW's other show, "Rampage," aired for the last time in December 2024, as the show was not a part of AEW's new deal with WBD.