WWE Abandoning 'Sports Entertainment' Terminology

Whilst the second W in WWE used to stand for ‘wrestling’ the company did not like the term, with the product infamously referred to as ‘sports entertainment’. However, it seem that mindset has changed within WWE.

After Cody Rhodes finally ‘finished the story’ at WWE WrestleMania XL Night Two by defeating Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, colour commentator Corey graves knowingly said “pro-wrestling is back” during the broadcast, and a report suggests this was not Graves going against company mandate.

Ibou of WrestlePurists on X/Twitter posted that “Spoke to someone from WWE who told me that the promotion is deliberately moving away from the terminology of Sports Entertainment,” and if true it seems that calls like Graves’ will become the norm in WWE.

The ‘sports entertainment’ tag was one long pushed by former Owner Vince McMahon, with it originally coined in order to separate WWE (then WWF) from licensed sports, and therefore not be beholden to the same scrutiny and regulation that sports teams and leagues faced.  

With kayfabe long dead and WWE a billion-dollar juggernaut, the term definitely feels past its sell by date, with the moniker having drawn the ire of many fans and industry professionals alike over the years.