AEW filed a trademark for the term “Shockwave” in September 2024, as the promotion intended to launch a new show under that name. However, this has not yet materialized due to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) filing an opposition in June over the trademark. NWA argues that it has common law rights to the term, dating back to season one of "Shockwave," which aired in December 2020.
According to WrestleNomics, the trademark dispute is ongoing. NWA submitted its own trademark application on September 23, 2024, just 17 days after AEW's filing. The report also noted that the NWA claims it has been using "NWA Shockwave" continuously since 2020 and that its predecessors have used the term “Shockwave” for many years prior. NWA's lawyers have stated in their opposition that they sent AEW a legal letter demanding they abandon the Shockwave trademark. NWA successfully registered its trademark for Shockwave in June, while AEW’s filing remains active.
AEW responded to NWA’s opposition on July 15, denying the NWA’s claims and arguing that their application should proceed. AEW contends that NWA has not used "Shockwave" continuously and that the two trademarks are not confusingly similar. AEW believes that NWA would not be harmed by the company’s trademark.
Brandon Thurston noted that, as of now, the dispute remains unresolved, and it is likely to be a long and drawn-out process.
