Former WWE Creative Director Debra Jaswaye recently shed light on a stern warning issued by Linda McMahon regarding the company’s name change.
In 2002, WWE underwent a significant rebranding from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) due to a legal dispute with the World Wildlife Fund.
As the Creative Director at the time, Jaswaye was tasked with ensuring that all branding materials no longer featured the WWF initials.
During an episode of the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Jaswaye recounted Linda McMahon’s firm directive, highlighting the consequences for non-compliance:
“One thing that was huge is, because of the legal ramifications, we could not use WWF anywhere, so we had to literally take that off of everything. All of our old videos. And I remember it was an edict from Linda McMahon that if we used it, we were fined and we were in a lot of trouble.”
Jaswaye emphasized the seriousness of the situation, noting that Linda McMahon’s warning applied to all aspects of WWE merchandise, including clothing, posters, signs, and videotapes.
Acknowledging the necessity of adhering to the legal requirements, Jaswaye expressed her support for Linda McMahon’s stringent measures:
“That was a very busy time for all of us to acclimate to that, but we made the best of it because it really was a good way to launch ourselves seriously as an entertainment company, so getting the F out was a great idea!”
In addition to discussing the WWF to WWE transition, Jaswaye also shared insights into alleged misconduct within WWE during the 1990s in the same interview.
