Add as a preferred source on Google WWE is once again trying to trademark the term RKO in the United States, in a move directly tied to Randy Orton and his most famous finishing move.
According to F4WOnline, the new application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 6. The company is seeking to protect the term for wrestling performances, broadcasts, internet use, and information related to the sport.
The description of the new filing reads as follows:
“Wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network.”
WWE have submitted a new application to trademark 'RKO' in the United States after their previous request was rejected.
— Cultaholic Wrestling (@Cultaholic) July 7, 2026
The filing for wrestling performances was turned down by the United States Patent & Trademark Office due to similarities with the 'RKO' trademark in the IC… pic.twitter.com/SZZVvnAWbp
The issue is that WWE made a similar attempt in 2024, but ran into resistance from the office. In January, the USPTO found the trademark to be “confusingly similar” to marks held by RKO Pictures, the former movie studio connected to classics such as Citizen Kane and It’s a Wonderful Life.
RKO Pictures holds a registration in the same Class 041, which covers entertainment services, for the production, exhibition, and licensing of motion pictures, as well as recordings of performances. That shared category was the central issue in the dispute.
Despite that, WWE still has active RKO registrations in other areas. One of them, covering toys and sporting goods, has been registered since December 17, 2024, under Class 028.
In other words, the situation does not stop the company from using RKO-related merchandise, but it still blocks broader protection for the term’s use in wrestling performances.