The debut of the WWE name also gave us that moment when Tazz questioned how people couldn't distinguish between the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and said something about pandas.
I had actually stopped watching wrestling around this time. I no longer had cable, so l couldnt watch Raw, and SD had yet to become what Heyman would make it into later in 2002, but I remember watching the UPN 6pm news, and since SD was airing on UPN back that, they broke the news that effective immediately WWF were changing their name to WWE...because of damn pandas. I couldn't believe what l was seeing lol But l did watch the next SD ep out of curiosity, and continued watching for a while longer. But by 2005, I was gone again lol
I'll never forget this era, as a child it was my first chance to watch raw weekly. It was the first wrestling I was getting outside of renting ppv vhs from our rental place in town. It was all I ate and breathed. Thank you Simon. Always love you all at Whatculture. Take care.
The May 5 Heat was taped before the April 29, 2002 Raw, and they either didn't have to change it, or got it through because of the low status of the show. It was not intended as any sort of send-off, unless they'd completely re-edited a show that few watched at that time...
Technically insurrextion 2002 was the last wwf ppv, but that was a UK exclusive show. I also think the plane ride back was the infamous plane ride from hell.
I always wondered why they didnt put another horizontal line on the scratch logo to make it look like WWE rather than removing the F. Its always meant the logo just looks like WW.
Even the gaming magazines (can't exactly recall if it was GameNOW, EGM or GamePro; I did not buy that specific issue) were previewing the upcoming releases as _World Wrestling Crush Hour_ , _World Wrestling RAW 2_
I remember the WWE Championship still had the WWF logo on it for some time after the name change, and the European Championship never changed since it was retired in July
The company's official name (off TV) was World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. (WWFE) anyway. The only thing they dropped was the word "Federation"...
That was definitely a weird transition, yeah. I'd been watching wrestling since they _started_ calling themselves WWF, so... it was just so strange that suddenly they weren't. Also, now I feel all the older to realize they've been WWE longer than WWF.
2002-2012 really was the best. It was starting around the middle of 2013 0r'14 when things started to go off the rails in the other direction. The PG era allowed Impact to survive (And again thrive), allowed international promotions to become mainstream here in the States, and let both to a revival of the NWA AND the rise of AEW.
They were only barred from using WWF in the UK so technically they could have kept the WWF name in the stated but decided to go all in with the name change
I just remember going on the school computers to check the latest results and the domain kept routing from wwf to wwe and I thought something was broken
@@mercuryman1250 I have been watching wrestling for 40 years mylself and to be honest... I stopped giving a shit 5 minutes after they changed the name because there are a lot more important things to worry about in life... ya weirdo
@@rn6312 @rn6312 only weirdo is you. I wasnt even talking to you. For you to try to make a example out of me shows you have no life and you must be Down low. If you want attention go seek help idiot.
I was literally shocked it wasn't renamed WWWF (his father's company) or ..... WCW. WCW was a brand name and Vince could put the final nail in Ted Turner's wrestling grave with that move.... WWE took at least 10 years to accept IMO
They have to find a way to sell WWF championship belts that’s all I want. WWE well now TKO still owns the copyright to the World Wrestling Federation. They just gotta find the loophole
I never understood why they didn't just to back to the WWWF. It made far more sense and they already owned the right to it. World Wrestling Entertainment still doesn't make sense to me. Especially when referred to as "the WWE"
I was in my mid 20,s when they droped the F and added the E ide been watching since i was 4 or 5 and i still have to remind my self its w w e and not w w f
The WSE - World Sports Entertainment just doesn’t sound right but the initials sound ok. World Sports Entertainment Federation sounds better but the WSEF initials are a mouthful! If you had the WSE initials with the World Sports Entertainment Federation that would be best
Really sucks how they changed from WWF to WWE. Truthfully, The Entertainment has already ruined the sport of professional wrestling. And right now, WWE is getting ignominious than ever with every rule been broken let alone the fans getting pissed off all the time.
Everyone in the "real world" thinks the same shit about wrestling (and it's fans); no wrestling company is going to beat a charity organisation in a UK court...
I’m genuinely shocked that Vince didn’t have a gimmick or stable of heel environmentalists who claimed that they owned the trademark of RAW to take a shot at the World Wildlife Fund. That would have been really stupid and petty, so it would be in character.
I Remember Watching The Opening Of Monday Night Raw And The Part Where The Shrub And It Said WWF On It Then When She Cut The F Off It And I Was I Like What The F--ck Is Going On? Now That Vince's Son In Law Is In Charge Trips Could Change The Name Back To WWF. P.S. It's WWF To Me Dammit.
I started Watching WWE in 2003, I was 6, so I basically grew up with the Name WWE. So thats what Im used to, and I only learned of the Old WWF Name in 2005 I was 8, and for me it feels weird Hearing the name WWF or World Wrestling Federation, but I do love watching 2000s, 90s and 80s WWE
The debut of the WWE name also gave us that moment when Tazz questioned how people couldn't distinguish between the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and said something about pandas.
I had actually stopped watching wrestling around this time. I no longer had cable, so l couldnt watch Raw, and SD had yet to become what Heyman would make it into later in 2002, but I remember watching the UPN 6pm news, and since SD was airing on UPN back that, they broke the news that effective immediately WWF were changing their name to WWE...because of damn pandas. I couldn't believe what l was seeing lol But l did watch the next SD ep out of curiosity, and continued watching for a while longer. But by 2005, I was gone again lol
Hulk Hogan was the last WWF Champion and the first WWE Champion. 😮
I'll never forget this era, as a child it was my first chance to watch raw weekly. It was the first wrestling I was getting outside of renting ppv vhs from our rental place in town. It was all I ate and breathed. Thank you Simon. Always love you all at Whatculture. Take care.
For some reason, I laughed way too hard at "He lost his big."
Same lol
I remember CONSTANTLY correcting my family around that time when they'd ask me about that "WWF stuff" They did not care lol
Next year, WWE will exist just as long as WWF
I can remember catching the show about 30min in and thought they were messing up on purpose 😂
The May 5 Heat was taped before the April 29, 2002 Raw, and they either didn't have to change it, or got it through because of the low status of the show. It was not intended as any sort of send-off, unless they'd completely re-edited a show that few watched at that time...
Don't get why they didn't go back to WWWF.
RIGHT?!
Although adding an additional W to the scratch logo would have been a chore.
It's about subtraction, not addition
Because it sounds and looks god-awful. Would be terrible branding for a company in the 21st century.
@@mark_jg Worldwide is one word; that's why Vince Jr dropped it to BEGIN with...
Took me quite a while to get used to WWE having watched WWF since the mid 80s.
I went to the last wwf pay per view. Wwf backlash in Kansas City in 2002. My first and last wwf ppv. I was 16
Technically insurrextion 2002 was the last wwf ppv, but that was a UK exclusive show. I also think the plane ride back was the infamous plane ride from hell.
I was coming up 21yrs old when this happened and I feel old!
I remember….still have problem with saying ‘PLE’
It's ppv forever!
I always wondered why they didnt put another horizontal line on the scratch logo to make it look like WWE rather than removing the F. Its always meant the logo just looks like WW.
Dude I've always wondered that too. Once the "get the f out" campaign was over you've just got WW. Walt Whitman. Willy Wonka..... Walter White?
Weight Watchers
Even the gaming magazines (can't exactly recall if it was GameNOW, EGM or GamePro; I did not buy that specific issue) were previewing the upcoming releases as _World Wrestling Crush Hour_ , _World Wrestling RAW 2_
100%. That's driven me mad for 25 years. Turn the red line at the bottom white, turn the F into an E.
go back, watch the episode, take a shot every time someone doesn't say the new name. Mr White is hysterical!!!
I remember the WWE Championship still had the WWF logo on it for some time after the name change, and the European Championship never changed since it was retired in July
The company's official name (off TV) was World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc. (WWFE) anyway. The only thing they dropped was the word "Federation"...
Yup, I definitely remember that from my childhood in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Eric Bischoff coming after What Culture Wresting
Simon deserves a golden up!! 🌟💛
That was definitely a weird transition, yeah. I'd been watching wrestling since they _started_ calling themselves WWF, so... it was just so strange that suddenly they weren't. Also, now I feel all the older to realize they've been WWE longer than WWF.
2002-2012 really was the best. It was starting around the middle of 2013 0r'14 when things started to go off the rails in the other direction. The PG era allowed Impact to survive (And again thrive), allowed international promotions to become mainstream here in the States, and let both to a revival of the NWA AND the rise of AEW.
They were only barred from using WWF in the UK so technically they could have kept the WWF name in the stated but decided to go all in with the name change
FOR ME!!!!!! Mr. Miller, ONLY talking about ME. WWF became WWE July 4th when Edge and Hogan took the tag straps from Chuck and Billy on Smackdown.
I just remember going on the school computers to check the latest results and the domain kept routing from wwf to wwe and I thought something was broken
I still call it WWF.
Older people do
@@arleneconverse1238 I'm not older, it just sounds better.
the logo got changed to wwe and everything changed
World Wrestling Federation Entertainment was the official name of the company
When the F got out when the fun left
This was the 2nd worst thing that happened after being sick in the hospital having surgery and missing my high school graduation.
Bro it was just a slight name change, far worse things happened in WWE.
@@The-Deadite WWF IS better than wwe. I know it I've been watching wrestling for almost 40 years
Most of the ppvs from you time suck be serious here @@mercuryman1250
@@mercuryman1250 I have been watching wrestling for 40 years mylself and to be honest... I stopped giving a shit 5 minutes after they changed the name because there are a lot more important things to worry about in life...
ya weirdo
@@rn6312 @rn6312 only weirdo is you. I wasnt even talking to you. For you to try to make a example out of me shows you have no life and you must be Down low. If you want attention go seek help idiot.
I’ve been watching wrestling for over 40 years. I still call it WWF to this day.
The 1st Person I Remember Using The Term WWE Was
The Nature Boy Ric Flair
🗣️ Wooooopooooooo!!!!!!!!
Awesome 💜💜💜
The comments about the pandas will have me laughing the rest of the day. Thanks Simon. 😂
Stratus-faction!! Was that the name of the group. That is bloody genius. 💜💜
“WCW” still best name lol but WWF/E really interchangeable to me
I wasn't even alive yet when WWE got the F out🤣
"He lost his "Big""! 😅😅😅
The Pandas are black and white, the NWO are black and white. Coincidence? Absolutely 😂
I was literally shocked it wasn't renamed WWWF (his father's company) or ..... WCW. WCW was a brand name and Vince could put the final nail in Ted Turner's wrestling grave with that move.... WWE took at least 10 years to accept IMO
I still don’t understand why they didn’t just use WCW… they owned the rights to the name! Or World Championship Wrestling Federation
Are you serious? You think Vince would have changed his company's name to WCW? We saw in 2001 what he thought of it as a TV commodity...
They have to find a way to sell WWF championship belts that’s all I want. WWE well now TKO still owns the copyright to the World Wrestling Federation. They just gotta find the loophole
I never understood why they didn't just to back to the WWWF. It made far more sense and they already owned the right to it.
World Wrestling Entertainment still doesn't make sense to me. Especially when referred to as "the WWE"
I thought it was cool. I felt like it wrapped wwf, WCW and ECW all in one new bow. I was cool with it.
The WWF: Back when people actually watched wrestling.
The WWE: UFC thanks you for the extra viewers! 😁
WWE still sounds weird. WWF forever!
I was in my mid 20,s when they droped the F and added the E ide been watching since i was 4 or 5 and i still have to remind my self its w w e and not w w f
Super sad day tbh
The person who suffered most from all of this was The Medium Bossman.
I think that was his last televised WWF (*or WWE*) match...
The WSE - World Sports Entertainment just doesn’t sound right but the initials sound ok. World Sports Entertainment Federation sounds better but the WSEF initials are a mouthful! If you had the WSE initials with the World Sports Entertainment Federation that would be best
Simon gets an up 👍
Vince gets a brown down 👎
I thought vince liked brown downs? 🤢
WWE(F) ended when AEW began 😂👍
Basically the attitude era was the last of WWF brand?
if memory serves, Ruthless Aggression started right before the change. Attitude was the last complete era i guess.
Really sucks how they changed from WWF to WWE. Truthfully, The Entertainment has already ruined the sport of professional wrestling. And right now, WWE is getting ignominious than ever with every rule been broken let alone the fans getting pissed off all the time.
When somehow the world wildlife fund managed to beat vince
Everyone in the "real world" thinks the same shit about wrestling (and it's fans); no wrestling company is going to beat a charity organisation in a UK court...
Why does this man need every sentence like that? It’s so creepy
WWF was better
WWE down 👎
Lol. I still call it WWF
Stop waving your tiny little TRex arms around
Can’t believe people stopped watching just cus WWF went away
You have to understand the quality of the product went down and big time megastars left too ( rock & Austin)
@@fc775 the product didn’t start to suck until the late 2000’s early 2010’s and there where plenty of top stars besides rock and Austin
@@JayStephens8 you were around or too young to remember. And who are these so called big stars
@@fc775 triple h, Randy Orton, Batista, John Cena, Rey mysterio, Eddie Guerrero just naming a few
Simon Miller vs Joe Hendry!
In an alternate universe if Vince could have had his way it could have been WSE world sports entertainment
I remember jazz defended her title and I heard Lilian said WWe. I thought I heard it wrong and for years I hated the name WWE.
I’m genuinely shocked that Vince didn’t have a gimmick or stable of heel environmentalists who claimed that they owned the trademark of RAW to take a shot at the World Wildlife Fund.
That would have been really stupid and petty, so it would be in character.
I dunno, that sounds pretty funny. And they all wrestle as different endangered animals
I Remember Watching The Opening Of Monday Night Raw And The Part Where The Shrub And It Said WWF On It Then When She Cut The F Off It And I Was I Like What The F--ck Is Going On? Now That Vince's Son In Law Is In Charge Trips Could Change The Name Back To WWF. P.S. It's WWF To Me Dammit.
I started Watching WWE in 2003, I was 6, so I basically grew up with the Name WWE. So thats what Im used to, and I only learned of the Old WWF Name in 2005 I was 8, and for me it feels weird Hearing the name WWF or World Wrestling Federation, but I do love watching 2000s, 90s and 80s WWE