The United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected WWE’s second attempt to trademark “RKO,” the name long associated with Randy Orton’s signature finishing move, due to overlap with trademarks already held by classic Hollywood studio RKO Pictures.
According to Wrestling News, the USPTO refused WWE’s application by citing six separate registrations owned by RKO Pictures, concluding that WWE’s proposed use of the mark for wrestling purposes conflicts with the studio’s existing intellectual property. WWE now has until February 3, 2027, to respond to the office’s refusal if it intends to continue pursuing the trademark.
Fightful reported that this marks a renewed effort by WWE to secure rights to “RKO” specifically for wrestling-related purposes, an attempt that has again run into the same obstacle as before: the name’s long-standing association with the Hollywood studio founded decades before Orton’s in-ring career began.
Randy Orton’s RKO has become one of the most recognizable finishing moves in professional wrestling history, fueled in large part by a viral internet meme culture that turned the move’s “out of nowhere” surprise factor into a recurring online phenomenon. The move’s popularity has made “RKO” a valuable piece of branding for WWE, extending well beyond the confines of the squared circle and into broader pop culture recognition.
Despite that cultural cachet, the legal path to exclusive trademark rights over the three-letter term has proven difficult for WWE. RKO Pictures, the historic film studio behind golden-age Hollywood productions, holds multiple existing registrations tied to the “RKO” name, and the USPTO has determined that WWE’s wrestling-focused application creates enough overlap with those existing marks to warrant rejection.
It remains unclear whether WWE will file a response ahead of the February 2027 deadline or pursue an amended application that more narrowly defines its intended use of the mark. The outcome of any further action will determine whether WWE can formally claim trademark protection over “RKO” in connection with Orton’s finishing maneuver, or whether the company will continue operating without that specific legal protection despite the term’s widespread association with the wrestler.
