WWE has applied to trademark “Vice City” only 15 weeks before Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch. The timing is striking, although the filing appears to relate to wrestler Lola Vice rather than a move into video games.
As spotted by Fightful, WWE submitted the application on 4 August. The filing seeks protection for “Vice City” via the United States Patent and Trademark Office in connection with wrestling and live sports entertainment.
The application does not seek ownership of the phrase in every context, nor does it suggest that WWE is entering the video-game business. Its proposed use is limited to wrestling, sports entertainment, broadcasts, online information and related fan activities. The application remains pending and has not been granted.
What the trademark application covers
WWE’s filing describes live wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer. It also includes television, radio and internet broadcasts, wrestling news, online sports-entertainment information and a website covering the same subject.
The proposed protection further lists fan-club services, wrestling events for fan-club members, social entertainment events, online newsletters and blogs focused on sports entertainment.
Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and 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; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.
Why Lola Vice may be involved
The filing is widely expected to be connected with Lola Vice, an emerging WWE wrestler who recently announced her departure from the company’s NXT development brand. It is believed she’ll be moving up to the main WWE roster, where she could receive a significant push.
“Vice City” has been associated with the wrestler and appears to reference her Miami, Florida roots. That makes the application look like an effort to secure branding for a performer, wrestling programme or related fan experiences.
For readers who follow the wider business of interactive entertainment, RETROCADE’s arcade news and gaming coverage tracks similar developments across the industry.
An unusual connection with GTA 6
The coincidence is hard to miss. Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch in exactly 15 weeks on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and its setting is Vice City. The location has been part of the Grand Theft Auto franchise for decades.
There is also a corporate connection. WWE’s video-game partner is 2K, which publishes and develops the WWE 2K series. 2K is owned by Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games.
That relationship does not indicate that WWE is targeting Rockstar or attempting to disrupt the release. It does, however, make this trademark filing an unusually interesting piece of gaming-industry news. The same kind of industry overlap is why it is useful to understand both how arcade machines are selected and how gaming brands protect their names.
What happens next?
The application must undergo further review before WWE receives trademark rights. It remains to be seen whether Take-Two or Rockstar responds, or whether the matter stays focused on Lola Vice’s wrestling identity.
For now, the simplest explanation is that WWE wants to formalise a name linked to a Miami-based wrestler. The timing places that routine branding decision alongside one of the most prominent game launches in years, while anyone interested in gaming hardware can continue exploring RETROCADE’s range of arcade machines.
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