Ryback Contract Dispute [UPD: Ryback comments post #26]

[Sheppy]

Met him at Axxess before, super nice guy... that said. I won't miss him.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Today I sit and fly home and for the first time in years feel absolutely free. I will start by saying I did request to be taken off of WWE television until myself and Vince could get a yes or no on a new deal. This has been going on since my IC Title run and had been nothing but a major strain on my life as all I ever wanted to do was work for WWE. I was told to head home until we agree or not agree to specific terms and contrary to reports it isn’t over money or a bus that stuff was settled a while ago. It comes down to a major problem I have with not only WWE but wrestling in general.

Wrestling is pre determined, we as performers know before we go out to that ring or perform a backstage scene who is winning and losing etc or have a general idea of what we are going to say. It blows my mind how in a sport which is pre determined from a company standpoint winners are paid so much more than the losers. Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next. The winners cannot win unless the losers go out there and agree to lose to them.

http://thebigguyryback22.tumblr.com/post/143803724226/feed-me-more

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Ehhhhhh, his point is not a bad one on paper but it's not the guy who does the job that sells merchandise and moves the needle.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

http://thebigguyryback22.tumblr.com/post/143803724226/feed-me-more

There's a hint of CM Punk in there and a hint of communism in that but he'll get heat for it because that's the way they operate. There are some key factors that he's leaving out that determine why some guys are the ones getting the W's and the money and some get the L's. It's not universal but the talent being more marketable due to various attributes gets the push and the perks.

 

[Disclose]

ProWrestlingSheet.com has revealed that Ryback appears to be in a trademark battle with WWE over the term “The Big Guy.”

-According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Ryback (real name Ryan Reeves) filed for the trademark on October 29th, 2015

-WWE filed for the same trademark three months later on January 4th, 2016

 

[Blitzkrug]

That seems really asinine either side can actually trademark "the big guy."

Like, that's not a specific identity. Do you know how many "big guys" there are in WWE, let alone everywhere else? Both sides should be denied.

He's probably good as gone.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

That seems really asinine either side can actually trademark "the big guy."

Like, that's not a specific identity. Do you know how many "big guys" there are in WWE, let alone everywhere else? Both sides should be denied.

He's probably good as gone.

Given what is trademarked, he's not wrong to do so. Some variations of big guy or the big guy has been trademarked before. It's also not the only one he's filed for. lol

 

[Ensane]

Hmm...suggests he knew could be leaving as early as last fall, filed surreptitiously, and when the WWE got wind, they filed.

Both are currently filed as 1(b) (intent to use, as opposed to a current use in commerce), meaning neither can yet show (or claim) an active trademark, but since Reeves's application was first in time, it's blocking the WWE's. It'll be interesting to see how far and where this fight goes from here.

That seems really asinine either side can actually trademark "the big guy."

Like, that's not a specific identity. Do you know how many "big guys" there are in WWE, let alone everywhere else? Both sides should be denied.

He's probably good as gone.

I think there's a fair argument to be made that the mark is merely descriptive, but the fact that it made it through to publication is a good sign for him.

Perhaps he's not as dumb as he looks.

 

[Behn Wilson]

I think "The Big Guy" is too generic a phrase to patent and I am betting that these applications get rejected.

 

[Disclose]

i dont think it matters if its too generic.
its like "the rock". its a wrestling nickname he wants to use for other events.

rybacks trademark:
Conducting entertainment exhibitions in the nature of performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment information; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a sports celebrity.

wwe trademark:
Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by professional wrestlers and entertainers rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; Providing a website in the field of sports entertainment; Fan club services; Organizing and staging social entertainment events with fan club members; Providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; Online journals, namely, blogs, in the fields of sports entertainment .

 

[The Gongshow]

So losers don't make as much money as winners then eh. Poor Bray

 

[M.C.G. 31]

That seems really asinine either side can actually trademark "the big guy."

Like, that's not a specific identity. Do you know how many "big guys" there are in WWE, let alone everywhere else? Both sides should be denied.

He's probably good as gone.

This is the same company that wanted to trademark "Yes" and "No".

 

[Ensane]

I think "The Big Guy" is too generic a phrase to patent and I am betting that these applications get rejected.

He certainly won't get a patent for it.

i dont think it matters if its too generic.
its like "the rock". its a wrestling nickname he wants to use for other events.

One can trademark generic terms, but descriptive terms need to have acquired distinctiveness to be considered. That'll be the argument that he (or the WWE) will have to make.

For instance, the term "New York Deli" is probably not trademark-able, whereas the Wall Street Journal and Kentucky Fried Chicken are.

 

[The Lunatic Fridge]

I don't even know what stupid **** he's on about. Losers make less than winners? What? Does he know how contracts work?

Guys like cena make more money, sure. But that's because he's actually marketable and has a demographic that will get behind him. No one wants to get behind The Thing's dumb cousin.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

his point actually makes sense, the guys making the money and being pushed wont get over without the help of those that lose to them and help get them there

 

[Behn Wilson]

his point actually makes sense, the guys making the money and being pushed wont get over without the help of those that lose to them and help get them there

And Michael Jordan couldn't win a championship by himself but that doesn't mean that Judd Buechler should get paid the same as MJ.

 

[Deen]

We are on a hockey board where guys like Ovechkin get paid to score goals. I would think people here would understand that you need to be a productive player here better than most.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

If he leaves we'll all miss him trying to garner cheap heap by ripping off a much more popular wrestler he claims to hate.

Speaking of that, isn't it funny that a CM Punk hater might end up walking out over his frustration at his place on the card at mania?

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

Wrestling can't be directly compared to real sports when the whims of a senile old man dictate who gets put on the card.

 

[GarbageGoal]

We are on a hockey board where guys like Ovechkin get paid to score goals. I would think people here would understand that you need to be a productive player here better than most.

Wrestling is not a competitive sport. It depends on guys being willing to "do the honors" and look like losers.

 

[Emperoreddy]

If he leaves we'll all miss him trying to garner cheap heap by ripping off a much more popular wrestler he claims to hate.

Speaking of that, isn't it funny that a CM Punk hater might end up walking out over his frustration at his place on the card at mania?

The fact it happened the night after his dig at Punk makes it even funnier to me.

 

[ColePens]

So... Ryback is trying to revolutionize the way wrestling contracts are dealt. That is... interesting. I completely agree with what he's saying, but it's not even remotely possible. Are you talking base salaries with no more t-shirt/merch/ppv main event bonuses?

I would need to hear his actual negotiation before making a determination on if i think this is stupid or not. I can tell you this - the big guy is not dumb. He makes a very valid point here and WWE has gone to far lengths to make sure it doesn't step into the new world of business. WWE is a "do what I say" company. I sort of love when wrestlers try to stop that. That says a lot in the locker room I bet.

 

[GarbageGoal]

So... Ryback is trying to revolutionize the way wrestling contracts are dealt. That is... interesting. I completely agree with what he's saying, but it's not even remotely possible. Are you talking base salaries with no more t-shirt/merch/ppv main event bonuses?

I would need to hear his actual negotiation before making a determination on if i think this is stupid or not. I can tell you this - the big guy is not dumb. He makes a very valid point here and WWE has gone to far lengths to make sure it doesn't step into the new world of business. WWE is a "do what I say" company. I sort of love when wrestlers try to stop that. That says a lot in the locker room I bet.

I don't know if anyone listens to the Kevin "Taskmaster" Sullivan podcast, but he and his co-host Mister Saint Laurant floated the idea last week about giving a guy who's jobbing a bit of a pay bump for the hit he will inevitably take if he has merch.

Guys are starting to get annoyed and think outside the box because I'm betting the whole PPV on the network thing still hasn't been settled.

 

[Dr Pepper]

All that patent talk has me wondering if WWE or Reigns have tried to patent "The Guy".

 

[GarbageGoal]

They never ran with "That Guy" either.