AEW’s Miro, formerly known as Rusev in WWE, has filed a trademark for ownership of his new ring name. Born Miroslav Barnyashev, the Bulgarian wrestler filed the trademark, which covers merchandise and entertainment services, on September 13 with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.
The trademark will ensure Miro retains control over his name and all revenue generated from his use of the name for commercial purposes. Released by WWE in April, Miro began hosting a streaming channel on Twitch as Miro shortly after. He made his debut in AEW in this month when he was revealed as Kip Sabian’s best man for his upcoming wedding with Penelope Ford.
In a clear diss of WWE, Miro, in a recent interview with Busted Open Radio, said that he appreciated being with a company that promotes his YouTube channel and social media, adding, “They want me to do good because this is the wave of the future. All these other dinosaurs, we don’t need them”
WWE, which has been recently criticized for banning its talent from using their stage names when working with third-parties, presumably has trademarks for Alexander Rusev and Rusev, the two ring names Miro used while he was with the promotion. Ryback, who left WWE in 2016 after several disputes, also recently revealed that the promotion made him sign away the rights to his own name in his contract.
Miro debuted on AEW after recovering from COVID-19, which he tested positive for in July. The wrestler is married to fellow professional wrestling performer Catherine Perry, aka Lana, who is still signed to WWE. The couple lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Miro, who emigrated to the United States in the mid-2000s in the hopes of becoming a professional wrestler, became a naturalized American citizen on September 27, 2019.
During his interview with Busted Open Radio, Miro also expressed concern that Lana might be discriminated against at WWE now that he’s working for the competition. “They should be professional and treat it as it is. It’s nothing personal, it’s a business. Hopefully, they treat it like that. I hope that it won’t hurt her. I pray everything will be fine and we should move on,” he said.
Source: Wrestling News