AEW: Collision’s announcement and a variety of pay-per-views for the summer have made AEW a very busy place recently. However, their next potential plan might cause even more attention (though not as much as CM Punk’s likely return) if comes to fruition.
On May 17, AEW filed to trademark the term “transfer portal,” and for its Saturday Collision logo. Details for both trademarks are below:
Conducting entertainment exhibitions in the nature of wresting exhibits and performances by professional wrestlers; Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of wrestling programs and wrestling multimedia entertainment event content; Entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of ongoing television programs in the field of wrestling.
Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing multimedia program featuring wrestling distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; Entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of ongoing television programs in the field of wrestling.
College sports fans will recognize the transfer portal, a pool of collegiate athletes seeking to transfer from one school to another. If AEW plans to use this in a similar fashion, perhaps it accompanies a hard brand split in a sports-like fashion.
If AEW divides the talent between Dynamite and Collision, an eventual jump from one brand to the other could be facilitated through this version of the transfer portal. AEW has prominently used win-loss records, so this represents another step toward feeling like a sports league.
Unless they plan differently, such as naming an AEW show with this term for an episode of Dynamite or Collision, or using it for another event. Either way, it’s a unique term that may mean something sooner than later.