If you’re a parent or someone who has been around high schoolers, plus or minus a few years, you’ve probably come across the word “yeet” sometime this decade. Otherwise, your first exposure to it probably came when The Usos, and specifically Jey Uso, started using it more often on WWE programming.
Its prominence really kicked into high gear once Jey broke free from The Bloodline and migrated from SmackDown to Raw, where he quickly became one of the brand’s top babyfaces (albeit while not convincing everyone, like Drew McIntyre). Not only was the slang term on the air each week, but WWE even made “YEET” shirts for Uso and they appeared to be selling well.
Then this week on Raw, yeet was gone. Jey was wearing one of his other shirts, he didn’t say it once on the air, and it was even blurred out in a highlight package promoting his world championship opportunity against Seth Rollins.
What gives? According to WrestleVotes, WWE encountered trademark issues with using yeet in a wrestling context.
As evident on RAW just now, I’m told WWE has found trademark issues with Jey Uso’s “Yeet.” The word & merchandising will no longer be associated with Uso going forward.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) December 5, 2023
Wrestle Ops followed up with a suggestion on who, in fact, has the trademark on using the word within pro wrestling.
Kasey Huffman, a pro-wrestler out of West Virginia, has owned the trademark to the word “Yeet” since 2021.
As was revealed last night that WWE found trademark issues with Jey Uso’s “Yeet” & the word & merchandising will no longer be associated with him going forward. pic.twitter.com/cMDdG4zRpN
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) December 5, 2023
And yet, all may not be lost. While Jey’s blue “YEET” shirt is out of stock on WWE Shop, you can still order the white shirt (albeit only in 4X). It’s marked as unavailable for Christmas delivery, and yes, it could be WWE just clearing out its remaining stock.
Or perhaps WWE is planning on working out a deal with Mr. Huffman. If this is the end of yeet as we know it, however, at least this somewhat nonsensical multipurpose slang term went out with a bang.