CAN YOU SMELLLLLL.... WHAT THE ALOTT5MA FRIDAY GRAMMAR RODEO (STYLEBOOK) .... IS COOKING? We're okay with just calling him Dwayne Johnson at this point?
[IMDb suggests it was "The Rock" through 2005, then "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson" in 2006-07, and "Dwayne Johnson" from 2008-, except for 2010's Tooth Fairy, for which he went with the 06-07 formulation.]
He is always going to be The Rock to me (and I mean that with all respect to the most electrifying man in sports entertainment), but I'm cool with others using the real name. I suppose if I was writing about him formally I'd use Dwayne Johnson, but I wouldn't feel good about it.
ReplyDeleteWe weren't OK with this at some point? I mean, unless we want to forget Walking Tall, and I think we all do.
ReplyDeleteHe's back wrestling again, at least for the time being, isn't he? So what are they calling him in the ring?
ReplyDeleteDid the New York Times ever refer to him as "Mr. The Rock"?
ReplyDeleteWasn't there an issue a few years ago about whether WWE owned "The Rock" as a trademark? I don't remember how that was resolved. Of course, that wouldn't stop the NYT from calling him The Rock (any more than the BS "evil empire" trademark you mentioned a few days ago would prevent me from referring to baseball teams other than the Yankees as evil empires), but it would affect what studios could put on the one-sheet.
ReplyDeleteA quick search indicates that WWE owns a bunch of registrations for THE ROCK. My understanding is that WWE owns the "character" of "The Rock," but obviously doesn't own all personal appearance rights of Dwayne Johnson. Basically, if a movie wants to call him "The Rock," I suspect they have to pay a license to WWE, and most places don't want to.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is putting too fine a point on it, but I think that when you refer to his wrestling persona, it's The Rock. If he's not referring to (ahem) poontang pie, candy asses, the people, finally coming back to locations, etc., then he would be Dwayne Johnson. Also, is there a worse name for a "star" than Dwayne Johnson? It sounds like an old cowhand.
ReplyDeleteWorse than Channing Tatum?
ReplyDeleteThey're just calling him The Rock in the ring. One of his opponents, CM Punk, used to derisively refer to him as Dwayne, but they've stopped that, and I wonder if that was intentional.
ReplyDeleteI prefer Dwayne Cougar-Mellencamp.
ReplyDeleteHmm... I guess an old cowhand is better than reminding me of Carol Channing.
ReplyDeleteThat's... kind of a brilliant move for a heel. Did The Rock refer to Punk as Phil? As a side note, I find wrestlers' real names fascinating. Oh, look out, it's HHH! No, that's Paul Michael Levesque. "Hulk Hogan" is a lot better than his real name, Terry Bollea.
ReplyDeleteSo WWE still owns the nickname. I wonder, as a digression, whether it owns The Miz as well. Chris whatshisname was using "The Miz" long before he ever joined the WWE (it was his schtick even on his stint on Real World: New York, when he was probably 19 years old), but I imagine that as a career in wrestling actually became a plausible option, WWE might have made the transfer of the mark part of the deal. Incidentally, I think that some of his Miz marks are stylized versions of his eyes, which clearly are derivative of the Les Mis marks. I guess what I'm saying is that trademark professors looking for fact patterns for exams would do well to pay attention to Real World (see also the Johnny Bananas suit).
ReplyDeleteHe owns the name for personal appearances -- http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4007:t732p7.2.4 -- WWE owns it for merchandising. http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4007:t732p7.2.1
ReplyDelete" Athletic apparel, namely, shirts, pants, jackets, footwear, hats and caps, athletic uniforms; Athletic footwear; Athletic pants; Athletic shirts; Bandanas; Belts; Bottoms; Caps; Children's headwear; Clothing for wear in wrestling games; Costumes for use in children's dress up play; Costumes for use in role-playing games; Costumes for use in the amusement industry; Crop pants; Denims; Flip flops; Footwear; Footwear for men; Footwear for men and women; Gloves as clothing; Gym pants; Halloween costumes; Halloween costumes and masks sold in connection therewith; Headbands for clothing; Headwear; Infant and toddler one piece clothing; Jackets; Jerseys; Jogging pants; Lounge pants; Loungewear; Pajama bottoms; Pajamas; Pants; Party hats; Short sets; Sleep pants; Socks; Sports pants; Sweat pants; T-shirts; Ties; Tops; Track pants; Underwear; Wearable garments and clothing, namely, shirts; Women's clothing, namely, shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses; Wristbands; Yoga pants"