Former WWE Star Demands Control Over Val Venis Web Domain

It's been an eventful week for the name "Val Venis," and not necessarily because of anything Sean Morley, the performer who used the name in WWE for many years, has done. Over the past few days, several wrestling fans have attempted to assert control over the "Val Venis' ' name, most notably using a website with the name to redirect to sites that support LGBTQ+ causes, in response to Morley's anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric on social media.

Not too surprisingly, Morley isn't happy with this development. On Tuesday morning, Morley took to X with a statement [Editor's note: his account has since been made private], tagging those he felt responsible for using "Val Venis." Morley claimed to issue a "formal warning," stating the rights to "Val Venis" had never expired due to it never being registered, with Morley further stating that WWE abandoned their attempts to trademark the name after Morley refused to consent to it. This, Morley claims, was protected under common law.

Morley further expressed that he didn't consent to anyone using the "Val Venis" name, and directly addressed wrestling fan and former "FTR with Dax Harwood" podcast host Matt Koon, saying this was his final warning to hand over the ValVenis.com domain. If not, Morley declared he would seek legal damages against Koon, accusing him of harming Morley's reputation "by illegally and maliciously using my business name." Morley further warned anyone else attempting to use the name that deliberate attempts "to damage my reputation and usurp MY PROPERTY AND RIGHTS is a grave matter and will be met with the full extent of legal action."