WWE's 'Vice City' Trademark Bid Dies Ahead of GTA 6

Ever wonder what happens when a wrestling giant tries to claim a name that's sacred to gamers? WWE apparently filed to trademark 'Vice City' on August 8, only for the application to be declared dead on September 21. No, WWE wasn't secretly building its own Grand Theft Auto clone. The likely reason? Lola Vice, a WWE wrestler recently promoted to the main roster. She's from Miami, Florida—the real-life inspiration for GTA's Vice City. So the trademark was probably meant for merch, events, or branding around her.

But here's the thing: Vice City isn't just any name. It's the iconic setting of the PS2 classic GTA: Vice City and the upcoming GTA 6. Rockstar Games has used that name for over two decades. You'd have to imagine WWE knew that, yet they tried their luck anyway. We don't know why they abandoned it, but it's easy to speculate that Rockstar wouldn't have been thrilled about someone else claiming ownership.

Rockstar is making sure everyone knows Vice City is theirs. In real-life Miami, they've spent nearly $1 million on 'Welcome to Vice City' signage. That's a serious flex. And the hype for GTA 6 is only growing. The game launches on November 19, and it's poised to take over the world—including sports. NBA star Steven Adams even predicted a 'league-wide' drop in performance for basketball players and coaches when it drops. That's how big this is.

Speaking of sports and GTA, there's a fun crossover: backyard wrestling is set to be one of many activities for protagonists Jason and Lucia in GTA 6. Eagle-eyed fans even spotted a nod to John Cena's Attitude Adjustment finisher in the recent extended look. So while WWE might have backed off the trademark, GTA is tipping its hat to wrestling in its own way.

It's been a busy week for Rockstar. They took down footage of scrapped GTA 5 DLC and an early leaked GTA 6 map. They also outlined a new modding policy, which seems to have dashed dreams of monetized GTA 6 RP servers. Every week from now until launch will likely be packed with news like this.

So what do you think? Was WWE just trying to capitalize on Lola Vice's Miami roots, or did they really think they could snag 'Vice City' from under Rockstar's nose? And with GTA 6 only months away, will you be picking it up on day one? Let us know in the comments!