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AEW is currently celebrating a new deal between the promotion and Warner Bros. Discovery, which secures AEW's future on WBD networks for the foreseeable future, but it is still business as usual in the front office.
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Two new filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office suggest that AEW is leaning into the company's efforts to revitalize the legacy of former WWE Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart. Both trademarks are for "King of Harts," which was Owen's nickname following his victory in the 1994 King of the Ring tournament. One of the trademarks is for educational and entertainment purposes, so essentially the use of the term on AEW programming to discuss the former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. The second trademark is for products like action figures and shirts, meaning there could be more Owen merchandise coming to AEW in the future. "The Rocket" was already immortalized in the company's "AEW Fight Forever" video game, where he is an unlockable character. The inclusion was Owen's first in a video game since "Showdown: Legends of Wrestling" in 2004.
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AEW has been in partnership not only with Owen's widow, Dr. Martha Hart, but also with Dr. Hart's Owen Hart Foundation, which provides scholarships for underprivileged youths. Owen died in 1999, as a result of an entrance stunt gone wrong on a WWE pay-per-view, which is why WWE had not been allowed to profit off of Owen's likeness. AEW and Dr. Hart began their partnership in 2021. AEW runs both a men's and women's annual Owen Hart Cup tournament in the summer.

