Chilled beverages better not mess with World Wrestling Entertainment, or else they’ll get the “smackdown”.

At least, that’s what WWE owner Vince McMahon is hoping, after the WWE sent a cease-and-desist letter…to the Wine School of Philadelphia.  The reason?  the wine school was starting a wine series that they aptly dubbed the “Sommelier Smackdown“.

The WWE claims trademark rights to the term “smackdown” and wants to cork the school’s attempt to hold a competition that pits a professional sommelier’s food and wine pairings against those of a member of the Wine School team.

According to our sober investigative efforts, in August 2005 the WWE filed for a trademark on “Friday Night Smackdown,” the show that garners more than 3 million viewers each week. That’s three years earlier than the Wine School’s registration attempt and also beats Stellar Productions’ attempt to trademark “Movie Smackdown.” (via THR, Esq.)

As the article goes to point out, it looks like McMahon and the WWE will go on to prevail, unless the wine school can show that the WWE trademark won’t be diluted and that consumers won’t be confused by the wine school’s “smackdown” and the WWE’s “smackdown”.

Eh, I don’t know if WWE fans are going to be confused between “Monday Night Smackdown” and “Sommelier Smackdown”, so the wine school may have a case.  On the other hand, even if McMahon loses the case, don’t expect him to not capitalize on the publicity (see: If you smell what the Pepsi Center is cooking)…could we see a wine loving wrestler in the near future?

Quite Possibly.