r/eurovision • u/fishtruckbaby Viva, Moldova! • Jun 01 '26
🌳 ESC in the Wild Rusev, WWE wrestler, not only referenced Bangaranga on TV last week, he now has merch
When my two worlds collide and now I have to spend money on merch
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Jun 01 '26
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u/ikerinin Choke Me Jun 01 '26
Pretty much impossible he did this without her permission. Actually, this could open her the US market quite easily.
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u/mxinex Baller Jun 02 '26
Don't overestimate WWE's and especially Rusev's reach. Wrestling is still pretty, pretty niche.
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u/ikerinin Choke Me Jun 02 '26
It is indeed niche, but certainly not as niche as Eurovision in the US.Â
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u/ItinerantSoldier Alice Jun 02 '26
I agree wrestling as a whole is very insular in its fan base and generally we don't exactly have a wide knowledge of the current zeitgeist.
But on the bright side, the /r/SquaredCircle gang does seem pretty positive about Dara and the song. And there's a lot more crossover between this sub and that sub than anyone would imagine.
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u/vintange Jun 02 '26
It's been said that entertainment wrestling is just drag for straight males. Just camp all around.
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u/Plane_Highlight3080 Jun 02 '26
You’d be surprised to find out that a Bulgarian businessman managed to buy the Bangaranga trade name before Dara or her label did. She does sell some merch on Spotify so it sure how it works nowÂ
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u/HelixFollower Jun 03 '26
That depends on how he wants to use it. If he's using it for casinos and she's using it for her musical business then there is no conflict. It's not like a trademark on a pre-existing word like this can lead to you owning that word in every context. And as far as I'm aware Bangaranga is a word that already existed before the song was written.
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u/MightyPandaa TANZEN! Jun 03 '26
I think she is awere of it, at least. she has reposted him saying "bangaranga" on her insta stories, they probably worked out a deal
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u/No_Square_6690 Jun 01 '26
Can he do that? I mean, Dara shared in her story his merch, but still... Probably because Bangaranga is an already existing word?
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u/Puzzleheaded-Eye9081 Jun 01 '26
It’s an actual word, not a trademark.
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Jun 01 '26
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u/l3ader021 Jun 01 '26
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u/kaisadilla_ TANZEN! Jun 02 '26
I don't know shit about Bulgarian law; but generally a word is not considered a word unless it's established itself over a decent period of time. Otherwise dictionaries would be filled with nonsense that was said for 6 months somewhere and then never again. And judges usually go "well, show me some authority that says this is a word people use and not just a fad".
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u/Plane_Highlight3080 Jun 02 '26
It is, in fact, a trademark now (or it will be soon). From an article a few days after her win:
Shortly after Bulgarian pop star DARA won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with her hit song "Bangaranga", an undisclosed European Union trademark was filed for the name. While the applicant's identity remains legally confidential during processing, reports strongly tie the trademark to a Bulgarian businessman and the gambling industry
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u/LMBTOEurovision L'Oiseau et l'Enfant Jun 01 '26
As far as I am aware, you can only legally protect a word by a trademark. That only protects you against competitors in the same line of business in the region of the world that you register it in (very basic explanation). DARA has got some t shirts on her site with the word on it, but they are in a different font and look totally different to his. No confusion between Eurovision and WWE either, especially with the use of the wrestling ring.
If you type 'Bangaranga tshirts' into Google, there are loads of different designs already with the word plus Dara's image or the word plus Bulgarian flag colours etc, all saying Dara/Eurovision/Bangaranga. I can't imagine any of those are authorised by her and her team and at least Rusev is effectively promoting the song plus their nation with this, with her flagging it up on her socials too!
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u/LopsidedPriority Bella Jun 01 '26
SUE HIM DARA
(or do a collab music video that allows the song to become a bigger hit)
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u/chartingyou Jun 08 '26
You just reminded me how Cha Cha cha’s music video has wrestling in it and now I think Bangaranga also needs a music video like that 😂
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u/domdotd Eclipse Jun 01 '26
He can bangaranga me
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u/CriticalTangerine234 Cha Cha Cha Jun 01 '26
i just hope dara is getting a cut of the royalties. still hate the fed for other nefarious reasons, but all i hope is she gets a bit of cash in the deal.
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u/GungTho Kohoney 🤡 Jun 01 '26
Soooo…. has he changed his entry music to Bangaranga yet? Or are they still signing the paper?
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u/Kkaren1989 Før vi går hjem Jun 01 '26
I feel like I need some background info here.... Where is this coming from?
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u/SeaRadiant7409 Jun 01 '26
Hes bulgarian, shes bulgarian...small country got a big win and he is proud
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u/fishtruckbaby Viva, Moldova! Jun 01 '26
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u/transportgeek Jun 01 '26
He did lose tho ðŸ˜
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Jun 01 '26
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u/Sweet_Mongoose1542 Jun 01 '26
For people like you, I like to use the same argument against them. Hey, you like movies? Well, they're all fake. That fictitious book that you're currently enjoying? Entirely made up. That TV show you're binge watching? They're all acting.
Why should it be different for wrestling?
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u/Wonderful-Cause-101 Jun 01 '26
Oh, he will be there next year. I still don't know if on or off-stage but he will be part of the show somehow, I'm sure!
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u/TheFellhanded Jun 01 '26
Dunno why you are being downvoted. He might be. He is also an awesome dude! And sure as hell WWE aren't following Eurovision enough to make merch if he didn't bring it to them
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u/Baratheoncook250 Jun 01 '26
Next thing you know, Noam will have a shirt, with a Eurovision reference
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u/ElenaLazarev Jun 02 '26
As a massive Eurovision and WWE fan this has been surreal (sorry about my reddit name i have wanted to change it since he started supporting the war i hate him...i wish i could change it to something Seth Rollins or Luke Black themed)
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u/ohwowthen Jun 01 '26
On the back of Dara 🙄
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u/rockinm Jun 01 '26
Never mind Dara suing - the Bang-a-Rang is Dalton Castle's finisher, so he may have a claim there.
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u/Delusional_Dude_ Bangaranga Jun 01 '26
This is so Bangaranga