WWE Issued Cease & Desist Over Austin Theory

WWE United States Champion Austin Theory might refer to himself as ‘The Now’ but two independent wrestlers who have been using that name for almost two decades have something to say about it.

Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins have been wrestling on the independent circuit for years and in 2006 they formed The Now tag team and have competed under that name ever since.

Speaking to the Hudson Valley Post, Vik Dalishus explained that he and his partner have been forced to send two cease and desist letters to WWE to try and stop them from using the name to promote Austin Theory:

“My initial reaction was shock, because of the fact that we have had it copyrighted since 2006, and there’s many people in WWE who know Hale and I, know our names, and know we own it. After shock goes away, we decided to reach out.

“We consulted with some friends who knew about the situation professionally and we were guided to an awesome lawyer named Mike Dockins, ‘the gimmick attorney’ who specializes in trademarks. We have sent two cease and desist letters to WWE, they acknowledged one and said they would look into it. Looking into it doesn’t stop it from being on TV.

“Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.”

Austin Theory may have bigger things to worry about at WrestleMania 39 after he reluctantly had his challenge for the event accepted by John Cena.

WWE is also facing other legal issues in the form of an amended lawsuit from MLW which has accused the company of “predatory conduct.”