WWE has received two cease and desist letters regarding WWE US Champion Austin Theory.
Theory bills himself as “The Now,” but the name is also used by New York indie veterans Vik Dalishus (Rob Begely) and Hale Collins (Dale Chapman) for their tag team dating back more than 15 years. They are still active and have appeared in recent NWA programming.
Dalishus and Collins were taken aback when they saw Theory use “The Now” on a recent WWE RAW episode. According to The Hudson Valley Post, they have had the name trademarked since 2006 and are now attempting to get WWE to stop using their intellectual property.
“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,” Dalishus said.
Dalishus and Collins confirmed that they sent WWE two cease and desist letters. Only one letter has been acknowledged.
“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,” Dalishus said.
It was noted that Dalishus and Collins are likely to file a lawsuit.
“Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace,” Dalishus added.
During this week’s RAW segment with Theory and his WrestleMania 39 opponent, John Cena, Dalishus tweeted:
“It’s weird that @JohnCena time is Now, and @_Theory1 is the Now, but neither one of them actually #LIVE in #theNOW … because, ya know…trademarks. @WWE #WWERaw,” he wrote.
One fan responded by telling Dalishus to “stop trying to get some clout out of that… sue them and be happy when you win.”
Dalishus responded, implying that he was tweeting to strengthen his case in a possible lawsuit.
He wrote back, “Thanks for the Advice. Can you tell me more about your experience suing billion dollar companies and garnering the necessary attention to accomplish such? All ears.”
A request for comment on the original article was not answered by WWE.
The tweets mentioned above are shown below:
It’s weird that @JohnCena time is Now, and @_Theory1 is the Now, but neither one of them actually #LIVE in #theNOW …because, ya know…trademarks. @WWE #WWERaw
— Vik Dalishus (@ThenowVik) March 7, 2023
Thanks for the Advice. Can you tell me more about your experience suing billion dollar companies and garnering the necessary attention to accomplish such? All ears.
— Vik Dalishus (@ThenowVik) March 7, 2023
