WWE Receives Two Cease & Desist Letters Over Austin Theory’s Gimmick

After a failed Money In The Bank cash-in, Austin Theory went through a major change in character. Now the Blue-Chip prospect has started referring to himself as “The Now”. An independent tag team had previously called him out for using their name. Now it looks like they’re planning to sue.

Independent wrestlers Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins have been partnering up under the name ‘The Now’ since 2006. In fact, they even own the trademark for the name.

Vik recently spoke to the Hudson Valley Post, noting that the team have sent two cease and desists to WWE, and that their next step is to file a lawsuit for trademark infringement.

Vik was initially shocked when he saw Theory using the name as he knew for a fact that many people in the WWE were aware about them, their name and that they had it trademarked. Vik and Hale have sent two cease and desist letters to WWE. If the matter does not get resolved they are planning to escalate it with a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.

“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.”

The pro wrestling world depends on people honoring the exclusivity of gimmicks, especially when the law is involved. We will have to see if Austin Theory dials back “The One” talk, but it wasn’t woven into his promo battle with John Cena this week on WWE RAW.

It remains to be seen whether Theory’s time as “The Now” is up. However it looks like John Cena has accepted Theory’s challenge at WrestleMania 39. For more updates, stay tuned to Ringside News.

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