WWE United States Champion Austin Theory often calls himself “The Now”, and a tag team has taken an issue with it because they own the trademark.
Per the Hudson Valley Post, Rob Begely and Dale Chapman, also known as wrestlers Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins, have sent WWE two cease and desist letters for using their intellectual property. Dalishus and Collins team up as The Now, and they trademarked the name in 2006. Begley said WWE acknowledged one of the letters, and he made it clear that their next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement.
“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,” Begley told Hudson Valley Post. “Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.”
Begley also referenced the issue on a tweet on March 6, seemingly in response to Theory calling himself “The Now.”
Begley also highlighted his reaction to seeing Theory use “The Now” on WWE TV. He recalled out they decided to reach out after they consulted with “The Gimmick Attorney” Mike Dockins.
“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,” Begely said. “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,” Begley said.
The article noted that WWE did not respond to a request for a comment.
Dalishus Hale Collins have wrestled for the NWA in recent months.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
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