A current WWE champion has been accused of stealing a trademarked name from an independent team.
The WrestleMania 39 card has begun to take shape after Elimination Chamber 2023. Asuka won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match to earn a RAW Women’s Championship match against Bianca Belair at WrestleMania in Los Angeles. Austin Theory successfully defended the United States Championship at Elimination Chamber and will enter the biggest show of the year as champion.
The 25-year-old recently began referring to himself as “The Now” during his promotions on WWE RAW. Hale Collins and Vik Dalishus hold the trademark “The Now” and have been using it in the independent wrestling scene since 2007.
speaking in the brotherly love fight podcast, noted that they are still using the name on NWA television at this time and stated that Theory is showing a complete lack of creativity in stealing his name.
“Clearly we had a trademark going back to 2007, it’s an idea…we’ve told the story many times how we originally came up with it…how we came together as a team…the whole story of how we’ve been The Now…and we’ve been a team like The Now for fifteen years… still actively doing it on NWA television as we speak right now… its no more disrespectful in any way than taking someone else’s intellectual property and passing it off as your own… there is nothing lower in this profession than to do that… It’s a complete lack of creativity, originality, effort,” Collins and Dalishus said. [H/T: Ringside News]
Austin Theory calls out John Cena before WWE WrestleMania
United States Champion Austin Theory does not yet have a match booked for WrestleMania 39, but he does have an opponent in mind.
Speaking with Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Kevin Kellam, the champion said he would love to face Cena at WrestleMania, but knows the legend has a busy schedule. Theory then suggested that he possibly could defend the title against a challenger who had never been in WWE before at WrestleMania.
“I’ve been saying this, a lot of people are talking about John Cena. I’m going to see John Cena on Monday. Do I want a match with John Cena? Hell yeah, hell yeah. Will he? Who knows. I know his schedule, I know you’re busy. But also something I’ve been thinking about, what if Austin Theory faces someone at WrestleMania who has never been in WWE? [9:44 – 10:07]
You can watch the full interview in the following video:
Austin Theory’s run on the main roster got off to a rocky start, but the 25-year-old has now established himself on WWE RAW. Time will tell which superstar challenges him for the US title at WrestleMania.
Who would you like to see Austin Theory defend the title against at WWE WrestleMania? Sound off in the comments section below.
Wait! Austin Theory just spilled the beans about a great WrestleMania debut here.