Indy Tag Team Sends Cease & Desist To WWE Over Austin Theory Using 'The Now'

An independent wrestling tag team have sent a cease and desist letter to WWE over the company's use of 'The Now.'

Austin Theory has been using 'The Now' as part of his gimmick, with the phrase being featured on his gear. The term is already being used in pro wrestling, though, and indy tag team Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins of The Now revealed to the Hudson Valley Post they have sent two cease and desist letters to WWE and one of them has been acknowledged by the organisation. WWE are currently looking into the matter.

Dalishus (real name Rob Begley) told the Hudson Valley Post:

"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 specialises in trademarks. Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace."

Dalishus and Collins initially filed to trademark 'The Now' for use in professional wrestling matches with the United States Patent and Trademark Office back in 2006 until it was abandoned in 2015. They re-filed to trademark the term in November 2022.

Dalishus and Collins have teamed together as The Now since 2006. They most recently performed under that name in 2022 as part of the National Wrestling Alliance.