"Complete lack of creativity" - Wrestling tag team accuses 25-year-old WWE RAW star of stealing trademarked name

A current champion in WWE has been accused of stealing a trademarked name from an independent tag team.

The card for WrestleMania 39 has begun to take shape following Elimination Chamber 2023. Asuka won the Women's Elimination Chamber match to earn a RAW Women's Championship bout against Bianca Belair at WrestleMania in Los Angeles. Austin Theory successfully defended the United States Championship at Elimination Chamber and will walk into the biggest show of the year as champion.

The 25-year-old recently began referring to himself as "The Now" during his promos on WWE RAW. Hale Collins and Vik Dalishus have "The Now" trademarked and have been using it on the independent wrestling scene since 2007.

Speaking on the Brotherly Love Wrestling podcast, they noted that they are still using the name on NWA television at the moment and claimed that Theory is showing a complete lack of creativity by stealing their name.

“Clearly we had a trademark since 2007, it’s an idea … we have told the story many times how we came up with it originally … how we got together as a team … the whole story how we have been The Now … and we have been a team as The Now for fifteen years … still actively doing it NWA television as we speak right now … no more disrespectful in any way than to take some else’s intellectual property and pass it off as your own …there is nothing lower in this profession than doing that … It is a complete lack of creativity, originality, effort," said Collins and Dalishus. [H/T: Ringside News]

Austin Theory calls out John Cena ahead of WWE WrestleMania

United States Champion Austin Theory doesn't have a match booked yet for WrestleMania 39, but he does have an opponent in mind.

Speaking with Kevin Kellam of Sportskeeda Wrestling, the champion said he'd love to face Cena at WrestleMania but knows the legend has a busy schedule. Theory then suggested that he could possibly defend the title against a challenger that has never been in WWE before at WrestleMania.

"I've been saying this, a lot of people are talking about John Cena. I'm gonna see John Cena on Monday. Do I want a match with John Cena? Hell yeah, hell yeah. Is he gonna do it? Who knows. I know his schedule, I know he's busy. But also something I've been thinking about, too, is what if Austin Theory faces somebody at WrestleMania that has never been in the WWE?" [9:44 – 10:07]

You can check out the entire interview in the video below:

Austin Theory's career on the main roster got off to a rough 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.