Hudson Valley wrestling tag team accuse WWE of trademark infringement

A pair of Hudson Valley-based professional wrestlers have accused Stamford-based WWE of pilfering their intellectual property.

According to a Hudson Valley Post report, Rob Begely and Dale Chapman ”“ who wrestle under the names as Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins ”“ perform in the NWA promotion as a tag team under the name “The Now.” The duo is complaining that wrestler Austin Theory is currently being billed in WWE shows as “The Now.”

“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,” said Begely. “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 added they 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 said. “Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.”

WWE did not comment on the story.

Photo of Austin Theory courtesy of WWE