American Nightmare Bodyslammed WWE and Fanatics with a Copyright Lawsuit Over Merch

If you’ve been paying attention to pro wrestling — specifically the WWE — over the last few months, then you’ve definitely become acquainted with ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes. The dude’s been part of some huge storylines and he most famously “finished the story” by winning the Undisputed WWE Championship from Roman Reigns.

Yet a new storyline is brewing and it’s taking place outside the ring, as hardcore band known as American Nightmare are pissed about how the name is being handled on official merch. The issue is so big that the band and its vocalist Wesley Eisold filed a lawsuit against WWE and Fanatics this past Wednesday in a California court.

This isn’t the first time Eisold both parties have squared off against each other over the moniker. Rhodes and American Nightmare’s vocalist Wesley Eisold came to an agreement back in 2019 that allowed the wrestler to use the name, albeit with some restrictions.

Among those restrictions is the fact that “The American Nightmare” can only appear on merch if Rhodes and pro-wrestling were prominently featured on said merch. The idea is that the merchandise has to obviously reference the wrestler and WWE, not the band. As a result of the agreement, Eisold was awarded a one-time payment of $30,000.

According to the newly filed suit, Eisold claimed that WWE and Fanatics violated that agreement when it released merch that not only didn’t clearly reference the wrester, but uses the phrase “The American Nightmare” without so much as a reference to the man behind the name.

As a result, Eisold is seeking at least $150,000 in damages, though that amount could balloon up to $300,000 in other damages and legal fees. Whether this new suit will result in a three-count for Eisold or a steel chair to the dome, we’ll have to wait to see how this all unfolds.