Anthony Duane Wilson instigated legal action against prestigious wrestling organizations WWE and AEW, raising serious accusations of intellectual theft.
In the fall of 2023, Wilson alleged that both renowned wrestling promotion companies had stolen his innovative ideas for wrestling characters, names, taglines, and imagery without acquiring his consent.
He argued that such unauthorized use of his ideas impeded his dream of launching his own wrestling promotion and negatively impacted his discussions with Bullet Club members who were posed to join his project.
Wilson maintained that the wrestling giants WWE and AEW’s actions served as a detriment to his commercial venture, credibility, and financial status. He accused WWE and AEW for capitalizing on his creative work while neglecting to give credit or compensation, intentionally hindering his career progression.
On November 3, 2023 it was reported that Judge Benita Y. Pearson dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that Wilson failed to promptly distribute the legal papers to either WWE or AEW within the regulated 90-day timeframe subsequent to his August 2023 filing.
In spite of the lawsuit being rejected, Wilson made the decision to reapply, ensuring that both parties were properly served. Initially, he targeted for a hefty compensation of 0 million and strove for the reclaiming of his intellectual assets. AEW later filed a motion moving to have the lawsuit dismissed earlier this year.
The news outlet, Pwinsider announced that the plagiarism lawsuit filed by Wilson against WWE and AEW was officially rejected on October 22 by Judge Benita Y. Pearson in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Youngstown.
In AEW’s case, the verdict was ruled with prejudice, indicating Wilson cannot revisit the case against them in the future.
AEW argued that Wilson did not supply detailed factual allegations and failed to sufficiently dispute their arguments, thus resulting in their charges being dropped.
As it pertains to WWE, the court discharged the case due to a “lack of personal jurisdiction.” The court determined that it didn’t possess the authority over WWE since Wilson couldn’t prove that WWE, a Delaware corporation located in Connecticut, should be brought under Ohio’s jurisdiction.
Despite this, the verdict was without prejudice, suggesting that Wilson might be able to revive his case in a jurisdictionally fitting court.
The complainant also demanded five-year jail terms for both AEW and WWE, but with the lawsuit being rejected again, none of this will transpire. It seems improbable that he’ll be initiating any further lawsuits in the immediate future.