WWE and John Cena have found themselves in a legal predicament.
The Cenation Leader is facing a lawsuit over the use of a musical sample in his iconic theme song, “My Time Is Now.” At the center of the dispute is the horn arrangement that introduces and plays throughout the track. The complaint comes just days before Cena steps into the squared circle for the final time on December 13.
“Filed on Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, the lawsuit claims that the horn-driven intro and outro used in Cena’s theme music were copied from a 1974 cover recording arranged by Canadian bandleader, the late Pete Schofield,” POST Wrestling reported.
“The complaint was submitted by Schofield’s daughter, Kim Schofield, who says she now owns the copyrights to the record and the music she claims is an original arrangement,” despite the recording itself being a cover of a Bobby Russell song.
Schofield claims she received a one-time payment of $50,000 after reaching a written settlement with WWE in 2017. However, the latest lawsuit alleges the company withheld key information during negotiations.
John Cena, TKO, and WWE named as defendants
“In addition to WWE, TKO, and Cena, the defendants also include music producer ‘Jake One’ Jacob Brian Dutton, music publisher Pix-Russ Music, and Cynthia Jo Russell. Dutton is the producer who mixed Cena’s theme. Pix-Russ Music holds rights to the Russell recording, along with Russell’s widow, Cynthia,” the report states.
“The lawsuit asserts that the horn elements in the intro and outro of the Schofield version, which form the backbone of Cena’s theme, are not present in the Russell version and were sampled by Dutton in 2003 to produce the base of what became one of the most recognizable wrestling entrance songs.”
In her request to invalidate the settlement with WWE, the plaintiff is also seeking damages exceeding $150,000, while accusing the company of violating the 2017 contract by releasing a 2019 version of “The Time Is Now” under a different title, “The Champ Is Here.”
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