A familiar anthem for one of WWE’s biggest stars is now at the center of a fresh legal battle.
A new federal lawsuit has been filed against John Cena, WWE, TKO Group Holdings, and several others, targeting the longtime entrance theme “The Time Is Now.”
The complaint—first uncovered by Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston and filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York—accuses the defendants of using an unlicensed musical sample taken from a 1974 recording by Canadian bandleader Pete Schofield.
According to the suit, that sample appears directly in Cena’s iconic entrance music and centers on the “horn arrangements that introduce and play throughout the theme,” as Thurston described.
A daughter’s claim, a disputed arrangement
Pete Schofield has since passed away, and the lawsuit is being brought by his daughter, Kim Schofield, who says she owns the copyrights to her father’s music.
She argues that while the 1974 track was a cover of a Bobby Russell song, the horn intro and outro were original additions created by her father. Those elements, she claims, came from an instrumental cover of “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.”
The defendants listed in the filing extend beyond Cena, WWE, and TKO.
Producer Jacob Brian Dutton, music publisher Pix-Russ Music, and Cynthia Jo Russell—the widow of Bobby Russell and co-owner of his recordings—were also named. Under federal rules, the group has 21 days to respond once officially served, though that window stretches to 60 days if they accept service by waiver.
Why now? A previous settlement comes into question
One of the standout elements of the lawsuit is the claim that this issue was supposedly resolved years ago.
Thurston reports that in 2017, Kim Schofield reached a written settlement with WWE and received a one-time payment of $50,000. But she now alleges WWE withheld key information during negotiations—including how the sample was being used and its long-term commercial role—to induce her into signing the agreement.
Schofield says she first learned about Cena’s theme back in 2015, when a reporter contacted her about it.
The new lawsuit seeks to invalidate the 2017 settlement and includes a damages claim exceeding $150,000.
The producer’s role and an old video resurface
The filing also alleges that producer Jacob Brian Dutton used the disputed sample as far back as 2003.
Thurston’s report includes renewed attention on an old YouTube clip featuring Dutton holding a Schofield album cover while explaining how he looped its intro and outro to build the beat that became Cena’s theme.
In that clip, Dutton says he was paid $60,000 for the work—though an earlier ESPN article quoted him saying it was $30,000 for three beats.
Thurston notes that the Schofield family previously settled with WWE in 2017 for $50,000, but Kim Schofield now argues the agreement should be voided on grounds that WWE did not disclose “the long-term use of the sample and an upcoming national ad campaign.”
The situation now heads to federal court, potentially reopening the history of one of wrestling’s most recognizable entrance themes.
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