Hardcore punk band American Nightmare are suing Cody Rhodes, the WWE Undisputed Champion

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WWE wrestler Rhodes has been calling himself “The American Nightmare” for several years, sometimes to the chagrin of the band of the same name

American Nightmare in 2018, and Cody Rhodes in 2024
(Image credit: American Nightmare via Youtube | WWE/Getty Images)

A hardcore band called American Nightmare are suing WWE wrestler Cody Rhodes.

The suit was filed by vocalist Wesley Eisold and alleges trademark infringement by Rhodes, who uses the in-ring nickname “The American Nightmare”, as well as the WWE itself and merchandising company Fanatics. It was filed on Wednesday, September 4, in a California court, according to The PRP and Postwrestling.com.

Rhodes (real name Cody Runnels) began calling himself “The American Nightmare” after leaving WWE in 2016 and wrestling on the independent circuit. It’s a reference to “The American Dream”, a moniker used by Rhodes’ father Dusty Rhodes (Virgil Runnels) before his death in 2015. Rhodes rejoined WWE in 2022 and currently holds the WWE Undisputed Championship, the company’s most high-profile title belt.

Eisold and Rhodes first clashed over the rights to the “American Nightmare” name in 2019. According to The PRP, the vocalist disputed Rhodes’ attempt to copyright the name. The two parties came to an agreement in 2021 that let Rhodes use the nickname, albeit with restrictions. Said restrictions include the phrase “The American Nightmare” only being allowed to appear on merchandise that clearly references Rhodes and/or pro-wrestling. Eisold was given a one-time payment of $30,000 for his cooperation.

Now, Eisold is claiming that Rhodes, WWE and Fanatics have breached the terms of this agreement. He alleges that they have placed the phrase “The American Nightmare” on merchandise not clearly related to Rhodes and/or wrestling, infringing the rights of his band in the process.

Eisold claims to have attempted to contact Rhodes’ legal team in 2022 over other alleged infractions but received no reply. He is reportedly seeking at least $150,000 in damages, which could rise to $300,000 in treble damages, plus legal fees.

American Nightmare formed in 1998 and have released three albums, the latest of which being a 2018 self-titled LP.

Rhodes successfully defended his WWE Undisputed Championship against Kevin Owens at “premium live event” (PLE) Bash In Berlin last week. He is expected to defend the title again at WWE’s next PLE, Bad Blood, on October 5.

Matt Mills
Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.