The trademark war over the American Nightmare name is officially overand Cody Rhodes, WWE, and Fanatics have settled the dispute outside of court.
According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cody and the others involved reached an out-of-court agreement with punk musician Wesley Eisold, who originally filed the lawsuit back in November 2024. Eisoldfrontman of Cold Cave and founder of the band The American Nightmarehad accused Rhodes of breaking a 2021 agreement over the names use on merchandise.
Back when Rhodes was still with AEW, he reportedly paid Eisold $30,000 for the rights to use American Nightmare on apparel. But that deal came with strict conditions. The merch had to feature Codys name more prominently than the American Nightmare brandingsomething Eisold claimed was being ignored once WWE and Fanatics took over merchandising.
Instead, shirts were released featuring the winged skull logo with stars and stripesbranding Eisold argued was too similar to his own aesthetic. He claimed fans had mistakenly purchased Cody Rhodes shirts thinking they were supporting the band.
The lawsuit originally sought $900,000 in damages and a full jury trial, but after months of legal wrangling, both sides agreed to end things quietly. The court had recently granted multiple extensions as the parties worked through settlement terms, and now its clear those talks paid off.
With the settlement finalized, Cody Rhodes and WWE can move forward with the American Nightmare brandwithout the looming threat of another merch dispute.
Do you think Cody Rhodes shouldve followed the original branding agreement more closely, or was this just a case of overreaction? Sound off in the comments and tell us who you think had the stronger case.
