A man who waged a lawsuit against WWE and AEW for plagiarism is now behind bars and has he asked the judge to pause his suit. Anthony Duane Wilson filed a request with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on April 10th to pause his lawsuit because he is currently incarcerated. This request for a stay could delay the proceedings against WWE and AEW until Wilson's circumstances change, or he is able to participate in the legal process.

Wilson penned a letter to the judge, as obtained by PWInsider. In the writing, he asked for his lawsuit against WWE and AEW to be paused, since he cannot properly handle things at this time. He has also already sunk a lot of money into the proceedings.

"Due to my current state of being incarcerated at Trumbull County Jail, located at [deleted], I am unable to properly handle and follow the status of this case in a timely manner at this time."

"I ask the court to grant my request to stay the case because I have put forth alot of my time and money to file the lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling, and being that I am of self representation and cannot do it properly at this time, see it necessary to file this motion."

"I seek this stay not for the purpose of delay but that justice may be done.”

Anthony Duane Wilson initially filed a lawsuit against WWE and AEW in August 2023, seeking $250 million in damages and the return of his intellectual property.

WWE and AEW were accused of using his wrestling concepts—like gimmicks, names, slogans, and likenesses—without permission. He claimed this infringement hindered his plans to start his own wrestling company, which also allegedly affected negotiations with Bullet Club members.

Wilson argued that the unauthorized use of his work caused him a variety of damages, which includes lost market opportunities. He also alleged that a conspiracy was at play, where the greater pro wrestling companies were out to derail his plans.

The lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Benita Y. Pearson on November 3rd, 2023, because neither defendant was served within the required 90 days after the lawsuit was filed in August. The dismissal was without prejudice, which allowed Wilson to re-file the lawsuit.