WWE and John Cena are being sued for plagiarism over the song "My Time Is Now"

John Cena has one of the most recognizable musical themes in the history of WWE. "My Time is Now" is not only the song that has accompanied him for much of his professional career, but also one of the most well-known in pop culture, whether you are a fan of professional wrestling or not. However, it could now become a headache for the company and the wrestler.

According to Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling, a federal lawsuit has been filed against WWE, TKO, John Cena, and others for the unauthorized use of a sample in Cena's entrance theme. Specifically, the dispute revolves around the trumpet arrangements used in the song.

The lawsuit was filed by Kim Schofield, who claims that the introduction and ending, both driven by trumpets, used in Cena's theme were copied from a 1974 version arranged by her father, Pete Schofield. Schofield's recording was a version of Bobby Russell's song, but the lawsuit argues that the introduction and ending with added trumpets were original, and those are the parts that, according to Schofield, were sampled for Cena's theme. Music producer Jacob Brian "Jake One" Dutton, music publisher Pix-Russ Music, and Cynthia Jo Russell Dutton are also named as defendants.

"According to the lawsuit, the sampled material in Cena's theme comes from Pete Schofield's 1974 instrumental version of 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,' which added original trumpet parts not present in the original song composed by Russell, and memorably performed by Vicki Lawrence as a successful single in 1973, and later re-recorded by Reba McEntire. The lawsuit argues that the trumpet elements in the introduction and ending of Schofield's version - which form the basis of Cena's theme - are not present in Russell's version and were sampled by Dutton in 2003 to produce the foundation of what would become one of the most recognizable entrance songs in professional wrestling," Thurston wrote in his report.

Schofield claims that she reached a written agreement with WWE in 2017 in which she received a one-time payment of $50,000. However, she now alleges that the company withheld key information during those negotiations to persuade her to sign the agreement. She now requests the court to void it.

"The Schofield family does not claim ownership of Bobby Russell's original composition. Instead, they assert that, specifically, the introduction and ending are original works protectable by the Schofield's copyright. In 2024 and 2025, Kim Schofield registered two copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office: one for the key elements of the musical arrangement (the introduction and ending sampled in Cena's theme) and another for the complete 1974 recording. We verified that both registrations appear on the Copyright Office website. According to Schofield's account, Russell's estate and his publisher, Pix-Russ, have challenged the registrations, arguing that Schofield's arrangement is an unauthorized derivative work. The lawsuit responds that Russell's side accepted royalties for the trumpet parts, which Schofield claims were original to her father," Thurston wrote.

In addition to seeking to invalidate the original agreement with WWE, Schofield is seeking damages of over $150,000. So far, the defendants have not responded to the lawsuit, and court records do not show that any of them have been formally served.

Meanwhile, Cena is gearing up to close out his farewell tour, which will take place on December 13 at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. A show where, most likely, we will hear "My Time is Now" once again in what will be one of the biggest stars in the history of the business' final professional match.