Lawsuit filed against John Cena and WWE over usage of the horns in his theme song

It was first reported by PostWrestling.com on Thursday that a new federal lawsuit filed in New York accuses WWE, TKO, John Cena, producer Jake One, and others of using an unlicensed sample to create Cena’s entrance theme, The Time Is Now.

The complaint argues that the song’s signature horn intro and outro were copied from a 1974 instrumental cover of The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia that was arranged by Canadian bandleader Pete Schofield—specifically, horn parts not present in the original Bobby Russell composition. Schofield’s daughter, Kim Schofield, who now claims ownership of the arrangement, alleges those original horn elements form the backbone of Cena’s theme.

Schofield says her family didn’t learn about the sampling until 2015; producer Jake One later publicly acknowledged using the recording in a 2021 YouTube video. The family reached a $50,000 settlement with WWE in 2017, but the new lawsuit claims WWE withheld key information during negotiations—such as an imminent Toyota ad campaign using Cena’s theme—and misrepresented the value of the music. Schofield now seeks to void that settlement.

The filing also alleges WWE violated the 2017 agreement by releasing a 2019 version of the theme (The Champ Is Here) that included a newly recorded horn imitation, and by failing to provide required credit to PS Records.

Two copyrights for the horn arrangement and the 1974 recording were registered by Schofield in 2024–2025, but the Russell estate and its publisher contest them, arguing the arrangement is an unauthorized derivative work. Schofield disputes this, saying the estate accepted royalties for the horn parts.

Schofield represents herself and is seeking more than $150,000 in damages. WWE, TKO, and the other defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit, which arrives just days before Cena’s promoted retirement match.