10 Insane Reasons Wrestlers Got Sued

Technically, Randy Orton didn't get both himself and WWE in trouble for merely appearing the video game, but rather his appearance in them was the issue. Specifically, by creating an incredible life-like model of the wrestler, WWE and 2K were infringing upon the intellectual property of the woman who designed his tattoos.

You see it's actually artist Catherine Alexander who owns the rights to Orton's body ink, and not the wrestler himself. WWE should have been well aware of this though, after they had a similar legal standoff over using his likeness in a range of toys, and were promptly told to go take a run and jump when they offered her a measly $450 for the rights.

Precisely what Orton's degree of liability is here, given that the work is printed on his body and he'll presumably have given either his employers or 2K permission to use him in the games. This one's still ongoing, actually, and a trial date was initially set for April 2020. It's subsequently been moved back with everything else that's going on, but it'll be rescheduled for sometime this year.