TNA Sent Cease and Desist Letter Over Crazzy Steve

PWInsider reports that TNA was sent a cease and desist letter in March over Crazzy Steve and his stable The Decay. Ohio independent wrestler Justin Carnes has wrestled as Krimson and Conrad Kennedy III, among other names, since 2000. He said that TNA is “responsible for infringement of certain copyrights that are owned or controlled by Carnes.” His Krimson character is an evil clown.

While evil clowns are nothing new in wrestling, Carnes says that certain elements of Crazzy Steve were taken directly from his work, including the red mist, Steve’s mannerisms, costumes and face paint. He also said that in 2010 he was a member of a group called the “Dead Wrestlers Society” and Steve, as a part of Decay, “replicated the Dead Wrestling Society model and teamed with certain other wrestlers who were similar in style to him, which is also a blatant use of Carnes’s works.”

The letter requests that TNA stop using the copyrights Carnes claims to own and acknowledge in writing that they will comply by April 6. If TNA doesn’t comply, Carnes may decided to take further legal action. TNA has received the letter and sent it to their legal team.

Crazzy Steve has been part of TNA since 2014 and is currently in his biggest story so far as part of The Decay. He has played the same character through his TNA run but it has a darker twist to it these days.

Carnes has worked for TNA as enhancement talent in the past, as far back as 2004.