WWE Alum Ryback Goes After Ezekiel Elliott Over 'Feed Me' Trademark

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has celebrated big plays throughout his career by using the "Feed Me" motion. He recently filed a trademark application for the phrase, but one fellow athlete took major issue with the move. Ex-WWE star Ryback has threatened to take legal action against Elliott.

Ryback recently discussed the trademark during an episode of his podcast, The Ryback Show. He currently owns trademarks for "Feed Me More" in several different categories. The list includes some of the same ones that Elliott filed for. The former wrestler explained that Elliott's version is too similar and that people "will get confused."

"I actually had saw that from an attorney posted that he filed on Sept. 16, and I had to get a hold of my attorney," Ryback said, per The Score. "So Ezekiel Elliott, I don't know a lot about him. I knew, though, he tried to use this initially many years ago after I had already established it. He had a website IFeelLikeEating.com."

Elliott has fully embraced the food-related phrases throughout his NFL career, to the point that he added a "Feed Me" tattoo to his body. The text covers his stomach and includes a spoon to drive the point home truly. Elliott told reporters that he had the ink done before training camp.

Many football fans see the words "Feed Me" and automatically think of Elliott. After all, the Cowboys are 22-4 when Elliott rushes for more than 100 yards in a game. However, Ryback is not among this group. The ex-WWE star doesn't see the trademark application going through due to its similarity to his brand.

"What he's trying to do — and I don't know if someone advised him — he was doing other things, 'I like to eat' and using different phrases of hungry, which I've had tied into my brand from the beginning," Ryback continued. "He's not gonna get it. With the trademarks, there's a lot of other trademarks that do involve like 'Feed me tacos and tell me I'm pretty' — they involve phrases that are very specific. The problem is this is exactly my phrase. It's exactly and it's the same meaning, and that will cause confusion."

If the trademark goes through and Elliott is successful, this will open the doors for merchandise and other uses. The trademark will also create a potential headache if Ryback follows through with his threats of legal action. For now, however, Elliott will continue focusing on the football season and the 1-2 start.