WWE & MLW Lawsuit Settled For $20 Million

The anti-trust lawsuit filed by Major League Wrestling against WWE was settled in December 2023, with new reports revealing WWE settled the suit for $20 million.

MLW filed the suit in January 2022, alleging that WWE hampered potential broadcast and streaming deals for MLW, citing monopolistic practices by the ‘sports entertainment’ giant. The case was dismissed in December 2023 with a private settlement agreed, with financial details revealed by TKO Group Holding's 2023 business report:

“For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results included $34.2 million in costs related to certain litigation matters at UFC and WWE, including the impact of a $20.0 million charge related to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit at WWE. A reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 can be found in the supplemental schedule on page 14 of this release.”

A form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) explicitly stated that the settlement in question was with MLW:

“On January 11, 2022, a complaint was filed against WWE by MLW Media LLC ('MLW'), captioned MLW Media LLC v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., No. 5:22-cv-00179-EJD (N.D. Cal.), alleging that WWE interfered with MLW’s contractual relationship with certain media platforms and engaged in other anticompetitive and unfair business practices in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and California law. On December 22, 2023, the parties notified the court that they had entered into a settlement agreement in the amount of $20.0 million and stipulated that the case should be voluntarily dismissed with prejudice. In light of the settlement, the case was dismissed with prejudice on December 26, 2023.”