For the better part of the past two years, one of WWE’s most interesting battles wasn’t in the ring, but rather the courtroom.
It appears that contest, however, has reached a resolution, with Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston reporting that WWE has reached a settlement in the antitrust lawsuit that was filed against it by fellow wrestling promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW).
WWE and MLW have come to a settlement in the antitrust case against WWE.
Lawyers for both companies filed today:
"The Parties are in the process of completing the final settlement documents and expect to file the appropriate dismissal papers within the next thirty (30) days" pic.twitter.com/t3507vGJg4
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) December 11, 2023
MLW first filed its lawsuit against WWE in January 2022, accusing the wrestling giant of anticompetitive practices and interfering in MLW’s business operations. Among the allegations made by MLW were that WWE put pressure on third parties, including the streaming service Tubi TV and Vice TV, to end their business relationships with MLW, in addition to limiting the company’s access to talent and media markets.
While a judge had dismissed MLW’s initial lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of California, the company was granted the ability to refile an amended version of the lawsuit, which was accepted. Terms of the settlement have yet to be made public, but as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer noted, if they are significant, they would likely be disclosed in an SEC filing by WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.
No terms were announced, if major as in other settlements TKO would likely announce them in the next few days in an SEC filing.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) December 11, 2023
Although WWE’s competitive nature — particularly under Vince McMahon — has been somewhat legendary, MLW’s lawsuit challenged the legality of some of those alleged practices. While one could argue that the existence of rival promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW) — and to a lesser degree, MLW and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) — proves that WWE doesn’t have an effective monopoly over the pro wrestling industry, if the company was interfering in MLW’s business dealings as alleged, that obviously would have been a problem.
If nothing else, a potential trial might have provided the most insight into WWE’s business operations — particularly as they relate to the competition — that we’ve ever seen. But if that day is going to come, it looks like it’s going to have to be from a lawsuit other than this one.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.