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In January 2022, Major League Wrestling filed an antitrust lawsuit against WWE. When the two companies reached a settlement to end the lawsuit in December 2023, there was no word on the amount for which the two parties settled. In the recent TKO Group Holdings 2023 Earnings Report, the figure that was agreed upon between the two promotions was revealed.
"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," the report read. While MLW was not officially named as the company involved in the lawsuit in TKO's business report, a separate form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission named Major League Wrestling, noting that the two parties entered into a settlement agreement on December 22nd, 2023. The case was dismissed four days later.
MLW had accused WWE of interfering with the company's potential deals with TV networks like Vice TV and streaming services like Tubi, claiming that WWE was pressuring third parties to abandon deals with MLW and other wrestling companies to maintain a monopoly over the wrestling business. The suit was originally dismissed in February 2023, but after MLW filed an amendment, a judge denied WWE's motion to dismiss the amended lawsuit.
Before it settled, the antitrust suit had reportedly affected WWE's ability to recruit talent, as the company had to be very careful not to make any slip-ups that could appear to be any kind of talent poaching or contract tampering.
