Big Update On One WWE Lawsuit

WWE may be facing legal issues on several fronts but it has now emerged that one lawsuit facing the company has been dismissed.

Ever since it emerged that Vince McMahon had strong-armed his way back onto WWE’s Board of Directors in early 2023, several lawsuits have been launched against the company. Some have accused McMahon and the company of breaching their fiduciary responsibilities while one points to the “horrifying allegations” made against McMahon.

But one lawsuit facing WWE predates Vince McMahon’s comeback as the company faced legal action from pro wrestling company Major League Wrestling. MLW had filed an antitrust lawsuit against WWE and alleged that the sports entertainment giant had pressured media partners of MLW to abandon their contracts or prospective relationship with the promotion.

WWE had filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and that motion has now been granted by the Northern District of California’s US District Court. The dismissal states that “The Court finds that MLW has not included sufficient facts to plausibly allege a relevant antitrust product market.”

The court also found issue with MLW’s claims regarding antitrust injury:

“MLW’s allegations regarding antitrust injury appear similarly lacking, as the harms it has alleged—e.g., loss of contract revenues due to WWE’s interference—are specific to MLW, rather than to competition at large.”

In essence, the lawsuit was dismissed as MLW failed to bring enough evidence and clear facts to back up its allegations. MLW will have 21 days to appeal the dismissal.