So, while Major League Wrestling—MLW—is moving forward with Alex Kane as World Heavyweight Champion, it still has an antitrust lawsuit against WWE in discovery. MLW’s legal team has really discovered something that could swing things in their favor.
MLW’s Legal Team Files Court Document Showing Stephanie McMahon Possibly Pressed Tubi into Axing Their TV Deal the Night Before Announcing the Deal
The documents were filed on August 14, 2023 and reveal that WWE confirmed that former executive Stephanie McMahon spoke with an executive with Tubi on August 9, 2021. On August 10, Tubi and MLW were planning to announce the broadcasting partnership via a press release.
Everyone knew it was happening, it had been rumored for some time—but it didn’t happen. On August 9, the deal was axed by Tubi. MLW believes that Stephanie McMahon pressed Tubi into dropping the MLW deal before the August 10 announcement and that Tubi folded. WWE would respond to MLW’s claims saying:
“WWE admits that, on or about August 9, 2021, Stephanie McMahon spoke with a Tubi executive. WWE denies the allegations in the second, third and fourth sentences of Paragraph 100.”
Stephanie McMahon’s reasons for being there aren’t clear or confirmed but it should be noted that Tubi is owned by Fox—the broadcasting partner for SmackDown. While Tubi doesn’t have the reach of Fox, companies that are currently beefing with WWE will always present a problem to the Stamford company. Not only, this particular company is bringing legal beef.
Outside of the Tubi deal, there was also the deal with Reelz which has a distribution deal with Peacock. Reelz broadcasts MLW Underground and the show is blacklisted on Peacock because of the deal for WWE’s library.
Court Bauer, MLW’s CEO, remains vehement in his claims that WWE interfered to cost them their deal with Tubi—a streaming service owned by Fox, which also airs SmackDown. Bauer is also claiming foul play when it came to MLW’s nixed deal with Reelz, which could not air MLW Underground due to Peacock’s exclusivity deal with WWE.
In speaking with Forbes, MLW owner Court Bauer expressed how he feels WWE bullies companies and tries to smother potential competing brands:
“WWE has engaged in 40 years of suppressive tactics to suppress anyone who isn’t WWE. t’s egregious and deeply troubling for everyone they view as a competitor in addition to [non-WWE] talent. WWE controls 92% of the media rights revenue in this market, and they’re trying to extinguish growth and suffocate their competition.”
MLW filed its claims against WWE in January 2022. WWE motioned for the antitrust lawsuit to be dismissed but a District Judge found merit in MLW’s claims.
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