WWE pays MLW $20 million to settle antitrust lawsuit

In the latest Form 10-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission it was revealed that WWE paid Major League Wrestling (MLW) a sum of $20 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit.

The lawsuit was originally filed on January 11, 2022 with MLW alleging that WWE interfered with the promotion’s contractual relationship with certain media platforms and engaged in other anti-competitive and unfair business practices in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and California law.

MLW had said at the time that WWE pressured Vice TV and later Tubi not to carry their programming and later blocked MLW’s programming from airing on Peacock when Reelz, which aired their shows, joined the streaming service.

A settlement was reached on December 22, 2023 and both parties had notified the court that a $20 million agreement has been met and MLW voluntarily dismissed with prejudice. The judge dismissed the case with prejudice on December 26, 2023.