MLW Suing WWE Over Allegations Of Attempting To Monopolize & Undermine Wrestling Competition
January 11, 2022WWE stopped MLW from getting a streaming deal and they are not happy.
It was reported a few months back that MLW was at one point in negotiations with Tubi to air content on the FOX-owned streaming service. The report stated that WWE went to FOX who airs Smackdown and got them to end negotiations with MLW and FOX did. According to MLW that was not the only time they were cost a TV deal by WWE.
On January 11, 2022 MLW sent out a press release stating that they were filing an anti-trust lawsuit against WWE.
San Francisco, CA – Jan. 11, 2022 – Professional wrestling company Major League Wrestling (MLW) (MLW Media LLC), filed a lawsuit today against World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE). The federal court antitrust lawsuit is based on WWE’s ongoing attempts to undermine competition in and monopolize the professional wrestling market by interfering with MLW’s contracts and business prospects.As described in the complaint, WWE pressured third parties to abandon contracts and prospective relationships with MLW. WWE’s misconduct included disrupting every level of MLW’s business, including a major streaming deal for MLW which would have been transformative for the company.MLW also allege in the complaint that in early 2021, after MLW announced that it was in talks with VICE TV to air MLW programs on VICE TV, a then-WWE executive warned VICE TV that WWE owner Vince McMahon was “pissed” that VICE TV was airing MLW programs, and that VICE TV should stop working with MLW, the VICE TV executive responded that WWE’s conduct was illegal and an antitrust violation, with the WWE executive responding that she could not control McMahon.“WWE has been wrongfully depriving its competitors of critical opportunities for many years, but its latest conduct has been even more unconscionable,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “I think we speak for the rest of the professional wrestling world when we say that this anti-competitive behavior has to stop.”WWE’s ongoing misconduct has hurt fans of professional wrestling and competition in the professional wrestling industry. Through this lawsuit, MLW seeks to recover its losses due to WWE’s interference and to enjoin WWE from future interference.The case is captioned MLW Media LLC v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. MLW is represented by Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP.
This is not the first time we have heard of MLW threatening WWE with legal action after it was said that WWE participated in contract tampering. IN February of 2020 it was stated that WWE contacted talent while they were still under contract to MLW.
It is said that MLW has plenty of evidence on the matter in question if this does end up going to court, yet they hope that does not need to happen.
We will continue to follow this story and if we hear anything else about it, we will have it here and on the PWUnlimited YouTube Channel.
