Vince McMahon, Nick Khan and Others Reach Settlement In Principle On WWE Merger Lawsuit

Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, Stephanie McMahon and other WWE executives and former WWE shareholders have reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought about by the shareholders who alleged misconduct on the part of McMahon, Khan, and the others during the company's merger with Endeavor to form TKO Group.

According to Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling, Tamara Burton from the Delaware Court of Chancery has confirmed that both parties have reached a settlement agreement in principle.

“At the parties' request, the trial is cancelled," said Burton. "The parties have advised the court that they will present the settlement for approval in due course.” The exact terms of the settlement have not been released at this time.

WWE Shareholder lawsuit was cancelled over the weekend

The trial for this case was set to begin in court on Monday. However, over the weekend, the court date was canceled, leading to speculation that a settlement agreement may be on the horizon.

Last week, the defendants were dealt a major blow in the case when a judge ruled that they misused the auto-delete feature of the messaging service Signal to delete communication they were legally obligated to keep. The ruling allowed for five key facts to be treated as true once the case went to trial on June 8.

The lawsuit by the former shareholders alleges that McMahon failed to conduct the proper due diligence to get the best deal possible for shareholders when selling WWE. The suit claims that McMahon was only interested in one bidder for his pro wrestling juggernaut ,and that bidder was Endeavor.

The suit also alleges that the reason McMahon wanted to sell to Endeavor only was that he was to receive a prominent and powerful position inside the new company, TKO Group.

WWE was officially sold to Endeavor in 2023. At that time, Endeavor merged with the UFC to form the TKO Group. At that time, McMahon was made Executive Chairman of the company.

McMahon resigned from his position at TKO Group after horrific allegations were made about him by a former WWE staff member who claimed he sexually assaulted her during his time as Chairman of the Board in WWE.

Prior to that, McMahon retired from WWE in 2022 after the WWE Board of Directors began an investigation into payments made to former WWE employees with whom McMahon allegedly had affairs. He returned to the WWE at the beginning of 2023 in order to facilitate the sale of WWE to Endeavor.

Stephanie McMahon Says Her Oldest Daughter Considered WWE Career Before Vince Scandal

Vince McMahon's controversial exit from WWE and TKO was sparked by the allegations of sexual assault and trafficking of Janel Grant, but his alleged actions had an effect on a wide range of people. According to his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, the controversy surrounding her father affected her daughter and a future in pro wrestling she contemplated.

"Aurora used to want to [get into pro wrestling], and she even got in the ring with Nattie, and she rolled around a little bit," Stephanie recalled during an episode of her "What's Your Story? with Steph McMahon" podcast. "But then, you know, everything kind of happened with my dad and me leaving and it was an awkward time, right in the time that she would've really been making her decision."

Stephanie then pointed out that her daughter could someday pivot back to pro wrestling someday, but right now, she has her mind set on getting her doctorate in physical therapy. "And she's grown up with all of our injuries, which is why – I think – she kind of has a proclivity towards it," she added, speculating where the second option came from. "She's been on the road and she's seen how everything operates; she's fascinated with sports injuries, like, fascinated with it! ... It's kind of a calling for her; but that's not to say she couldn't do both! I mean, she'd be such a natural."

credit "What's Your Story? with Steph McMahon" & Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Vince McMahon and Nick Khan sanctioned by judge in WWE merger lawsuit, heightening their burden to prevail at trial

Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster found that Vince McMahon and WWE President Nick Khan destroyed evidence in the merger lawsuit.

According to the filing (via Brandon Thurston at POST Wrestling), the court will treat five damaging facts as presumptively true when the case goes to trial next month.

The judge found that McMahon, Khan, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque (Triple H), and former WWE executives Stephanie McMahon and Brad Blum all used Signal’s auto-delete function, which wiped out messages they had a legal duty to preserve.

Laster listed the five presumed facts as follows:

Emanuel’s promise to provide Vince with a continued role at any post-merger company after a transaction influenced Vince’s decision-making with respect to the merger.

Emanuel’s offer of indemnification and other legal support related to pending federal investigations of Vince’s alleged misconduct influenced Vince’s decision-making with respect to the merger.

Vince decided to pursue a transaction with Endeavor in 2022, before the Company initiated the strategic review process.

Khan communicated with Emanuel between August and December 2022 to facilitate a transaction between WWE and Endeavor.

Vince and Khan worked with [advisement firm] Raine to steer the process toward a deal with Endeavor and away from other potential bidders.

The defendants still have an opportunity to plead their case and overcome the presumptions.

The trial is scheduled to take place from June 8 to 12.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2023, alleges that McMahon predetermined the transaction with Endeavor to secure his continued role at the company in light of the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding him, rather than shopping WWE to maximize shareholder value.

source: fightful.com

Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Paul Levesque To Testify In WWE Shareholders Lawsuit

Vince McMahon, Ari Emanuel, Nick Khan, and Triple H are set to testify in the upcoming trial for the lawsuit related to WWE’s merger. As previously reported, WWE shareholders filed a lawsuit against WWE in November 2023 over the TKO merger. The lawsuit alleges that WWE’s investigation into former Chairman McMahon was a “sham,” and that McMahon manipulated the sale process to Endeavor for his benefit.

According to POST Wrestling’s Brandon Thurston, the four executives are among those set to testify as witnesses in the trial.

Mark Shapiro is also among the list of witnesses, which includes many other names as revealed in a pre-trial order. Stephanie McMahon is listed among the names the plaintiffs may call, either live or by deposition.

The trial is set to kick off on on June 8th in the Delaware Court of Chancery and claims that McMahon set up the deal with Endeavor for them to acquire WWE and merge into TKO in order to ensure that he would remain with WWE. This was after he was accused of sexual misconduct in summer of 2022. McMahon retired from the company in the wake of the allegations, but forced his way back onto the Board of Directors in order to facilitate the sale of WWE.

McMahon of course eventually exited WWE and TKO just after he was sued by Janel Grant over allegations by Grant that he sexually abused, assaulted, and trafficked her. That lawsuit is ongoing.

The report by Thurston notes that plaintiffs and defendants plan to call McMahon and Emanuel as live witnesses in the courtroom. McMahon has separate legal representation from the rest of the defendants which include Khan, Triple H, George Barrios, and Michelle Wilson. WWE and TKO are not direct parties to the lawsuit, through they are believed likely to be funding the legal bills for the defendants beyond McMahon.

The full list of names who are intended to be called to testify are:

Plaintiffs Intend To Call Live:
* Vince McMahon
* Ari Emanuel
* Mark Shapiro
* Jeffrey Sine, Raine banker
* Frank Riddick, then-WWE Chief Financial Officer and board member
* Andrew Schleimer, TKO CFO and then-UFC CFO
* Brendan Houlihan, expert witness
* James Canessa, expert witness


Plaintiffs May Call Live Or By Deposition:
* Jeffrey Speed, then-WWE board member
* Stephanie McMahon
* Marty Patterson, Liberty Media President & CEO
* Steve Pamon, then-WWE board member


Defendants Intend To Call Live (Several Also Pppear Plaintiffs’ List):
* George Barrios, then-WWE board member and former WWE executive
* Brad Blum, former WWE executive
* Ari Emanuel
* Daniel Lee, Moelis Managing Director (an advisor in the process)
* Paul Finger, JP Morgan Managing Director (advisor)
* Nick Khan
* Steve Koonin, TKO board member, then-WWE board member
* Triple H
* Vince McMahon
* Frank Riddick
* Andrew Schleimer
* Mark Shapiro
* Jeffrey Sine
* Michelle Wilson, then-WWE board member and former WWE executive
* Mark Zhu, TKO Chief Strategy Officer and then-Endeavor executive
* Doug Perlman, expert witness
* Professor Steven Salaga, expert witness
* Professor David C. Smith, expert witness
* Matthew Archer, shareholder plaintiff
* Dennis Palkon, shareholder plaintiff

The Miz: Triple H Has To Think Five Steps Ahead. No One Gives Him Credit For That

The Miz praises Triple H.

WWE Unreal has taken fans behind the scenes of the WWE production as fans can see what goes into putting every event and story together. While some have criticized the series for going too far behind the scenes, The Miz loves it.

“A lot of the old timers don’t like Unreal. I love it. I love it because it allows people to appreciate exactly how hard we work to make sure it looks seamless and easy, but you guys don’t understand exactly what’s going on behind the scenes. Unreal can only give you so much. You really don’t know too much about it, but I feel like the fans now have an appreciation for the job of a WWE superstar and what that entials. Not just the job of a WWE superstar, but our production as a whole. As Triple H, the person behind everything. Triple H has to think five steps ahead of everyone, and no one gives him credit for that. They don’t understand how hard that seat is. They just throw stuff at him. ‘Why didn’t this happen? Why couldn’t they do this?’ There are domino effects that you guys don’t understand. Even me, when I’m doing my stuff and I’m involved and going, ‘Why can’t we do this?’ I will get the answer of, ‘If we do this, XYZ will fall apart. Do you have something else?'” Miz said on Not Sam with Sam Roberts.

Nick Khan Backs Paul Levesque, Addresses Criticism During TKO Town Hall

From a financial standpoint, WWE appears to be as strong as ever, continuing to break gate records, draw strong ratings, high revenues, and record profits. But over the last year, fan reception towards WWE has become more and more critical, with many taking issue with storylines such as John Cena's 2025 heel turn, Cena's subsequent retirement tour, and the inclusion of Pat McAfee into Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton feud in the lead up to WrestleMania 42.

But despite the hardships, one WWE executive is doing his best to give a vote of confidence for the increasingly embattled WWE chief content officer, Paul Levesque. POST Wrestling reports that a WWE/TKO town hall with staff was called on Monday, with WWE President Nick Khan giving Levesque his seal of approval. Those who attended the town hall say that Khan declared Levesque would continue in his role as head of creative, though it wasn't clarified whether this was just Khan voicing his support, or a sign that Levesque had agreed to a new WWE/TKO contract.

Levesque wasn't the only aspect of WWE that Khan was defending, as TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro asked Khan about the online criticism WWE had been receiving. Khan proceeded to characterize the criticism WWE was receiving as coming from a "vocal minority," specifically when it came to citing the contrast in reactions between WrestleMania 42's two nights, with Night Two being received more positively than Night One.

To further hammer his point home, Khan read out multiple messages criticizing WWE back in 2015, when Vince McMahon was still in charge of the company. While unconfirmed, it's believed that Khan used those past messages in an attempt to paint past criticisms of the WWE product as historically unreliable. No word was provided on how TKO executives reacted to Khan's defense.

New Details on WWE Talent Releases, Including Who Made the Call

How and why the decision was made to cut two dozen wrestlers from WWE main roster and NXT this past Friday night.

Friday, April 24 was an extremely difficult night for WWE employees and fans alike as the company executed a number of post-WrestleMania talent cuts.

This has unfortunately become an annual occurrence, to the point that many in the locker room were speculating that the releases would take place all week long, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select.

Former WWE Women's Champion Nikki Cross was the first to announce her departure, doing so on her X account at 5:21 p.m. ET. She made her announcement roughly 20 minutes after the company began informing two dozen wrestlers that they were being released or that their contracts were not going to be renewed.

Not long after Cross hit publish on her post, it was public knowledge that all of the Wyatt Sicks would be leaving the company, along with Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane, Motor City Machine Guns and a bevy of others.

When diving into the how and why these cuts were made, Sean Ross Sapp noted that while there has been a great deal of chatter about TKO making the calls for them, the final decisions were made at the WWE level.

WWE President, Chief Content Officer and talent relations department made the tough calls of cutting talent "Triple H, Nick Khan and WWE talent relations were ultimately the primary decision makers," Ross Sapp said in his report Sunday night. "WWE sources indicated that majority of releases were to make way for new talent, and the possibility of SmackDown reducing to two hours in the near future."

The insiders at BodySlam did report earlier in the day on Sunday that SmackDown would be moving back to two hours within the next few weeks, a call that was apparently made by the USA Network.

A disproportionate number of SmackDown stars were released when compared to those in the Raw locker room who will soon be hitting free agency. Both brands, however, were hit with an infusion of NXT talent this week, including Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, Joe Hendry, Fatal Influence, Blake Monroe and Ricky Saints.

A number of releases at the NXT level were reportedly made with a new recruit class expected at the Performance Center in Orlando in the very near future.

Some of the releases were a bit more surprising than the others. Santos Escobar, for example. WWE re-signed him to a big-money deal just this past year and then never used him on the main roster. He made several appearances for AAA before suffering an injury that required surgery, and Escobar is expected to be sidelined for several more months.

"This used to be against the company's policy, but has happened a number of times in recent years," Ross Sapp said of injured talent being released. "Karl Anderson, BJ Ray and Ridge Holland were all released or not extended while they were awaiting clearance."

Zoey Stark is another talent who has been out injured. She tore her ACL and MCL in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match last May, but sources told Fightful Select that she was recently cleared to return to the ring. She'll be good to go wherever she chooses once her right of termination and requisite notice is up in 90 days.

One talent who is expected to garner heavy interest on the free agent market is Kairi Sane. The multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion was among the more shocking company departures, considering she's been a key figure in the ongoing rivalry between IYO SKY and Asuka on Monday Night Raw.

"There was heavy frustration to her being cut before any real payoff to the story was made," Ross Sapp said in his report.

Kairi Sane has received a significant amount of support on social media from both her friends and the WWE Universe. The hashtag "WeWantKairi" has been trending on X for much of the weekend.

source: si.com

Ric Flair Explains Ban From WrestleMania, Tried To Fight Ludwig Kaiser

Ric Flair has gone off on Ludwig Kaiser, alleging that his altercation with the WWE star led to him being banned from attending WrestleMania.

In his appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Flair revealed that he argued with Kaiser, following the drama that unfolded during the storyline between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair last year.

"I didn't get invited to WrestleMania this year. I threatened to beat up Tiffany Stratton's husband last year. I wasn't allowed to go. A 24-year-old kid [Kaiser's 35] being threatened by a 76-year-old man, and I can't go to WrestleMania. Are you kidding me? That English kid [Kaiser's German], he's going to go as far in wrestling as a net. He'll be a fly in the wall in a year," Flair began angrily. "Well, they had that thing, you know, where Tiffany's made a smart remark about Ashley's [Charlotte] divorces, which we both know she's not smart enough to have written. Somebody gave her a script and then he implied that — you know I'm just going based on social media once again, which there's a lot [of misinformation] — that he was implying that he wouldn't bum one off Ashley, and I went, 'Okay, I need your number.' I got it — which I can get anybody's number I want any minute of any day — and I called him. I said, 'When I see you, I'm going to beat the sh*t out of you.' So, he went like a little bi*ch [and] told Hunter, and I wasn't allowed to go."

Flair angrily stated that Kaiser will not go far in the pro wrestling business, and seemingly didn't know his whereabouts — despite him currently portraying the El Grande Americano character with great success in AAA — even questioning whether he is part of the WWE roster.

"Is he even on the roster?" asked Flair, with Helwani responding that he's currently in Mexico. "I'm sure he is. I hope he stays [in Mexico]."

"The Nature Boy" stated that he doesn't get the respect he deserves, asserting that WWE should roll out the red carpet for him for his impact on the pro wrestling business.

Mark Shapiro Claims TKO Has Full Creative Control Over WWE

Mark Shapiro clarified TKO had total control over WWE creative while answering criticism of celebrity involvement on the road to WrestleMania 42. 

Shapiro, TKO's Chief Operating Officer, visited the University of Alabama ahead of the "Show of Shows" last weekend. 

During which, he was asked by one student about the reception to TKO's perceived involvement in creative, with the likes of Pat McAfee, Jelly Roll, IShowSpeed, and influencer turned WWE Superstar, Logan Paul, so involved with the build to and then eventually the event. 

"First of all, [TKO] has complete control. So we're responsible," Shapiro clarified, continuing to defend the product that has been distributed thus far. "What I will tell you is WWE is growing every way," he said. "It's really exploded... As far as the stars part of it, I don't think that's true."

Shapiro pointed to the trajectory of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson from WWE into Hollywood, and justified that stars moving the other way is not new to the industry, it's just being done at a grander scale. 

"Having Hollywood tie-ins and celebs and stars; Logan Paul, and Pat McAfee, and Mark Wahlberg shows up and does his thing, or Tyrese Haliburton... That's not new, it's just on a larger stage. We're spending a lot more money to market the brand, market the content. And when you do that you're gonna win some folks over, but you're also going to chase some folks away."

Wahlberg was conspicuous considering the fact that he is a name to have been involved in anything recent with WWE. His last significant role saw him open WrestleMania 38 as "The Most Stupendous Two-Night WrestleMania in History."

Stephanie McMahon at the WWE HOF

Triple H & Shawn Michaels | The Wrestlers

What's Your Story? Triple H interviews Steph before WWE Hall of Fame induction

Triple H Opens Up On WWE Creative Transition After Vince McMahon Exit

What was the WWE creative transition like for Paul "Triple H" Levesque?

The current Chief Content Officer of WWE became a key figure in the role several years ago when Vince McMahon first retired from the company in July 2022.

McMahon had stepped down previously as Chairman and CEO of WWE following a Wall Street Journal report regarding sexual misconduct allegations. He returned to WWE in January 2023.

It was recently revealed via text messages from another lawsuit involving TKO and its shareholders that there seemed to be hesitancy from Triple H as to McMahon's potential participation in creative.

Levesque appeared on Cody Rhodes' What Do You Want To Talk About? podcast on Wednesday to discuss taking over WWE creative.

When asked by Rhodes about whether WrestleMania 40 in April 2024 was the first WrestleMania where he was the primary creative leader, Levesque shared that there wasn't a single moment that defined the transition from McMahon to him.

“I think so,” Levesque said. “And again, this is where I’m terrible with times, but it’s not like one day, ‘Here, it’s yours,’ and everything else went away. There were so many aspects to that of, ‘Vince is stepping away, you’re going to take this spot, but he’s chiming in.’ And he was still meeting with me all the time and still directing traffic from the side. And there’s no real clear moment for me. But I would consider it that, yes.”

Levesque also opened up on some frustrations with the perception that decisions being made were all his during that transition period.

“When people are like, ‘Yeah, but it’s your decision, right?’ Levesque said. "Yeah, sort of. You know what I mean? You have to defend your position, and you have to be able to sell that to people and explain it to people if it’s a little bit not your position or a little bit, ‘Well, why did this happen?’ And you don’t want to say, ‘Well, because it wasn’t totally my decision.'”

Lawsuit Texts Show Triple H's Reaction To Vince McMahon Attempting WWE Return

In September 2023, months after Vince McMahon returned as Executive Chairman to oversee a sale, WWE and UFC officially merged into Endeavor, and TKO Group Holdings was created. One day prior to the merger, Paul Levesque wrote that he was "wound up tight today... DDay tomorrow, expecting the worst" in a text message to Nick Khan, then-President of WWE. This is according to new reporting from Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling.

The uncovered texts are part of the shareholder's lawsuit over the merger, and show that Levesque seemed paranoid and concerned about McMahon's involvement. By October, Levesque would be in complete control of creative, with Endeavor's Ari Emmanuel and Mark Shapiro publicly stating he was prior to that. However, in December 2023, McMahon was reportedly coming to Cleveland for TV and texts show that Levesque was very concerned. He texted Khan, "Was just told by security that VKM is coming to Cleveland on Monday. What's that about??????" Khan responded right away, but those texts were deleted by Khan.

The following day, Levesque again texted Khan about McMahon coming to TV. He told Khan he was "disappointed in that Ari convo" and showed concern about how McMahon was being handled when attending TV and giving creative notes. Levesque asked Khan his opinion on involving Shapiro in the matter. Whatever response Khan gave, he later deleted.

Nearly an hour later, Levesque texted Khan again. "Between you and I, It feels like they are both backtracking on the 'he's out' narrative," Levesque wrote. The retired wrestler shared his belief that the TKO executives were moving their position to be more accepting of a McMahon role within creative, and he mentioned an email regarding a script for Emmanuel. Khan responded, "They already know. No need to send." The text conversation appears to end there.

Levesque has been heavily featured on Netflix's "WWE Unreal", which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process for storylines. He has also made appearances on TV, including during last night's episode of "Raw".

Eric Bischoff breaks down Vince McMahon and Triple H’s WWE leadership

Eric Bischoff breaks down Vince McMahon and Triple H’s WWE leadership appeared first on ClutchPoints:

A WWE Hall of Famer and a former general manager, Eric Bischoff is also widely known as one of the crucial figures in giving Vince McMahon a run for his money during the late 1990s Monday Night War between WCW and WWE.

In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, presented and arranged with help from Wiz Slots, Eric Bischoff explained the differences between the leadership styles of both Vince McMahon and Triple H, having worked with both of them.

While Bischoff worked against McMahon during the Monday Night War, he became a part of WWE after WCW’s merger when he started working for McMahon. Sharing the differences, the 70-year-old claimed that McMahon “was very difficult to work with.”

“I think because Triple H worked with Vince so closely for such a long time, Triple H really understood Vince McMahon’s weaknesses. Now, Vince McMahon was a very successful guy, and he had a tremendous amount of strengths, but like all of us, there were certain things that he was not good at. And managing a creative team is probably one of the things, at least in my experience, that he was not very good at,” Bischoff said.

“I think Triple H, because Triple H was on the other side of that and felt the results of that, probably appreciates and uses the creative team in a much better way. Involves them more, probably treats them with more respect, generally speaking. And usually, when you treat people in a creative business, when you treat people with respect, [that’s] when you usually get the best work out of them.

“Vince didn’t treat people very well when it came to working with them creatively. He was very difficult to work with at times. He didn’t communicate very well. That makes good creative difficult to come by. So I think Triple H, having seen that, been part of that process, knows how important it is to really work closely with your creative team in order to get the best ideas,” Bischoff concluded.

Bischoff was involved with WWE from 2002 to 2007 before departing to join TNA in 2010, remaining there until 2014. Bischoff has made occasional appearances for WWE, even after his short stint with AEW.

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LA Knight Admits He Was ‘Majorly Holding His Tongue’ During Backstage Talk With Triple H On WWE Unreal

On WWE Unreal season two, Triple H is seen talking to LA Knight over the ending of the Money in the Bank ladder match that didn’t go as planned.

The camera shows Knight sitting in Gorilla as Triple H explains what went wrong and how Knight missed his moment despite not winning the match.

Speaking to Bootleg Kev, Knight was asked about Unreal.

“I personally don’t think it’s super productive, but I understand why they’re doing it. I have definitely shifted the way I do some things, because you had mentioned my appearance on Unreal there. I was majorly holding my tongue in that scenario, if you could tell when I looked…because I had my own frustrations about that situation, that partially had to do with the finish, but more so it had to do with the overarching theme that I don’t need to get into the weeds about right here.

“Although they told us, ‘Unreal is going to be here filming stuff,’ I had no idea I was being filmed. I had no idea that I was on a microphone at that point in time. With that being the case, I don’t even stop there in Gorilla anymore. When my match is over, my segment is over, I go straight through and I go back to the locker room. If they want to talk to me about my match or whatever happened out there, sure, let’s talk about it when there’s not a microphone or camera around, because that’s how it’s always been. With that being the case, I’m not going to stop in there and leave myself susceptible to that.”

WWE Unreal will continue as season three is set to premiere later this year. Fans can stream both seasons on Netflix.

source: fightful

Shareholder Plaintiffs In Merger Lawsuit Accuse Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque, And Nick Khan Of Destroying Evidence

The latest update in the WWE shareholder lawsuit.

According to Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling, the plaintiffs are accusing Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Brad Blum of destruction of relevant evidence, including Signal messages and McMahon’s handwritten notes, regarding the WWE merger that led to the formation of TKO.

They are asking the Delaware Chancery Court to sanction the defendants: Vince, Khan, and Triple H. Stephanie and Blum are not defendants in the lawsuit.

According to the filing, all five, “failed to preserve communications despite multiple notices from WWE’s legal team to do so.”

The filing alleges that Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Khan met with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and President Mark Shapiro on December 13, 2022, just weeks before McMahon exercised his controlling interest in WWE and returned to the company. Upon returning, Vince immediately pushed to explore a sale or merger.

Khan is characterized as “spearheading” communications on Signal, which allows users to auto-delete messages on a timer. It is also alleged that Khan deleted conventional text messages, which plaintiffs say, based on context, included merger discussions and the investigation of alleged misconduct by McMahon.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2023, alleges that McMahon predetermined the transaction with Endeavor to secure his continued role at the company in light of the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding him, rather than shopping WWE to maximize shareholder value.

Unsealed documents show that Vince and Emanuel were in communication throughout the summer of 2022

The lawsuit is currently scheduled to go to trial in June 2026.

source: fightful.com

Paul 'Triple H' Levesque Reportedly Facing 'Internal Criticism' Over WrestleMania 42

There's still over two months to go before WrestleMania 42 emanates from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, but WWE's Chief Content Officer is reportedly facing some internal criticism over the build to the show.

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer is reporting that advanced ticket sales for the 'Showcase of the Immortals' is down about 18 percent compared to WrestleMania 41, which was held in the same exact city and venue.

There is apparently a belief from some within the company, according to Meltzer, that Levesque's recent adjustments to the creative direction have contributed to the slump in sales. Meltzer himself noted that the correlation between the two doesn't really add up, and he's not wrong.

Unless you're among the portion of fans who keep up with constant updates over matches that were reportedly planned, but never officially announced, you very likely are out of the loop that Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes were initially supposed to face one another for the third time in four years. Or that Bron Breakker was a heavy favorite to win the Royal Rumble until Roman's plans were changed, and Cody Rhodes pushed to drop the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre.

All of those moves have a natural trickle-down effect, but some in WWE have been critical of the decision-making process. Meltzer even mentioned comparisons to the last minute, and oftentimes chaotic changes that Vince McMahon would make during the latter years of his creative control.

That said, the card for WrestleMania 42 is starting to come together. 2026 Men's Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns will face CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship, while 2026 Women's Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan will challenge either Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer or WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill. The No. 1 Contenders for the other two world titles will be determined on Saturday, February 28 at WWE Elimination Chamber, with Randy Orton and Tiffany Stratton qualifying for their respective matches Friday night on SmackDown.

source: si.com

WWE 2K26 announced with an Attitude Era throwback

2K Games has announced WWE 2K26, the next game in its long-running professional wrestling video game series.

The new game was announced during Friday Night Smackdown with an Attitude Era Edition, featuring a cover adorned with stars from the Attitude Era of the WWE such as Triple H and The Rock. The Attitude Era was a period between 1997 and 2002 that saw an increase in edgier content and unpredictable storylines.

In addition to the Attitude Era Edition, WWE 2K26 will have at least two more specially themed editions -- a Monday Night War Edition, referencing an overlapping era of weekly events during the Attitude Era, as well as a King of Kings Edition, which prominently features Triple H.

No further details have been revealed for the game yet, including the details for what's included in each edition, new gameplay features, or platforms. Las year's entry was released on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch 2. WWE 2K25 was the first game in the series to be released on the Nintendo Switch 2. It was released to generally positive reviews, with critics praising the small but meaningful additions, including the addition of intergender matches and improved presentation and performance.

The full reveal of the standard cover of WWE 2K26, including its cover star and new features and details about the game, will take place on Jan. 30, 2026.

Triple H Gets Candid On R-Truth’s WWE ‘Release’

Following a confusing situation that seemingly saw R-Truth released from WWE last year, we’re hearing more about what happened behind the scenes from Triple H.

Last June, the WWE Universe was in a state of shock when R-Truth announced on social media that the company was releasing him and not renewing his contract.

The reaction online and on WWE programming from fans in the audience was massive, and it led to the two sides coming to a new deal. Truth would return to the company days later at Money in the Bank.

Ahead of its official release tomorrow, a sneak peek of WWE: Unreal Season 2 was released, where Triple H would explain his side of the story regarding R-Truth’s “release,” stating there was never a point that Truth wasn’t under contract to the company.

“We got to a point in Truth’s run where his contract was coming up,” Triple H said. “When you are dealing with contracts and money, and you’re very far apart in the numbers and communication breaks down, it’s very easy for both sides to read into the communications differently. ‘Okay, well, if you’re not going to come to us, then… Your contract is at the end. We’re not going to renew.’

“Knowing that hopefully, maybe this will force his hand to say, well, hold on a second. Can we talk? He immediately went out on social and said he was fired, which he was never fired. Contrary to prior belief, he was never not under contract with us.” [H/T: Fightful]