Testimony From Mark Shapiro Contradicts Public Comments And SEC Filing Regarding Vince McMahon And TKO

Mark Shapiro was deposed in December as part of the ongoing shareholders’ lawsuit against WWE, which claims that Vince 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.

In his deposition, Shapiro was asked if he viewed McMahon remaining in the Executive Chair role as a necessary condition for the success of the combined company.

The following exchange took place (via Brandon Thurston of POST Wrestling):

“You personally didn’t view Vince being in the executive chair role as a necessary condition for the future success of the combined company; right?” an attorney for the plaintiffs asked Shapiro.

“Correct, especially with all the baggage,” Shapiro said.

“But at the end of the day, Vince is [sic] remaining with the company was a Vince goal, not an Endeavor goal; right?” the examining attorney followed up.

“Wasn’t a goal of ours, no, no, it was not,” Shapiro responded.

This testimony contradicts public comments made by Ari Emanuel, Shapiro’s partner at TKO.

Speaking to CNBC on April 3, 2023, when the WWE merger to form TKO was first announced, Emanuel said about keeping Vince, “I would have body-slammed him if he [Vince McMahon] thought he was going to leave, because as I said to you before, here’s a man who has seen around the corners at every beat over the last 40 years of this business and has a vision for where this business, way before a lot of people see it. Him now being able to utilize what we have built in our flywheel, I’m the luckiest guy in the world, because I got Vince McMahon, a visionary, that sees around corners.”

He reiterated his desire to keep Vince on when asked outright if he wanted Vince to stay.

“Oh my god yes,” replied Emanuel. Vince then confirmed that he wanted to stay. Emanuel also said that he wouldn’t let Vince walk away.

Shapiro’s testimony also contradicts an SEC filing regarding the merger, which stated that the proposal was increased on the condition that McMahon would serve as the Executive Chairman of TKO.

“Endeavor had conditioned the proposed increase in valuation upon Mr. McMahon serving as Executive Chair of the newly formed public company until his death, resignation or incapacity, having the right to nominate the five WWE representatives to serve among the 11 total directors on the newly formed public company board of directors and having a veto right over certain transactions, in each case until he sold down a to-be-agreed percentage of his equity or he no longer served as Executive Chair. The WWE advisors discussed with the WWE Board that Endeavor had stated that these governance changes were fundamental to Endeavor’s thesis for pursuing the potential transaction in light of, among other things, Endeavor’s belief that Mr. McMahon’s continued leadership as contemplated by the March 23 Endeavor Proposal would be critical to the value creation driving Endeavor’s desire to engage in the Potential Transaction.”

The merger lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in June.

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".

Vince McMahon faces graphic sexual abuse allegations in new court filing from ex-WWE employee

A former WWE employee who is suing the company and its former CEO, Vince McMahon, made new and graphic allegations in a filing in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut earlier this week.

Janel Grant, who filed her initial lawsuit against WWE, McMahon and former executive John Laurinaitis, detailed more claims about how she was allegedly recruited to work for WWE, the alleged "abuse" she encountered while WWE leaders allegedly did nothing and other assertions.

Laurinaitis was previously removed from the lawsuit.

Fox News Digital reached out to McMahon’s lawyer and WWE for comment.

Grant, who worked at WWE from June 2019 to 2022, alleged she was "subjected to repeated physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and sexual trafficking perpetrated" by McMahon, and "most senior officials and talent knew about and facilitated the abuse" she experienced.

"Instead of protecting Ms. Grant, WWE and McMahon conspired to use his coercive control over her to conceal its leaders’ wrongdoing and bar Ms. Grant from speaking out or seeking help," the lawsuit states.

Grant made allegations of having "violent" sexual encounters with McMahon and others.

"Throughout the three years, sex was violent, invasive, degrading, and produced injuries that could not heal because there would consistently be subsequent violent encounters, often involving other men or objects," the lawsuit says.

"Ms. Grant did not raise a complaint concerning her abuse because she lived in a state of duress and was fully under McMahon’s control, her survival ultimately depending on her complete submission to McMahon."

Grant claimed in the lawsuit that McMahon pressured her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and that he allegedly sexually assaulted her after she signed the document.

The sordid allegations are a part of an ongoing lawsuit between the parties.

McMahon stepped down as the CEO of WWE in 2022 and stepped down from TKO in 2024 after the initial lawsuit was filed. He has maintained his innocence through the process.

"The Complaint’s outrageous claims of sexual abuse and coercion are pure fiction — plainly intended to garner publicity — and are flatly contradicted by Plaintiff’s own contemporaneous statements," McMahon said in an April 2024 filing.

"Contrary to Plaintiff’s false allegations, Plaintiff and Defendant (collectively, the ‘Parties’) engaged in a consensual relationship during which Defendant never coerced Plaintiff into doing anything and never mistreated her in any way.

"In fact, in a love letter Plaintiff wrote to Defendant shortly before the Parties ended their relationship, Plaintiff described Defendant as ‘[m]y best friend, my love and my everything,’ praising him for being the ‘wonderful, tender, vulnerable, heart-on-your-sleeve soul you really are.’

"It is incredulous that Plaintiff, a then 42-year-old woman who claims on her resume to have a law degree from Pace University, would have written these words to Defendant months after all the events in the Complaint of alleged abuse, coercion, and ‘sex-trafficking’ took place."

TKO Group told The Associated Press in January 2024 it took Grant’s allegations "very seriously."

"Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE," the company said at the time. "While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally."

source: foxnews.com

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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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

Endeavor Executives Anticipated Vince McMahon’s 2023 WWE Return

The executives were plotting for McMahon’s return.

There’s an exclusive story up on POST Wrestling via Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics. It has to do with Vince McMahon’s return to WWE in January 2023 being anticipated by executives at Endeavor, which is the company that went on to acquire WWE in 2023. McMahon was a part of that transaction process.

When Vince McMahon announced his resignation/retirement from WWE in 2022 after sexual misconduct allegations emerged, a top executive at Endeavor had been relaying to colleagues on the same day that McMahon would only be gone temporarily.

After McMahon’s resignation, Endeavor President and TKO Chief Operating Officer, Mark Shapiro, sent the following message to Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and fellow Endeavor execs (POST Wrestling included photographic evidence of the text messages):

Nick and Stephanie are going to take over the WWE for the next nine months. Vince [will] be back with a new board or he will take the company private or he will sell it/coming to us. The race is on. The courtship is on.

Vince McMahon was back in the fold of WWE less than six months later. He was back on the Board of Directors after reinstating himself by using his superior voting power as the controlling shareholder.

The text message from Shapiro was disclosed in the WWE shareholder lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court. The plaintiffs in that case allege that McMahon violated his legal and ethical obligation to act in the best interests of the shareholders, but instead of doing that, he helped move along the sale process to keep his own power.

There was communication between McMahon and Ari Emanuel throughout the backend of 2022.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are presenting the stance that McMahon and Emanuel had a friendship that would make sure McMahon stayed with WWE after the sale to Endeavor. On the other side of the spectrum, other potential suitors would have required Vince to leave WWE immediately. Vince denied that.

WWE President Nick Khan, Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, and former executives/Board members George Barrios and Michelle Wilson are being represented by TKO’s outside counsel. They’re being accused of being on board with McMahon’s plan to preserve his power. McMahon has separate counsel.

POST/Thurston reached out to WWE, TKO, and Vince McMahon’s reps for a comment on this story, but the requests were not responded to.

As mentioned, while McMahon was publicly retired, he had been in communication with Ari Emanuel. While they were exchanging messages, Emanuel told McMahon, “I will be your greatest partner.”

It was also revealed that several days after that August 2022 exchange, Emanuel texted McMahon and said he knew that McMahon met with Jeff Sine the day prior. Sine is a senior banker at Raine Group, who served as WWE’s financial advisor in the sale to Endeavor. Included on Sine’s extensive advisory résumé is that he advised Vince McMahon on his XFL revival.

Sine chatted with McMahon and said if things were to move forward, he would like to work for McMahon and McMahon only — not Ari Emanuel or Endeavor. He told McMahon that Morgan Stanley was not prepared to represent him.

The iteration of the deal that left Endeavor with less equity was the one that would lock in McMahon’s future with the company. The shareholders are positioning the situation as other bidders would have insisted that McMahon leave WWE, but WWE’s stance is that they did not have to give up anything to assure McMahon’s future. Endeavor gave WWE more equity to keep McMahon, which asserted his importance.

The article write-up has a section about Vince McMahon texting Nick Khan about WWE creative, per the court filings. Below is a text exchange from McMahon that he copied and pasted and sent to Khan. In the copy and pasted texts was a conversation McMahon was having with Paul Levesque and Bruce Prichard about the creative for Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 39:

Text from me to Paul and Bruce: “Hey guys just double checking. Does Roman [Reigns] and Cody [Rhodes] know the new creative re [WrestleMania] and next year ?”

Bruce : “Not to my knowledge. I don’t know if Paul has had a conversation with either. Roman’s first appearance since we spoke is Friday in DC. Both will be there in person.”

Me to Paul: “ Paul have U “?

The shareholders in the lawsuit are not concerned with McMahon’s involvement in WWE creative, but are focused on these discussions amongst executives being relegated to the Signal chat app, which has an auto-delete function. The shareholders argue that key communications were not preserved on Signal, which would be a loophole of sorts to get around special preservation measures during mergers and acquisitions. If the messages weren’t properly maintained, it could factor into the outcome of the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs asked the court to order Nick Khan, Ari Emanuel, Paul Levesque, and Brad Blum (former WWE exec/McMahon aide) to sit down with attorneys and take screenshots of any relevant messages they have on the devices on which Signal was downloaded. The decision on that order is still pending.

The lawsuit is nearing the end of discovery.

After the TKO deal was finalized in September 2023, it secured multimillion-dollar bonuses for Nick Khan and Paul Levesque. The shareholders allege that those bonuses are what encouraged executives to go through with McMahon’s plan to keep his power.

The WWE and UFC merger under TKO guaranteed McMahon a lifetime role with TKO unless he resigned. He resigned in January 2024 after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a sex trafficking lawsuit against McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis. The former WWE exec, Laurinaitis, has since been dropped from the ongoing suit after agreeing to provide evidence for Grant’s case.

If the plaintiffs in the shareholders’ suit emerge victorious, they could recover financial damages on behalf of stockholders and financial institutions that held WWE shares during the specified period of time.

The merger lawsuit is going to trial in June 2026.

source: fightful.com

TKO President Mark Shapiro: A Lot Of Our WWE PLEs Were Created By Vince McMahon, We Need To Get In The Business Of Taking That Torch & Moving Past That

TKO head is enjoying the progression.

The latest episode of The Main Event with Andrew Marchand featured a sit-down chat with TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro.

While the conversational focus was on WWE, Shapiro spoke about how the company’s Chief Content Officer, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, and President Nick Khan are moving things forward.

He added that a lot of WWE Premium Live Event titles were created by former Chairman Vince McMahon. Shapiro said they needed to take the torch and move past that, so Levesque and Khan introduced the Wrestlepalooza PLE. Shapiro said securing the I.P. to Wrestlepalooza to sell event merchandise was a success.

“And yet, they’re open to new ideas. They never seem exhausted. They’re ready to take on a new shot, a new risk, a new opportunity. ‘Hey, Nick, let’s talk about launching a new event.’ Right now, a lot of our PLEs were created by Vince McMahon. We need to get in the business of taking that torch and moving past that, and Nick (Khan) and Triple H created Wrestlepalooza, which is the launch event for our new ESPN deal, which did incredibly well and may turn into a superfranchise. Not to mention from a merch standpoint, I don’t need to tell you, securing the I.P. rights and then selling merch at Wrestlepalooza, let’s just say it was a real winner…”

The first-ever Wrestlepalooza event was produced under the ECW banner in 1995.

The next Premium Live Event on the docket for WWE is Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29th from Petco Park in San Diego, California.

credit The Main Event with Andrew Marchand with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription

WWE Reportedly Exploring Creative Changes After Recent Criticism

WWE and parent company TKO are experiencing another banner year when it comes to ticket sales, merchandising, and in particular, landing multi-billion dollar media rights agreements.

It is more than fair to say, however, that the honeymoon period with Paul 'Triple H' Levesque as WWE's Chief Content Officer has come to an end.

Fans have been more critical of the company's booking practices in 2025 than they ever were during Levesque's previous years in control. The headlining gripe, of course, has been the handling of John Cena's retirement tour.

His shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber was a very promising start, but despite a few glimmering moments — such as his pipebomb promo on CM Punk — many feel WWE has completely dropped the ball with Cena's final run.

That's not entirely on Levesque, as The Rock's abrupt departure from the story left Cena to carry the weight of the entire arc without the lead protagonist that finally talked him into abandoning his principles.

It wasn't working. WWE knew it. Cena knew it and the entire angle was dropped ahead of SummerSlam. However, just as Cena was catching fire with spectacular matches against Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, the WWE creative team made the conscious decision to have Brock Lesnar squash him at WrestlePalooza.

He'll now face AJ Styles at Crown Jewel this Saturday, with absolutely zero build up on WWE programming. Outside of a few video packages highlighting their rivalry from 2016 and 2017, and Styles quite literally saying on Raw that they don't need a story for this match.

A lack of compelling storytelling overall, especially when it comes to many of WWE's female superstars, has been another cause of aggravation for fans this year.

Even some of the company's top champions have fallen victim to lackluster creative unbefitting of the talent involved. Tiffany Stratton's rivalry with Jade Cargill and the U.S. Title reigns of Zelina Vega and Giulia serving as prime examples.

Distraction finishes and post-match attacks have become heavily leaned on crutches. Almost as though WWE is overly concerned with protecting everyone, that as a result, no one ever truly goes over.

Pacing has been another major issue. Whether that's finding time to consistently feature the WWE World Tag Team Championships during a two and half hour Monday Night Raw, or on a grander scale, effectively moving from PLE to PLE with often just weeks in between shows.

No one is suggesting that the job of Levesque and his creative team is easy, and the product today is still miles ahead of where it was during the latter years of the Vince McMahon era, but WWE reportedly knows improvements need to be made.

The folks over at BodySlam say the company has taken notice of the audience's criticisms this year and meetings have been held recently to discuss how to best adjust the creative process.

"Sources indicate to Bodyslam that WWE is undergoing creative changes to their team to overall improve the product. Road Dogg will continue to be head of creative for SmackDown, but there will be additions to the team to make the show more enjoyable moving forward."

The general consensus is that Raw has consistently been the better of the two brands for some time now. Creative adjustments on the SmackDown side of things should be welcomed news to those who tune in every Friday night.

source: si.com

Jim Ross Observes Vince McMahon's Discomfort During Hulk Hogan Special

On a recent episode of his podcast, “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross shared his thoughts on Vince McMahon’s appearance in the FOX/TMZ special about Hulk Hogan. Here are the highlights:

On his surprise at seeing McMahon interviewed: “I’m telling you, I’m not easily shocked. But when I saw him on camera and they stayed in that one-shot forever , you know, you start looking at things. And he looked tired, he looked withdrawn. He looked like he had been abused in that respect. And maybe he felt that way, because he and Hogan were tight. They were buddies, they hung out together, and at one point, often, regular.”

On McMahon’s demeanor: “So I thought he was uncomfortable. But he seemed to be very honest. I didn’t hear Vince say anything on the TMZ piece that I felt like was questionable. He had opinions that you can agree or not agree with, but he was just , I don’t know, maybe he just like one of those deals where you agree to do something, and then you start doing it and then you start regretting doing it. That’s how I felt. And that may not be accurate. That’s how I felt.”

On the content of the show: “If you want to watch it, it’s an hour show. So it’s something to think about if you’re a wrestling fan, Hogan fan, whatever. Interesting piece. And TMZ put a lot of money into the production. They interviewed a lot of people. Mark Henry was on it a lot. He was good, because of the racial things. So that’s why he was on. But it was an interesting little show. But basically a fluff piece on steroids. It told the story and mentioned a couple of things, but not a lot of video that would support their story. I didn’t think it was all bulls**t, but I thought it was going to be a lot more , a lot stiffer, shall we say, than it was.”

On McMahon's visual cues: “Yeah, for those watching our show this morning, look at his eyes. He looked tired and a little frustrated. He looked good. I mean, his suit was custom-made stuff, and he looked good in his attire. But the hair thing was one, one issue that caught my eye. Having his eyebrows colored, another thing that caught my eye. But eyes tell a big story in entertainment and news and things of that nature. I find myself watching the eyes of the news anchors, because that you can all usually tell when they’re bulls**ting. But he was , it was informative, I’ll say that. And I just was surprised that he allowed himself to be on camera that long and that much of that one single shot.”

Stephanie McMahon Says Vince Is His Own Worst Enemy in Candid Podcast

Stephanie McMahon and WWE President Nick Khan reflected on Vince McMahon’s complex legacy during a recent appearance on the What’s Your Story podcast. The two offered honest insights into the mindset and impact of the former WWE Chairman, recognizing both his triumphs and personal contradictions.

Stephanie spoke about Vince’s survival-driven mentality, saying, “His mindset was, if he could survive, he won. So just surviving was winning and still is winning for him today. And I do not know how you can ever beat someone at the end of the day if all they need to do is survive to win.”

Nick Khan also gave praise to Vince’s influence in shaping WWE into what it is today, noting, “So all credit to him. I only have admiration for him. As Paul said , Triple H said , at his Hall of Fame speech, family’s complicated. And, you know, obviously, we do not need to get into any of that. But in terms of business, that guy’s an empire builder.”

Stephanie closed the discussion by highlighting Vince’s internal struggles, stating, “Absolutely he is. And no one can take that away from him, no matter what, including himself, who is probably his biggest nemesis , is himself.”

Details On Vince McMahon's New Company

Earlier, on August 23, 2024, the trademarks “14TH&I” and “14TH & I” were filed to cover services related to private equity fund investment and entertainment production.

The filings were first uncovered by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.

Brad Blum, a former WWE executive, is listed as President of 14TH & I. According to his LinkedIn profile, the company is described as:

“a private investment firm focused on the sports, media, and entertainment sectors. We are a disciplined, flexible, long-term capital and strategic partner, primarily targeting buyouts/majority deals, as well as selective growth-oriented minority investments. We seek to partner with and empower exceptional management teams, providing deep expertise, capability, and relationships to help drive significant long-term value.”

The name “14TH & I” appears to reference the location of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation headquarters — once led by McMahon’s father, Vincent J. McMahon — at the corner of 14th and I Streets in Washington, D.C.

In October 2024, it was reported that McMahon was working to establish a new “entertainment hub company,” with plans to develop and produce film and television content.

In January 2025, Conrad Thompson stated that McMahon had purchased a studio and was in the process of building a talent roster for the venture.

This new endeavor follows McMahon’s resignation from WWE/TKO in January 2024 after a lawsuit was filed by former employee Janel Grant, accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking. The case remains ongoing.

Between November 2023 and April 2024, McMahon sold TKO shares amounting to nearly $1.5 billion in equity, though he still retains ownership of over 8 million shares.

Vince McMahon sex trafficking case co-defendant John Laurinaitis agrees to help accuser

The co-defendant in the bombshell lawsuit accusing former WWE boss Vince McMahon of sexual abuse and sex trafficking has agreed to cooperate with and give evidence to the woman suing the pro wrestling mogul and the company.

The co-defendant, John Laurinaitis, also reached a confidential settlement with McMahon’s accuser, Janel Grant, according to a statement issued by their representatives on Wednesday.

A filing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut shows that lawyers for Grant and Laurinaitis agreed to dismiss her lawsuit against as it applies to the former wrestler and WWE executive with prejudice, which means that it cannot be refiled.

“John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,” the reps said in the statement obtained by NBC News.

“His agreement to a confidential settlement is a pivotal next step toward holding McMahon and WWE accountable and bringing justice to Ms. Grant after years of sexual abuse and trafficking,” the reps said.

“Mr. Laurinaitis looks forward to moving on with his life. We cannot provide any additional details at this time.”

source: cnbc.com

Kane: Vince McMahon Was A Visionary, But Triple H Connects With Talent

Glenn Jacobs, better known as Kane in WWE, compares the leadership styles of Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and Triple H and how they've all shaped WWE's past, present, and future.

Glenn Jacobs was recently on the Freedom Pact podcast and discussed what it was like to work for Vince McMahon. Glenn started with WWE in 1995 and would become one of the company's longest tenured and most successful wrestlers before leaving the squared circle behind to pursue a political career decades later.

When discussing working for Vince McMahon, Jacobs said that he learned a lot about what to do as a leader and much about what not to do as a leader.

"As far as Vince, he was a great mind. I learned some good things from him. I also learned some things that I'm like, 'That's not how I would do things,' So you learn both. 'Okay, this is something to emulate, and this is something that I shouldn't do,' just leadership styles, when Vince and I are obviously very different in that. It certainly wouldn't work for me. I don't think that's how you do things," Jacobs explained. "One of the things that I've become really passionate about is learning about leadership, and I really do believe that organizations rise and fall on the quality of their leadership, and team building, and doing all those things that I think, if you often think, are cliche, right? But they're not. I mean, it's vitally important.

"I look at WWE now, under the leadership of Triple H, and it's just, wow. I'm so proud of everything that he's been able to do with his own style of leadership," he continued. "Just almost taking the company to another level altogether. Vince is one of the great entrepreneurs in history. I don't think he gets enough credit for that, and it's not just in the wrestling business, just in entertainment, you know? He was very visionary, and he could just see things that none of the rest of us could see at the same time."

When asked if he would describe Vince McMahon's leadership style as autocratic and Triple H's as transformational, Jacobs agreed and explained that Triple H can approach issues with a more wrestler-centric mindset because he is a wrestler.

"I would say that. I think the difference is Triple H was one of the guys and understands the locker room, understands the mentality of the locker room, you know? Vince, again, he was a great visionary, a very good business person, but he was always a promoter. He was always outside of the locker room. So, yes, you do have those two very different styles now, both successful in their own ways. I think now, especially with the trajectory that the company's on, because of Triple H is leadership, and it's going to go places it's never even been before. The company's."

Triple H Opens Up About Tensions With Vince McMahon During Creative Transition

Triple H has opened up about the ups and downs of working under Vince McMahon during his time rising through the ranks in WWE, revealing moments of personal frustration with the WWE Chairman's leadership style and creative approach.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, the WWE Chief Content Officer looked back on his journey from wrestler to executive, acknowledging the major influence McMahon had on his path. Triple H made it clear that despite any personal differences, he would not be where he is today without McMahon’s guidance.

“I got involved in creative early on,” he recalled, stressing how much of a mentor McMahon was in those earlier stages of his behind-the-scenes career. However, as he transitioned from performer to a creative figure, their differences in philosophy became increasingly clear.

“From when you learn, especially from mentors, you learn what to do and what not to do,” Triple H explained. “There were things that bothered me about the way he did things. Certain things with his personality. He would run things totally different than I would, and we’ve talked about that before. Even when I was running NXT he would be like, ‘Why do you do it like that?’ I’d be like ‘Because it’s working for me.’”

The tension between their methods became more apparent over time, especially as McMahon took a more hands-on approach to controlling WWE’s creative direction. Triple H recalled one particular shift that came as a shock—when performers, including himself and Shawn Michaels, were suddenly handed scripts for their promos after years of creative freedom.

“He was much more controlling, especially as he got older,” he said. “When I first came in, when we started DX, it was funny, we were just doing our own thing. Nobody was scripting anything, we were doing our own thing. Most times we were coming back and he was mad at us and screaming at us, ‘You’re gonna get us thrown off the air, God damn it, don’t do that again.’ We were just like, ‘Whatever,’ and we’d go do it again the following week.”

According to Triple H, this freewheeling, rebellious approach began to pay off in terms of ratings and business. But soon, the creative environment changed dramatically.

“Now all of a sudden we show up to TV one week and they hand us a script, ‘What is this?’ ‘It’s what Vince wants you to say tonight.’ ‘What? He doesn’t tell us what to say.’ Well now he wants to start. We’d go into his office, ‘What is this?’ ‘It’s a script. It’s what I want you to say.’ ‘This is terrible. It’s not funny. It’s not us.’”

Triple H then shared how Shawn Michaels, frustrated by the direction, stood his ground.

“We’re sitting in the meeting, we read it a couple of times, we had the argument with him and he said, ‘That’s what I want you guys to do. Just go do it.’ Shawn crumpled up the piece of paper and said, ‘I ain’t saying any of this sh*t.’ He threw it at Vince and we walked out of the office. I was like, Wow, we’re getting fired.”

While those tensions flared, Triple H recognized that McMahon’s controlling nature stemmed from a desire to protect and shape his product. There were moments where even McMahon’s most trusted lieutenants questioned the direction.

“We would all talk about it and would all be like it would be better if we did this. Even Pat Patterson would come to me, ‘Vince wants to do this thing and it’s so stupid. Let’s do this instead. It would be better, we should talk him into this…’ I’m like, ‘Pat, I talked to him until I was blue in the face. You go talk to him.’”

Despite the creative friction, Triple H emphasized that McMahon did some things exceptionally well, particularly in dealing with talent. Even now, as he oversees WWE’s creative direction following the Endeavor takeover and McMahon’s resignation in early 2024, Triple H acknowledges the legacy left behind.

“I would see how he dealt with talents and there are some things he would do way better than I do and some ways he handled talent where I think I wish I could handle talent that way but it’s not just how I am.”

Ideanomics Completes Asset Sale, Shane McMahon And Other Executives Depart

Ideanomics, Inc., a company traditionally associated with electric vehicle and fintech sectors, has finalized the sale of substantially all of its assets following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The transaction was completed on Thursday, resulting in the departure of key executives.

The sale was authorized by a February 26, 2025, court order and involved the transfer of assets to Tillou Management and Consulting LLC (an entity that's controlled by Vince McMahon). The terms included the assumption of certain liabilities, payment of encumbrances, and a credit bid. No proceeds from the sale will be distributed to Ideanomics’ shareholders, as the funds were used to repay obligations under a debtor-in-possession loan agreement with the purchaser, which is now considered settled.

Consequent to the sale, Shane McMahon resigned from his positions as Director and Executive Chairman of the Board on Thursday. Additionally, the company terminated the employment of Ryan Jenkins, the Chief Financial Officer. The remaining operations of Ideanomics will be managed by CEO Alfred P. Poor, primarily through a transition services agreement with the purchaser and other services provided by Poor.

The inability to provide pro forma financial information without unreasonable effort or expense was noted, indicating the company is not in a position to present updated financial statements reflecting the sale’s impact.

This development marks a significant restructuring for Ideanomics, as it winds down its business operations and transitions management following its bankruptcy proceedings.

Ted DiBiase Praises Triple H For What He Has Done With WWE

On the latest episode of Everybody’s Got a Pod, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase talked about Triple H being in charge of WWE and more. You can check out some highlights below:

On today’s WWE and Triple H being in charge: “I’ll be honest with you, I think he’s doing a good job. You know, Vince’s forte wasn’t wrestling so much because he never really was a wrestler. Where Triple H was a wrestler. So he obviously knows more about wrestling than Vince. But Vince’s gifts — again, we wouldn’t be having this conversation if it weren’t for Vince McMahon and what he did for the wrestling world, for sure. But I think that Triple H is doing a pretty good job. It’s kind of like, what I get from a lot of fans — and even some fans who tune into this program — is, ‘Gosh, it’s just not like the old days.’ And it’s like, ‘The good old days’ happens to be that era when it was me and Duggan and all those guys, Andre and what have you. And it’s just not like it used to be. But with Triple H at the helm, I think it’s going to get back to being more like it used to be. I think it’s a good thing. I really do.”

Feds drop criminal probe into whether WWE boss Vince McMahon covered up sexual misconduct allegations, his lawyer says

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have dropped a criminal probe that focused on whether former World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon tried to cover up multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, his lawyer told The Post.

The revelation comes as appeals judges on Friday revealed that a grand jury had considered whether the 79-year-old billionaire broke the law by hiding allegations of sexual misconduct from two female former employees, whom he ended up paying $10.5 million to keep quiet.

The ruling from a three-judge panel does not name McMahon but refers to “the subject of an ongoing grand jury investigation concerning whether, as CEO, he engaged in a criminal scheme to circumvent the company’s internal accounting controls and mislead company auditors in order to conceal multiple allegations of sexual misconduct raised against him by two former company employees.”

Prosecutors’ apparent decision to abandon the case comes despite federal Judge Valerie Caproni ruling in June 2024 that the government had “established probable cause to believe” that McMahon and one of his former lawyers broke the law.

There’s evidence that the“circumvented [the Company’s] internal controls andcreated false books and records,” “concealed the Victims’ claims and settlement agreements from [the Company],” and “made false and misleading statements to the Company’s auditors,” Caproni’s ruling said.

Both Caproni and the appeals panel — Judges Gerard Lynch, Beth Robinson and Sarah Merriam — ruled in favor of prosecutors on an evidence issue, writing that McMahon’s conversations with his attorneys were not subject to attorney-client privilege.

source: nypost.com

CM Punk Compares Triple H And Vince McMahon’s Leadership Styles

CM Punk appeared on Friday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show, where he discussed a range of topics, including the differences between working under Triple H and Vince McMahon.

Punk highlighted Triple H’s openness to feedback and willingness to consider other people’s ideas—something he believes was less common under McMahon. However, he also acknowledged the importance of having a definitive leader in charge.

“I think he’s receptive to other people’s ideas, whereas maybe Vince wasn’t. He was like, ‘I’m the boss. We’re doing this, and this is how we’re doing it.’ And that’s great. If you run a company, you need somebody who is the yes and no man and [has] the final say.”

Punk continued, emphasizing Triple H’s collaborative approach:

“But I think Triple H thinks he’s surrounded, and oftentimes is, by a lot of really, really genius wrestling minds. If he has an idea or see something one way, he’ll look at Michael Hayes and be like, ‘What do you think?’ He’ll turn and look at Paul Heyman. These are people who have Bonafide resumes. They have literally done everything you possibly could do in the sport. I think their voices should be heard. Not all the time everybody’s going to have this dynamite idea. But I think the best idea always wins in today’s WWE.”

WWE legend's name added to Janel Grant's blockbuster lawsuit against Vince McMahon

The blockbuster lawsuit being brought against Vince McMahon and the WWE by former employee Janel Grant has been ammended to include the name of WWE and UFC legend.

In the 104-page lawsuit, Grant now alleges that she was offered to Brock Lesnar “for a sexual encounter” during his contract negotiations with the WWE. In addition, Grant allleges that she was told to sent sexual content to the former WWE champion. It was reported earlier this month that Grant was planning to alter the suit.

The new allegations involving Lesnar come alongside further accusations that McMahon was active in trafficking Grant during her time working at the WWE.

“Ms. Grant's amended complaint reveals new details. That further demonstrates the sexual abuse Janel Grant suffered at the hands of Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis and pulls back the curtain on the dangerous workplace culture McMahon created at WWE. Ms. Grant looks forward to holding her abusers accountable in a court of law,” Grant’s lawyer Ann Callis said in a statement.

The lawsuit was submitted to the U.S. District Court in Connecticut. Grant alleges that the WWE was negligent in allowing McMahon’s behavior to go on unchecked. One of the men previously name in the lawsuit, John Laurinaitis, claims that he too was a victim of McMahon.

Another WWE legend, Michael Hayes, is also named in the new filing with Grant alleging that McMahon told her to make pornographic content for him. At the time, Hayes worked as part of the wrestling company’s creative team.

Other names in the new complaint include Vince McMahon’s daughter and former co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, WWE President Nick Khan, former COO Brad Blum and former legal executive Brian Nurse.

In another section, Grant accuses McMahon of sending her nude photos to others without her consent. At one point, Grant also says that McMahon recorded her naked while he was on a video call with Laurinaitis.

Grant originally accused McMahon and Laurinaitis of sexually assaulting her inside of WWE’s office.

Text messages in the new filing detail McMahon discussing his authority in arranging her sexual encounters and discussing his fantasies involving her. In a voice message, McMahon allegedly pressed Grant to sign an NDA “really f*****g fast.”

In another message, he allegedly wrote: “I’m the only one who owns U and controls who I want to f*** you.”

Vince McMahon’s representatives have responded to the new allegations.

“As expected, the proposed amended complaint is nothing more than the latest publicity stunt in an ongoing smear campaign. It is filled with desperate falsehoods from a team that continues to disregard the law and the truth,” the statement, given to reporter BJ Bethel.