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."

WWE legend Triple H sees his heart failure health scare as 'a gift'

Triple H sees his heart failure as "a gift".

The WWE boss - whose real name is Paul Levesque - has a defibrillator in his chest almost four years after a near death experience when he was suffering from viral pneumonia and a cardiac event, which was caused by a genetic issue and almost cost him his life.

In an interview with his wife Stephanie McMahon for her ESPN series 'Stephanie's Places', he said: "In this really weird, f***** up way, my heart issue was a gift. "It made me see things differently, look at life differently." Stephanie was visibly emotional as she admitted she'd "never heard" him say that before.

He explained: "You can go through life - no matter how great it is or all the things you're doing, and you're just doing it. "All of a sudden, you're partway through it, have a reset and go, 'Holy s***, this doesn't last forever.' " Levesque appeared emotional as Stephanie also fought back tears when he brought out a coin from his pocket. She was choked up as she told him: "I was just about to ask you about that." He said: "You gave it to me. Memento Mori. You can die at any second. This can all stop at any second. "Basically saying, don't get caught up in all these bulls***. Life is f****** fleeting, so it can all go away at any moment."

A few months after his hospitalisation, Levesque - who serves as WWE's chief content officer and leads their creative process across 'Monday Night Raw' and 'SmackDown' - confirmed he would never be getting back in the ring as he officially retired from in-ring competition.

Tyra Mae Steele and Jasper Troy Win WWE LFG Season One

The journey to find WWE’s next breakout stars reached its climax during the season finale of LFG, which aired Sunday on A&E. In a dramatic and emotional conclusion, Tyra Mae Steele and Jasper Troy emerged as the winners of the show’s inaugural season. While the series culminated with them signing NXT contracts, it was noted that all participants are already training at WWE’s Performance Center.

Steele, mentored by The Undertaker, triumphed over Bubba Ray Dudley’s standout, Zena Sterling. Meanwhile, Troy, who was on Booker T’s team, secured victory against Team Undertaker’s Shiloh Hill. With two of his rookies reaching the finals, The Undertaker was crowned the first-ever WWE LFG Champion.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated after their win, Steele shared her excitement: “I’m so excited. It’s been a long time coming. I swear I’ve just been waiting for my moment to shine,” she said. “I just feel elated. I just feel so, so freaking blessed.”

Troy echoed the emotion, reflecting on what the win meant to him: “This is the first thing I ever won,” he said. “I’ve never won a championship or a playoff, you know. So to me, this is like a Super Bowl moment. But I see how someone like DeVonta Smith or A.J. Brown will be like, ‘winning the Super Bowl was cool, but now it’s like what’s next?’”

Steele, whose real name is Tamyra Mensah-Stock, made history as the first Black woman to win Olympic gold in women’s freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo 2020 Games. She signed with WWE in 2023 and has already competed on NXT Level Up. Troy, real name Antione Frazier, brings a football background and debuted in WWE programming last year.

WWE has already confirmed LFG will return for a second season. Michelle McCool is set to join as a new coach, replacing Mickie James.

TKO COO Mark Shapiro: Triple H Is Amazing On Creative Storylines

Triple H has been running WWE creative for the better part of three years as the company sets a new gate record seemingly every month.

In January, WWE Raw premiered on Netflix, marking a new era for the company as the flagship program was off cable TV for the first time ever.

Speaking at the JP Morgan Annual Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference, TKO COO Mark Shapiro highlighted Triple H and Netflix are growth factors for WWE.

"There are two x-factors when you look at WWE. Netflix, this is the greatest marketing platform you could ever ask for. Their pre-roll is one of the strongest tools. If you're clicking on that icon, you're getting a trailer. The (other) x-factor is the creative power we have behind the brand. Paul Levesque [Triple H] lives and breathes; his whole life has been spent in WWE. He's amazing on the creative storylines. Just when you think you know where he's going, he turns left, like the heel John Cena became and then the champion," said Shapiro. Cena turned heel at WWE Elimination Chamber and won the Undisputed WWE Title from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

Elsewhere during the conference, Shapiro commented on WWE: Unreal. You can find his full comments by clicking here.

credit JP Morgan Annual Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference Fightful for the transcription.

Hulk Hogan continues to ignore the real reason WWE fans are booing him

Hulk Hogan's return to "WWE Raw" for its Netflix debut in January was billed as a nostalgic celebration — a hero’s welcome for one of the most iconic figures in the history of professional wrestling. However, instead of an expected roaring ovation, the crowd at Inglewood's Intuit Dome met Hogan that night with a torrent of well-deserved boos.

In an interview Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," Hogan was asked about the crowd’s reaction to his return, and he seemed to deflect any responsibility for it. Hogan speculated that the boos were due to his previous role as the villainous "Hollywood Hogan," and even attempted to tie the boos to his support for U.S. President Donald Trump.

"They're still nipping at my heels," Hogan said, referring to his critics. "I can go out there and get booed in L.A. I was Hollywood Hogan with the black beard and doing the bad guy thing. Or The Rock can get booed in L.A. or John Cena gets booed in L.A., but when I get booed, there’s a whole different reaction, media-wise."

This response is telling in its avoidance of the real issue. The boos weren’t about Hogan’s "bad guy" persona or his political leanings at all. In fact, this wasn't the first time Hogan faced public backlash. He was heavily booed when introducing Titus O’Neil at WrestleMania 37 in 2021, signaling that many fans hadn’t forgotten his past remarks.

Both reactions were about something much more serious: The fact that Hogan has failed to properly address the deeply hurtful and racist remarks he made back in 2015.

In July 2015, a leaked recording from a 2007 sex tape revealed Hogan making intensely offensive remarks. In the tape, Hogan expressed disgust over the possibility of his daughter dating a Black man and infamously admitted, "I am a racist, to a point," all while repeatedly and freely using the N-word.

Hogan spoke to ABC News about the incident later that year. “No, I’m not. I’m not a racist," he said. "I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I’m embarrassed by it. But a lot of people need to realize that you inherit things from your environment."

Despite that explanation, the incident resulted in Hogan’s firing from WWE and his removal from the Hall of Fame.

If, for some reason, you believe his use of the N-word was an isolated incident, a simple Google search will show you that Hogan's racist remarks span long before the 2015 leaked footage. In 2011, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T spoke on an interaction where Hogan used the N-word in front of him in response to a now-infamous Harlem Heat promo where Booker T mistakenly used the term after saying he was coming for Hogan.

“I thought I was going to be totally blackballed from that. And Hulk Hogan actually came to me and told me not to feel bad about it, but said, ‘You know what? I’m a good N-word,'” Booker T said.

This interview led to Hogan in 2012 questioning on a radio spot why Booker T could use the word and he could not. “Well, Booker T used to do that to me, and every time I pull up YouTube there’s that famous thing with Booker T and his brother is there and they’re all talking trash, and Booker T says, ‘I’m coming for ya Hogan, you n*****’ — and not ‘n***a,’ he goes ‘n*****,'” Hogan said.

While Hogan was eventually reinstated by WWE in 2018 after issuing an apology to the company's talent locker room, many wrestlers publicly criticized the apology as insincere. Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston were among those who voiced their discontent, with Benjamin recently tweeting:

Message to Hulk Hogan: You lost me forever with your “don’t get caught” …or as you would call it “apology” speech.

Beyond racial controversy, Hogan’s reputation as a self-serving figure in the locker room further clouds his legacy. As more wrestlers from his generation speak openly over the years about their experiences, many have accused him of refusing to put younger talent over, leveraging his backstage influence to stay on top, and prioritizing his own brand over the industry he claimed to love. These actions paint the picture of a man more interested in protecting his image than in supporting the wrestling community.

This week's appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show" was yet another missed opportunity for meaningful self-reflection and growth. Instead of addressing the pain caused by his words, Hogan focused on superficial metrics, such as boasting about the "3.2 billion impressions" his WWE return garnered. He still seems to value publicity and numbers over a sincere reckoning with the gravity of his past mistakes.

Until Hogan takes full responsibility for his past actions and offers a heartfelt, unambiguous apology to the Black community, the boos and criticism will likely continue. His failure to confront the consequences of his words speaks volumes about his character — or rather, his lack of character. The time for Hogan to be held accountable is long overdue. Redemption, after all, is not a right — it’s earned. And in Hogan’s case, he has done nothing to deserve it.

source: sprots.yahoo.com

WWE & UFC Parent TKO Beats Q1 Forecasts And Ups Full-Year Guidance

TKO Group Holdings, parent of the WWE and UFC, said “strength and momentum” at both subsidiaries powered first-quarter financial results.

Revenue handily exceeded Wall Street forecasts, reaching $1.27 billion, while earnings per share hit 69 cents, also ahead of estimates. The profit figure compared with a loss of $1.26 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.

The company also raised its full-year guidance for revenue and adjusted EBITDA. Excluding the impact of recently acquired businesses IMG, On Location and PBR, the company increased its targets for revenue to $3.005 billion to $3.075 billion, from $2.93 billion to $3 billion. It boosted adjusted EBITDA targets to $1.39 billion to $1.43 billion, from $1.35 billion to $1.39 billion.

Kevin Nash Defends Triple H’s Long WWE Hall of Fame Speech

“That was my whole thing (wanting to hear stories from Triple H). I think that — I mean, if Paul doesn’t go into the Hall of Fame that night, I’m not at WrestleMania. That was the reason I went. It wasn’t like Paul was stammering and I mean, it was just — he was gracious with the amount of people that he thanked. And there’s nobody that’s had that run. Nobody’s had that run. Nobody’s a 14-time world champion and the face of the company as creative-slash-face of the company. And nobody said — people are like, ‘I can’t believe that he’s so full of himself that he called it the Paul Levesque era.’ Paul never called it the Paul Levesque era. Other people made that statement, that it was now the Levesque era. That never came out of Paul’s mouth.”

credit Kliq This 411mania.com for the transcription.

Kevin Nash Weighs-In On Rumored Triple H and The Rock Backstage Drama

Hall-of-Famer and long-time Paul “Triple H” Levesque pal Kevin Nash weighed in on whether there is any fire to the smoke, claiming the head of WWE creative and The Rock have backstage issues.

Most assumed that WrestleMania 41 would close with The Rock making his rumored return to cost Cody Rhodes his WWE title and add another chapter to their ongoing feud. However, “The Final Boss” was nowhere to be found in April. His absence led to a lot of speculation, and former announcer Jonathan Coachman claimed the pair of legends are having backstage issues.

Kevin Nash knows Triple H more than the majority of the planet. That’s why he unsurprisingly offered up his thoughts on the rumors. And he believes there are no emerging creative issues between the WWE executive and the TKO Group Holdings board member.

“I don’t see the tension. Does anybody know what IMDb is? And then you go to their page, and you see the projects he has? Dwayne is pretty busy. You have to realize he still has skin in the game. He still has ring time left, and he wants certain things to align a certain way for him. Dwayne is not looking at what’s best for the company. He’s looking at what’s best for the character.”

source: ringsideintel.com

Levesque Family

Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff Launch Real American Freestyle Wrestling League

Earlier this week, WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff reunited in an nWo style video on X, teasing the two would have a new project that involved a third man. Given Bischoff's second life in wrestling as a podcaster, most assumed the project would be related to that, perhaps involving Bischoff's co-host Conrad Thompson. But the revelation on Wednesday proved to be something no one could see coming; freestyle wrestling.

Taking to X on Wednesday morning with a new video, Hogan and Bischoff announced the formation of the Real American Freestyle Wrestling League. They also revealed their third man was Izzy Martinez, a freestyle wrestling coach known for working with several UFC fighters, including Jon Jones and Holly Holm, whom Martinez notably coached in the lead up to her upset victory over Ronda Rousey.

More details about the venture were provided to the Associated Press and Forbes, with Hogan revealing he conceived the idea while watching Oklahoma State wrestler Wyatt Henderson defeat Minnesota standout and former WWE star Gable Steveson to win the NCAA national championship in March. Hogan, Bischoff, and Martinez hope to involve both Henderson and Steveson in RAFWL, which they say will consist of eight men's classes and four women's classes. So far, only Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blade has committed to the league, with Hogan declaring her the face of the women's division.

Martinez will serve as the COO, while Hogan will be its commissioner; it's unclear what Bischoff's role is at this time though Hogan said he would be working on the production side. The league will hold its first show on August 30, in Cleveland, Ohio, with more events scheduled to be announced at a later date.