The number was revealed in a 10-K filing.
It was in January 2022 that Major League Wrestling first filed their antitrust lawsuit against WWE. They alleged that WWE attempted to subvert competition and monopolize the pro wrestling market by interfering with MLW’s contracts and business opportunities.
In February 2023, the suit was dismissed but MLW had 21 days to amend and did so successfully. A settlement was reached in December 2023 and the financial details have now been made public via TKO Group Holdings’ full year 2023 report:
For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results included $34.2 million in costs related to certain litigation matters at UFC and WWE, including the impact of a $20.0 million charge related to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit at WWE. A reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 can be found in the supplemental schedule on page 14 of this release.
In WWE’s 10-K SEC filing, MLW was specifically mentioned:
On January 11, 2022, a complaint was filed against WWE by MLW Media LLC (‘MLW’), captioned MLW Media LLC v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., No. 5:22-cv-00179-EJD (N.D. Cal.), alleging that WWE interfered with MLW’s contractual relationship with certain media platforms and engaged in other anticompetitive and unfair business practices in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and California law. On December 22, 2023, the parties notified the court that they had entered into a settlement agreement in the amount of $20.0 million and stipulated that the case should be voluntarily dismissed with prejudice. In light of the settlement, the case was dismissed with prejudice on December 26, 2023.
Coming up for Major League Wrestling is their Intimidation Games event on February 29th from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York.
