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☆ Logan Paul’s Prime becomes WWE’s first-ever logo to appear on its wrestling ring mats
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —WWE and Logan Paul’s Prime have struck a “record-setting” deal to feature the sports drink as the first-ever brand logo to appear in the center of the wrestling mat. Notably, the deal is for Prime Hydration and not for its energy drink, Prime Energy, which riled up some US lawmakers last year for its high caffeine content. In January, Netflix acquired the exclusive rights to “WWE Raw,” currently seen weekly on Comcast’s USA cable network. However, controversy surrounded the company when disturbing allegations of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse against WWE founder Vince McMahon came to light. McMahon, who has denied the accusations, resigned from the company a few days later.

Persons: Logan, ”, Paul, Jake, “, Bud Light, Mat, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, Vince McMahon, McMahon Organizations: New, New York CNN, WWE, Bank, Prime Energy, UFC, Modelo, Netflix, Comcast’s USA Locations: New York, ”

☆ The WWE knew Vince McMahon was a liability. So why did it bring him back after his scandalous departure?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —WWE’s parent company knew Vince McMahon — the founder of the wrestling behemoth — was a potential liability. That risk was realized Thursday when a former WWE employee accused McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking in a disturbing and graphic lawsuit. The company said McMahon has since repaid the company about $20 million for misappropriated corporate funds and for the legal fees TKO and WWE paid to investigate McMahon. Vince McMahon, Jr., was more akin to a king than a business executive in the world of WWE, his fingerprints on everything. “I have pledged my complete cooperation to the investigation by the special committee, and I will do everything possible to support the investigation,” McMahon said in a statement at the time.

Persons: Vince McMahon, —, McMahon, ”, Janel Grant, behemoth McMahon, “, Nick Khan, McMahon’s, Donald Trump’s, Donald J, ” McMahon, McMahon, — Vince McMahon, Vince McMahon’s, Stephanie, Jr, reinstalling, Stephanie McMahon —, Khan, What’s, Grant, CNN’s Sam Delouya, Elizabeth Wagmeister Organizations: CNN, WWE, Companies, US Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Wall Street, Trump Foundation, UFC, Endeavor, Securities and Exchange Commission

☆ Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque makes public comments after WWE employee’s sex trafficking accusations against Vince McMahon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the chief content officer at World Wrestling Entertainment, made his first public comments after Vince McMahon resigned Friday from the board of WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, in the wake of a former employee’s lawsuit accusing McMahon of sex trafficking, sexual assault and physical abuse. The horrifying allegations against McMahon were brought forward by Janel Grant, who worked at WWE’s headquarters. Grant alleged McMahon promised a job — and later promotions — at WWE in exchange for sex. Grant’s lawsuit also includes allegations McMahon trafficked her to other men inside and outside the company, including John Laurinaitis, a former wrestler who worked in the company’s talent relations department. The deal valued the newly combined company at over $21 billion, with WWE shareholders owning 49% of the combined company.

Persons: New York CNN — Paul “, New York CNN — Paul “ Triple H ” Levesque, Vince McMahon, McMahon, WWE’s, Levesque, McMahon’s, ” Levesque, he’s, Janel Grant, Grant, —, John Laurinaitis, Laurinaitis, Ari, Cody Rhodes, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, Samantha Delouya, Elizabeth Wagmeister, Jordan Valinsky Organizations: New, New York CNN, New York CNN — Paul “ Triple, World Wrestling Entertainment, Holdings, WWE, Endeavor, UFC, Netflix Locations: New York, St . Petersburg , Florida, WWE’s, Laurinaitis, Hollywood

☆ Vince McMahon, WWE founder, resigns amid sex trafficking allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Vince McMahon has resigned from his role as executive chairman of TKO, the parent company of WWE, following disturbing allegations of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse. In the lawsuit, Grant alleged that McMahon dangled a job offer at WWE – and later promotions – in exchange for sex. McMahon engaged in acts of “extreme cruelty and degradation” toward Grant during her time at WWE, the lawsuit alleged. He initially retired from his role as CEO and chairman of WWE in July 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. The investigation was closed in November 2022 and McMahon returned to WWE’s board in January 2023.

Persons: Vince McMahon, Janel Grant, behemoth McMahon, McMahon, ” McMahon, Grant, John Laurinaitus, Nick Khan, ” Khan, “ McMahon, ” McMahon’s, Grant’s, Ari, “, Ann Callis, McMahon’s, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, ”, Johnson Organizations: CNN, WWE, UFC, Hollywood, Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group, Netflix Locations: Laurinaitis

McMahon stepped down from the his position as executive chairman of the board of directors at WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, according to a statement released late Friday. McMahon's statement said that he was leaving the board “out of respect” for WWE and TKO Group. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” TKO Group said earlier this week. According to the lawsuit, McMahon lived in the same building as Grant and in 2019 offered to get her a job at WWE after her parents died. “WWE benefited financially from the commercial sex act venture orchestrated by McMahon, including by having wrestling talent, such as WWE Superstar, sign new contracts with WWE after McMahon presented Plaintiff as a sexual commodity for their use,” the lawsuit states.

Persons: Vince McMahon, McMahon, Janel Grant, Grant, ”, “, ” McMahon, “ Mr, ” Grant, John Laurinaitis, Laurinaitis, McMahon lavished, —, Ms, Ann Callis Organizations: WWE, AP, World Wrestling Federation, Holdings, “ WWE Locations: STAMFORD, Conn, Connecticut

☆ Vince McMahon accused of trafficking former WWE employee in new lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A former WWE staffer has accused the company’s founder, Vince McMahon, of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse in a lawsuit filed Thursday. In a statement, WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, said McMahon does not control TKO or oversee day-to-day operations at WWE. Led by McMahon, WWE and UFC, a mixed-martial arts entertainment competitor, announced in April 2023 that they would combine to form TKO. Lawsuit details disturbing allegationsAccording to the lawsuit, Grant was introduced to McMahon in 2019 when she was looking for work. The lawsuit also detailed an alleged sexual assault among Grant, McMahon and Laurinaitis that occurred at WWE’s headquarters in 2021.

Persons: CNN —, Vince McMahon, Janel Grant, McMahon, Grant, –, John Laurinaitis, ”, WME, Ann Callis, “, ” Callis, Mr, ” McMahon, Ari, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, Johnson Organizations: CNN, WWE, UFC, ” WWE, Endeavor, Netflix Locations: Connecticut, McMahon’s, Laurinaitis, Hollywood

☆ Peacock’s exclusive NFL playoff game drove ‘biggest subscriber acquisition moment ever measured,’ analytics firm says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —NBCUniversal’s high-stakes decision to exclusively air the NFL’s AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs on its streaming service Peacock drove record signups to the platform, a digital analytics firm said Wednesday. In the three days leading up to the January 13 kickoff in Kansas City, Peacock saw 2.8 million sign-ups, Antenna reported on Wednesday, citing preliminary data. Prior to the game, Peacock reached roughly 30 million subscribers, a significantly smaller number than CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery’s 95 million Max subscribers and Netflix’s 260 million global subscribers. Though it remains unclear just how many of the 2.8 million new subscribers will retain their Peacock service beyond the playoff game, the announcement comes as other streamers also appear to be getting serious about sports. Netflix on Tuesday announced it will stream WWE’s “Raw” beginning in 2025, the company’s biggest foray yet into live sports.

Persons: Peacock, signups, NBCUniversal Organizations: CNN, AFC, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Disney, NFL, Warner Bros, Dolphins, Chiefs, Netflix, Amazon’s, Bally Sports, Diamond Sports Group Locations: Kansas City

☆ Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson scores mega payday to join the WWE’s board
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

He also secures full ownership of his stage name, “The Rock,” as part of the deal. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”The TKO board now has 13 members, following Tuesday’s appointment of Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell as well. “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock,” Vince McMahon, executive chairman of TKO’s board said. The show will begin streaming live January 2025. WWE had an early foray into the streaming business but largely failed to win enough subscribers to support itself.

Persons: New York CNN — Dwayne “, ” Johnson, , Johnson, Johnson’s, I’ve, I’m, Groupon, Brad Keywell, ” Vince McMahon, ”, Mark Shapiro Organizations: New, New York CNN, Holdings, WWE, UFC, Netflix, ZOA Energy, Seven Bucks, United Football League, World Wrestling Entertainment, Endeavor Group, Endeavor, Comcast’s USA, NBC Locations: New York

☆ TKO CEO Ari Emanuel: Netflix deal strengthens the WWE brand 'on a global basis'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTKO CEO Ari Emanuel: Netflix deal strengthens the WWE brand 'on a global basis'TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, actor, producer, entrepreneur and newly appointed TKO board director, join 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the company's 10-year deal with Netflix to stream WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, news of Dwayne Johnson joining the TKO board, Johnson on the XFL-USFL merger, tequila sales, and more.

Persons: Ari Emanuel, Dwayne ‘, ’ Johnson, ”, Dwayne Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Netflix, WWE, XFL, USFL

☆ Dwayne Johnson on joining TKO board: I'm sitting at a board that my grandfather and dad helped build
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDwayne Johnson on joining TKO board: I'm sitting at a board that my grandfather and dad helped buildTKO CEO Ari Emanuel and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, actor, producer, entrepreneur and newly appointed TKO board director, join 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the company's 10-year deal with Netflix to stream WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, news of Dwayne Johnson joining the TKO board, Johnson on the XFL-USFL merger, tequila sales, and more.

Persons: Dwayne Johnson, Ari Emanuel, Dwayne ‘, ’ Johnson, ”, Johnson Organizations: Netflix, XFL, USFL

☆ Bray Wyatt, Former WWE Champion, Is Dead at 36
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | More About Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Windham Rotunda, a former World Wrestling Entertainment champion and a third-generation professional wrestler known as Bray Wyatt, died on Thursday at the age of 36, the company announced. Mr. Rotunda’s death was announced by WWE’s chief content officer Paul Levesque, the former wrestler known as Triple H, on X, formerly known as Twitter. WWE also confirmed the death in a statement on its website. “Known for his captivating performances and incredible in-ring presence, Wyatt was a defining Superstar of his generation and accomplished many feats in WWE, including becoming WWE Champion in 2017,” the statement said. Mr. Rotunda was the brother of Taylor Rotunda, known as Bo Dallas; a son of the Hall of Fame wrestler Mike Rotunda; and a grandson of Robert Windham, known as Blackjack Mulligan.

Persons: Windham, Bray Wyatt, Rotunda’s, Paul Levesque, Wyatt, Rotunda, Taylor, Bo Dallas, Mike Rotunda, Robert Windham, Blackjack Mulligan Organizations: Wrestling Entertainment, WWE’s, Triple, Twitter, WWE, of

☆ WWE is combining with Endeavor Group's UFC to form a new company
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —World Wrestling Entertainment is merging with Endeavor Group, the parent company of competitor UFC, to form a new publicly traded company. The deal values the newly combined company at over $21 billion: UFC is worth $12.1 billion and WWE is valued at $9.3 billion. Endeavor shareholders will own 51% of the newly combined company, while WWE shareholders are getting 49%. Vince McMahon will retain his current WWE title of executive chairman at the new company, which doesn’t yet have name. Endeavor, which also owns Hollywood’s biggest talent agency William Morris Endeavor, became the outright owner of the UFC in 2021.

Talent agency Endeavor (EDR.N), which owns the mixed martial arts business, will tag-team with Vince McMahon’s WWE in deal valued at some $21 billion. The merger unveiled on Monday creates a new publicly traded company 51% owned by Endeavor and 49% by WWE shareholders. On paper, the WWE enterprise gets the sweeter valuation, at around 24 times last year’s EBITDA, whereas UFC is pegged at 19 times. Instead, in the grand tradition of wrestling, McMahon and Endeavor boss Ari Emanuel are trying to appeal to shareholders with a more unconventional thriller. Under terms of the deal, WWE is being valued on the basis of $106 per share, implying an enterprise valuation of $9.3 billion, according to the companies.

☆ WWE girds for insider-betting fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Want to bet on a match where the outcome is fixed in advance? The league is in talks with U.S. state gambling regulators to legalize bets on its staged matches, according to CNBC. For WWE the number of insiders may be bigger: Writers, trainers and wrestlers might be among those with an idea of what’s in store. Overseas bettors can already wager on an upcoming six-woman tag WWE team match, the Eurovision Song Contest and Love Island 2023. Meanwhile, the WWE has put itself up for sale, so some theatrical limbering up for future revenue opportunities is a smart way to juice the price.

☆ WWE’s Vince McMahon Settles With Ex-Wrestling Referee Who Accused Him of Rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Joe Palazzolo | Ted Mann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vince McMahon , the executive chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., has agreed to a multimillion-dollar legal settlement with a former wrestling referee who accused him of raping her in 1986, according to people familiar with the agreement. Mr. McMahon’s settlement with Rita Chatterton, completed last month, averts a public legal fight over her allegations as Mr. McMahon pursues a possible sale of the company.

☆ How WWE’s Vince McMahon ruthlessly got his job back despite allegations of sexual assault and misuse of company funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

WWE has always been a family business – Vince McMahon, Sr., handed over the reins to his son in the 1980s – and it seemed set to continue that way. Why was Vince McMahon stepping aside such a big deal? Vince McMahon was more akin to a king than a business executive in the world of WWE, his fingerprints on everything. Once considered a wrestling genius, critics have more recently come to consider Vince McMahon a creative liability. McMahon,” Vince McMahon’s devious on-screen character, who served as wrestling’s greatest heel for years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Stephanie McMahon has resigned as WWE co-chief executive officer and chairwoman after her father, Vince, was unanimously re-elected as the company’s executive chairman. Stephanie McMahon returned from a leave of absence in July to take over as co-CEO after Vince McMahon retired amid allegations of sexual misconduct. She informed staff Tuesday that she is again stepping down as Vince McMahon returns to facilitate a potential sale of the company. From left, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H attend the UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on July 2, 2022. “I’d like to express my full support for Stephanie’s personal decision,” Vince McMahon said in a statement Tuesday.

☆ Stephanie McMahon resigns as WWE’s chairwoman and co-CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Rob Mclean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Four days after her disgraced father returned to WWE’s board, the wrestling company’s co-CEO and chairwoman Stephanie McMahon resigned from the company. The move comes as WWE’s board of directors elected her father, Vince McMahon, as executive chairman of the board. “I’ll forever be grateful that she offered to step in during my absence and I’m truly proud of the job she did co-leading WWE.”WWE said Nick Khan, who was co-CEO with Stephanie McMahon, will serve as CEO. Vince McMahon retired as CEO in July 2022, but remains the company’s majority shareholder. Following his departure, WWE disclosed multiple expenses that Vince McMahon hadn’t previously reported, totaling $19.6 million.

☆ Vince McMahon Plots Return to WWE
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WWE owner Vince McMahon told the company that he plans to elect himself to its board, people familiar with the matter said. Vince McMahon , the majority owner and former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., plans to return to the company following his retirement last year amid a sexual-harassment scandal to pursue a sale of the business, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. McMahon, who has majority voting power through his ownership of WWE’s Class-B stock, has told the company that he is electing himself and two former co-presidents and directors, Michelle Wilson and George Barrios , to the board, the people said. The move to reinstate Mr. McMahon, which the board previously rebuffed, and the others will require three current directors to vacate their positions.

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