• Loading stock data...
Monday, July 28, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Vince McMahon Lawsuit Questions Still Not Affecting WWE for Now

  • Since the initial suit was filed, in January, none of WWE’s current media and corporate partners have signaled any trepidation.
  • WWE is on a business roll with the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the ring.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

With its television programs drawing strong ratings behind the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the ring and a new deal with Logan Paul’s Prime Hydration, WWE has been on a business roll ahead of next month’s WrestleMania. The question lingering in the background during that time has been about the potential effect of a sex-trafficking lawsuit filed against former chair Vince McMahon in January. The fallout was hard to gauge in part because so much remained unknown about the suit, including the names of figures that it identified only as corporate officers.

The revelation this week that key WWE executives Nick Khan and Brad Blum were among those names—though neither is alleged to have participated in or known about abuse of any kind—has brought back to prominence questions about whether the lawsuit will affect the company’s dominant position in sports media and sponsorship. 

So far the answer appears to be “no.”  

Even before the latest disclosures, there were rising calls among some fans to boycott WWE. But with McMahon gone from the company, none of WWE’s current media and corporate partners have signaled any intent to exit or break their contracts. WWE’s meteoric growth in recent years has since January intersected with a series of allegations that a former WWE employee was retained as a “sexual slave” of McMahon, and a set of rights-holders who are primarily made up of generally risk-averse, publicly traded companies.

Among WWE’s major media and sponsorship deals: 

  • A newly signed 10-year deal with Netflix for flagship weekly show Raw, worth more than $5 billion and beginning next year 
  • A five-year, $1 billion deal signed with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal in 2021 in which the former WWE Network was folded into Peacock, including the WrestleMania franchise (that agreement expires in two years) 
  • A further involvement with NBCUniversal through a five-year, $1.4 billion agreement for the U.S. rights to SmackDown
  • A five-year pact, worth more than $100 million, with The CW Network for rights to WWE NXT, the pro wrestling company’s developmental circuit
  • A major new move into mat advertising through an eight-figure agreement with Prime Hydration, representing the largest sponsorship in WWE history 

Will the Tide Turn?

While many athlete sponsorship agreements have morality clauses that allow brands to exit upon the emergence of damaging information—such as what happened to Tiger Woods with his personal scandals—most sports rights deals are not structured the same way. WWE has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and by clearing up a mystery about which executives were named in the suit, the latest developments may offer reassurance to WWE’s partners—and potential future ones. 

Investors do not appear particularly moved by the latest news. Stock in WWE parent company TKO Group Holdings has shifted less than 1% this week, though shares are down more than 22% since hitting the market in September, with a marked fall later that first month on the heels of the SmackDown deal responsible for much of the overall decline.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Feb 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts, NFL shield logo and AFC banners at Lucas Oil Stadium.

NFL, NBA Media Deals Mirror Soaring Franchise Valuations: JPMorgan

A new JPMorgan report makes clear the NFL is king.
Happy Gilmore 2 hockey stick putter

Callaway’s $500 ‘Happy Gilmore’ Putter Booming on Resale Market

Callaway released a limited-edition Odyssey-branded hockey stick putter.

Netflix Beats Projections Again—and Plots Big Holiday Sports Slate

The streaming giant again beats analyst projections in every respect.

Featured Today

2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Ryan Field Construction
exclusive
July 19, 2025

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.

CBS Sports to Get New Owner As Skydance Merger Clears FCC Hurdle

The long-awaited, but highly debated, merger gains regulatory approval.
A Peacock sideline reporter holds a microphone with the NBC Peacock logo during Michigan State's football game against Washington on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
July 24, 2025

‘Unusual’: NBCU’s Surprise Interest in a New Cable Sports Network

Its previous channel NBCSN was shuttered less than four years ago.
Dec 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; A general view of Times Square during the MLS Cup Times Square Watch Party prior to the game between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.
July 24, 2025

MLS Reveals Apple TV Streaming Numbers, Raising Questions

The league gives a rare glimpse inside the high-profile streaming pact.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 23, 2025

‘ACC Huddle’ Joins College Football’s TV Road-Show Race

This season, “ACC Huddle” will broadcast from the conference’s weekly marquee game.
Jul 20, 2025; Portrush, IRL; Scottie Scheffler celebrates with the Claret Jug after winning the 153rd Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Portrush.
July 22, 2025

Scheffler Pushes The Open to Largest Audience Since 2022 at St Andrews

McIlroy’s Masters victory in April remains the highest-rated major of 2025.
WNBA
July 22, 2025

WNBA All-Star Ratings Dip From Clark High, Still 52% Over Old Record

Caitlin Clark did not play due to a groin injury.
Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of the ESPN Monday night Football logo during the first half of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
July 21, 2025

NFL Owners Told to Prep for Potential Disney Media Deal Vote

A sale of NFL media assets could finally happen after four years.