MLW filed an antitrust lawsuit against WWE nearly two years ago, primarily rooted in the idea that the sports entertainment juggernaut cost them their deal with VICE TV. At the time of the filing, MLW CEO Court Bauer had the following to say about the suit in an official press release.
“WWE has been wrongfully depriving its competitors of critical opportunities for many years, but its latest conduct has been even more unconscionable,” he said. “I think we speak for the rest of the professional wrestling world when we say that this anti-competitive behavior has to stop.”
According to court documents released earlier today in conjunction with the suit, WWE and MLW have agreed to a settlement, and the case will not go to trial or discovery. Based on the documents we have reviewed, the parties are now finalizing their settlement agreement and have thirty days to file appropriate dismissal papers.
Haus of Wrestling will have more coverage of this settlement as we gather information. We have contacted MLW CEO Court Bauer and the WWE regarding the news and await comments.
This past weekend, Richard Holliday returned to the promotion at MLW One-Shot after parting ways earlier this year to battle cancer. Holliday is now in remission, actively competing for GCW, and recently participated in a WWE try-out. Fightful reports that Holliday is currently on a per-appearance deal.