Court Bauer Explains Why MLW Sued WWE

Court Bauer talks MLW’s lawsuit against WWE. 

In January 2022, MLW filed a lawsuit alleging that WWE attempted to undermine their competition by preventing MLW from finalizing multiple media distribution deals. The suit also accuses WWE of attempting to poach MLW talent while they were still under contract with the company. 

MLW was set to launch on Tubi, but the service, which is owned by Fox, walked away from the deal. 

The lawsuit said, “Tubi would have had a profound impact on MLW’s business by giving it exposure to Fox’s broad television and NFL football audience, further positioning MLW for future media deals. WWE found out about the agreement, WWE contacted a Tubi executive located in Tubi’s headquarters in San Francisco and threatened that if Tubi did not terminate the MLW contract, WWE would cease doing business with Fox and would pull important WWE programs from Fox platforms. Soon thereafter, and just days before MLW content was to begin airing on Tubi, the MLW contract was terminated, resulting in substantial losses to MLW and harm to consumers, including in California.”

Speaking to Lynette Rice of Deadline, Court Bauer was asked why he decided to sue WWE. 

“I keep reminding myself the key to success is perseverance. It sounds idealistic, but it’s really about the grit and having to keep going out there. We had a pretty good idea what transpired [with Tubi]. Sometimes, it’s a ruthless business. It as the most gutting experience of my professional career. There are several things that have come up that have disrupted our business in terms of talent and tampering with contracts. Overall it’s just the suppression of the growth of our business that we looked at. So, this wasn’t just tampering with one deal, one piece of talent. It’s the totality. If you look at the 40-year history and the practices of WWE going back to the eighties … the problems start to emerge. They have an immense market share. They will do what they do to make sure that that’s not softened. Vince McMahon wants to own all the boats. That’s how you build an empire,” he said.

MLW recently requested the court to deny WWE’s request for a protective order. 

MLW will premiere its MLW Underground show on REELZ on February 7. Fightful will have results from the show following its conclusion. Fans can find results from past MLW events by clicking here.