Vince McMahon’s fight over WWE’s sale to Endeavor just got a lot less private.
Judge Travis Laster has sided with POST Wrestling reporter Brandon Thurston in his challenge to multiple redacted filings connected to the WWE shareholder lawsuit ahead of its June 8 trial in Delaware Chancery Court.
Among the material at issue is a voicemail sent by Ari Emanuel to McMahon before WWE reached its merger agreement with UFC under the TKO banner. The lawsuit accuses McMahon of steering WWE toward a deal that protected his own position in the merged company instead of securing the best possible outcome for shareholders.
Paul Levesque, Nick Khan, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson are also named as defendants in the case. Thurston waived his challenge regarding personal information, but continued pushing for disclosure of other redacted material he believed was relevant to what was happening inside WWE’s boardroom during the sale process.
During the May 28 episode of Pollock & Thurston, Thurston explained that he was not trying to reveal Wall Street Journal sources, but argued the hidden information could shed light on internal suspicions and divisions connected to the company’s leadership.
“I argued that it is relevant information. Not necessarily because I’m trying to unveil who the Wall Street Journal sources are, but because this is relevant information about, perhaps, the factional atmosphere in the board and who certain board members suspected were giving information to the press.”
The defendants argued that releasing the information could damage professional relationships inside and outside WWE and hurt stakeholder confidence. Judge Laster rejected that position, determining they had not shown enough harm to outweigh the public interest in disclosure. Thurston also revealed that he reached out to Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Palazzolo before filing the challenge to make sure he was comfortable with the move.
“I even messaged [Wall Street Journal reporter] Joe Palazzolo before filing that to make sure he was comfortable. And he said, ‘Yes, go for it.’”
The ruling puts fresh pressure on McMahon and the other defendants right before trial, with communications tied to the WWE-TKO merger now closer to becoming public. If the unsealed material reveals internal conflict or sensitive conversations about how the deal came together, the case could become even more damaging before anyone takes the stand.
Vince McMahon’s role in WWE’s sale is already set to face major scrutiny in court, and this decision means some of the material previously kept behind redactions may soon become part of the public record.
What do you think the unsealed WWE-TKO merger filings could reveal when this case goes to trial? Leave your feedback in the comments below.
