An update on the shareholders’ suit.
There’s a story up on Bloomberg Law about former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and other high-level WWE leaders defending their use of the Signal platform with the disappearing messages feature amid UFC merger negotiations.
Their attorneys told the Delaware Chancery Court that there is no gap in communication to deep dive into.
One of McMahon’s lawyers commented on the 22,000 messages he sent across multiple platforms, which were produced to investors. Haley Stern of Kirkland & Ellis LLP described McMahon as a ‘prolific texter.’
McMahon’s representation preserved data from his personal devices, even after they were seized by federal authorities during the investigation into the sexual misconduct claims against him. The data on Signal that investors were seeking was not available to them until October 2025, when the devices were returned.
The investors feel the messages that have disappeared could have been relevant to the litigation.
Eric Leon of Latham & Watkins LLP, who is representing WWE’s other senior leaders, said the following:
“These parties negotiated this deal really the old-fashioned way. They did it with dinners and lunches, and they did it over the phone, and we produced all of the phone records.”
Investors are challenging the fairness of WWE’s $21.4 billion merger with UFC. The lawsuit alleges that McMahon manipulated the deal to secure control of the company and rejected other offers as a favor to Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel.
McMahon is at the center of a sex trafficking lawsuit that was filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant. The latest on that front can be found here.
