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LATEST ON WWE SHAREHOLDER LAWSUIT OVER ENDEAVOR ACQUISITION & FORMATION OF TKO

Vince McMahon and several former top WWE executives were back in Delaware Chancery Court this week battling shareholder claims that potentially important Signal messages tied to WWE’s merger with UFC parent company Endeavor were lost or destroyed during discovery in the ongoing lawsuit challenging the $21.4 billion deal, according to Bloomberg News.

During Wednesday’s hearing, attorneys representing McMahon and the former WWE leadership strongly denied there were any major gaps in the communications produced to shareholders, pushing back against accusations that disappearing Signal messages were intentionally used to conceal discussions surrounding the merger negotiations.

McMahon's attorrneys argued he alone produced more than 22,000 messages across numerous communication platforms and described McMahon as “a prolific texter."  They argued the plaintiffs were unfairly speculating that key conversations occurred exclusively on Signal because of the platform’s disappearing-message functionality.  They also told the court that McMahon’s personal devices had previously been seized by federal authorities amid investigations into sexual misconduct allegations against him, but the data on those devices was preserved. They stated that Signal-related information sought by plaintiffs for the lawsuit could not be accessed until the devices were returned in October 2025.

The shareholders’ legal team argued that potentially missing Signal communications may still justify sanctions or adverse legal inferences against McMahon and the other defendants. They argued that plaintiffs do not need to prove intentional destruction of evidence, arguing that recklessness alone can justify court action.

WWE's attorneys argued the merger negotiations were conducted largely through traditional communication methods including phone calls, dinners, lunches, text chains, and voice memos. Leon stated the defendants had already turned over extensive phone records and other materials tied to the negotiations.

There was no immediate ruling coming out of the hearing.

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