The highly anticipated trial challenging WWE’s merger with UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings was abruptly withdrawn from the Delaware Chancery Court schedule mere days before its intended start date. The four-day trial had been slated to begin on June 8 but no official explanation has yet been given for the sudden removal.
Shareholder plaintiffs contesting the merger argue that WWE was significantly undervalued in the 2023 deal that created the combined entity under the TKO Group Holdings name. They filed a detailed 75-page pre-trial brief outlining their case just days before the trial was pulled from the docket. The plaintiffs are seeking damages amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
The trial was expected to feature testimony from several high-profile figures, including former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, WWE President Nick Khan, and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Delaware Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster had been assigned to preside over the proceedings.
Greg Varallo of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, representing the shareholder plaintiffs, confirmed that the trial no longer appeared on the court’s calendar but did not offer further details. It remains unclear whether the case has been postponed, settled out of court, or removed for procedural reasons. Observers await official updates from the court or parties involved for clarification on the matter.