SEScoops

Author: BJ Bethel

  • Janel Grant files \’Motion of Clarification\’ in Discovery Case Against Carlon Colker, Peak Wellness

    Attorneys for Janel Grant, a former World Wrestling Entertainment employee, who accused Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis of sex assault and sex trafficking in a federal lawsuit, filed a motion of clarification in Connecticut Superior Court on Thursday in her bill of discovery complaint against McMahon doctor Carlon Colker and his business Peak Wellness.

    According to the filing, the motion for clarification was made after counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants disagreed on case scheduling.

    \”Upon conferring with counsel for defendants, it became evident there is disagreement regarding next appropriate procedural steps in this action following the Memorandum of Decision denying defendants’ motion to dismiss,\” the motion said. \”To progress this matter efficiently, Plaintiff requests an order specifying the discovery schedule and clarifying that this action will proceed in accordance with Connecticut Practice Book § 13, which governs discovery in a Connecticut civil litigation generally.

    \”If, however, the court determines that an order finding plaintiff has probable cause is required to proceed, plaintiff proposes to submit an Order to Show Cause why such order should not be entered on the record established by Plaintiff’s Verified Petition.\”

    Grant filed the bill of discovery suit against Colker and Peak Wellness last year. She accused the doctor and his company of not complying with discovery requests for her medical records. In her original complaint against McMahon and Laurinaitis, she accused a Peak Wellness employee of assaulting her with McMahon.

    In last year\’s filing, Grant\’s counsel said it was also filing to see if any RICO laws were violated.

    Grant\’s filing on Thursday asked Colker and Peak Wellness to provide specific items for discovery:

    • A list of employees of Peak Wellness who had taken any flights with McMahon, including the reasons for the trip, and mentioned specifically trips to Tijuana, Mexico.
    • Any documents and communications including travel and lodging receipts relating to flights with McMahon between March 2019 and May 2022.
    • Any lawsuits and grievance actions Colker and Peak Wellness had been a party to since 2015.
    • Anyone Peak Wellness or Colker has provided information to any responses in the filing.
    • Names of any Peak Wellness employees who had contact with Grant while she was at the facility
    • The location of all the security cameras on the facility, as well as any videos and photos of Grant from surveillance footage while she was there.

    Laurinaitis, who said he was a victim of McMahon when Grant\’s suit was filed in 2024, later became a defendant in the case before flipping last week and agreeing to testify for Grant and provide a confidential settlement.

    Defendants McMahon and WWE have until Friday to file a motion for arbitration in the case. The defendants have said in prior filings the proper venue for Grant\’s case is an arbitration hearing per rules of a non-disclosure agreement she signed with McMahon and WWE.

  • Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon, TKO file to have Ring Boy Suit Dismissed

    Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon and TKO – the parent company of World Wrestling Entertainment – filed on Tuesday to have the amended complaint in the Ring Boy lawsuit dismissed due to a lack of jurisdiction.

    All three defendants made separate filings. The defendants had filed similar motions earlier in the case, challenging Maryland as improper for the case to proceed. They asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice.

    The amended complaint was filed in April after more Ring Boys were added to the suit, making a total of eight plaintiffs. The complaint alleged Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon and WWE were negligent in preventing several teen and pre-teen boys from being assaulted by employees who worked in WWE. The company often hired pre-teen and teen boys to assemble rings prior to the 1990s.

    The plaintiffs allege Vince and Linda McMahon were aware of the actions of their employees and were negligent in preventing the assaults from occurring.

    In Maryland, cases of negligence in sex crimes cases do not have a statute of limitations after a state Supreme Court ruling.

    None of the employees have been convicted in a criminal court for sex crimes. WWE had settled with former Ring Boy Tom Cole, who said he had been assaulted. Cole committed suicide in 2021 and was one of several former Ring Boys to accuse WWE employees of sexual assault while they were children.

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Split Won\’t Affect AEW Streaming, TV Deals (Exclusive)

    All-Elite Wrestling\’s television and streaming deals are likely to be unaffected by the upcoming split of Warner Bros. Discovery and its streaming and television properties, sources told SEScoops.com on Monday.

    Variety and several other publications reported WBD would be splitting its HBO MAX streaming from its television properties by mid-2026. WBD Streaming and Studios would be headed by current WBD CEO David Zaslav. A second company, comprising of WBD\’s television properties, would be re-named WBD Global Networks and led by WBD CFO Gunnar Widenfels.

    AEW signed a three-year deal with WBD for its programming on TNT, TBS and the HBO MAX streaming network last fall. The deal, which was reported first by SEScoops, is for around $175 million to $200 million per year. WBD had an option to extend the contract to a fourth year.

    AEW Dynamite and Collision were added to the HBO MAX streaming in January, where Dynamite over the first several months of the year was averaging around 500,000 viewers in the Live + 1 metric with a deviation of positive/negative 10-20 percent per week. We first reported the streaming numbers in an exclusive report earlier this year.

    A source familiar with the AEW and WBD contracts said the wrestling company would likely be unaffected by the split.

    WBD was shopping the venerable news network CNN for sale earlier this year. Potential buyers included several local TV broadcast companies. A split of WBD\’s streaming and cable assets was expected to take place later. The current split keeps CNN aligned with the current WBD cable properties such as TNT, TBS, TruTV and Discovery.

    According to Variety, most of WBD\’s $37 billion in debt would live with WBD Global Properties when the split occurs.

  • John Laurinaitis Flip in Janel Grant Suit Could Have Fallout Across Several Cases

    John Laurinaitis\’s agreement to cooperate with Janel Grant in her federal civil suit against Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment could have rippling effects across several lawsuits.

    Laurinaitis agreed on Wednesday to a confidential settlement with Grant, according to a joint statement. Grant also filled a stipulation of dismissal in Connecticut federal court dropping Laurinaitis as a defendant. He also agreed to a confidential settlement.

    Plaintiffs in the shareholder suit filed against Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, WWE and TKO in Delaware\’s Court of the Chancery were seeking information related to his sexual assault allegations as part of discovery. According to Wrestlenomics, McMahon said the discovery demands were attempts to \”harass him and pressure him,\” several days ago.

    The shareholders in the suit said McMahon failed to follow his fiduciary duties by selling WWE to TKO. They accused him of not taking better offers for the company in place of a deal that would allow him to stay onboard WWE and the parent company. The complaint in the shareholder suit accused McMahon of seeking a buyer for WWE that would tolerate the sexual assault and sex trafficking accusations against him.

    After WWE was sold to TKO, McMahon was made Executive Chairman. He later resigned the position after Grant filed suit in federal court.

    Testimony from Laurinaitis, as well as other discovery in the Grant case, could be used in subsequent cases in state and federal court. Depending on what the judge in each case rules as the scope of discovery, as well as the Federal Rules of Evidence and state laws of evidence, discovery in other ongoing cases could be used in other ongoing cases.

    McMahon is also being sued for negligence by several survivors of the Ring Boy scandal, along with WWE, TKO and Linda McMahon.

    WWE and McMahon are expected to file a motion to compel arbitration in the Grant case. They believe Grant should have to argue her sexual assault and sex traficking allegations in arbitration per rules of a non-disclosure agreement she signed with McMahon. Federal law in the last several years has made it illegal to use NDAs or arbitration hearings in cases of covering up sex assault.

    Attorneys for McMahon and WWE have argued the federal legislation doesn\’t apply because those laws were passed in cases of pre-signed NDAs and arbitration clauses, not cases in which alleged sexual assault or sex harassment had already occurred.

    The defendants in the Grant case have until June 13 to file their arbitration motions.

  • John Laurinaitis Agrees to \’Cooperate\’ Against Vince McMahon, WWE in Janel Grant Lawsuit

    John Laurinaitis, the former World Wrestling Entertainment Head of Talent Relations, agreed to cooperate with attorneys for Janel Grant in her federal civil suit against Vince McMahon and WWE, according to a statement from attorneys on Wednesday.

    In a filing on Wednesday morning, attorneys for Grant filed a stipulation of dismissal against Laurinaitis in the case, dropping him as a defendant \”with prejudice.\”

    A statement from representatives for Grant and Laurinaitis said he agreed to a confidential settlement with Grant.

    \”John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE,\” the statement said. \”His agreement to a confidential settlement is a pivotal next step toward holding McMahon and WWE accountable and bringing justice to Ms. Grant after years of sexual abuse and trafficking. Mr. Laurinaitis looks forward to moving on with his life. We cannot provide any additional details at this time.\”

    Laurinaitis was fired by WWE around the time Grant filed her lawsuit. Laurinaitis originally claimed he was a sex assault victim of McMahon when the complaint was originally filed in Connecticut federal court in January 2024. Laurinaitis later recanted and began cooperating with other defendants in the case, McMahon and WWE.

    In a statement to SEScoops, Jessica T. Rosenberg, an attorney for Vince McMahon, provided a statement on Laurinaitis being dismissed from the suit.

    \”Today’s dismissal of John Laurinaitis as a defendant doesn’t alter the facts of this case in any way,\” Rosenberg said. \”Vince McMahon never mistreated Janel Grant. No matter how many press releases her team issues, the truth remains unchanged. As Mr. Laurinaitis’s lawyer previously said: ‘Mr. Laurinaitis corroborates Mr. McMahon in publicly declaring that Ms. Grant’s allegations of sexual abuse and coercion in her Complaint are completely unfounded.’”

    Representatives for Grant had no comment on whether Laurinaitis\’s cooperation in the case had been communicated to federal prosecutors. According to a Wall Street Journal article last year, federal prosecutors were investigating McMahon for sex trafficking and sex assault and had taken his phone as evidence for a grand jury.

    Representatives for McMahon said the federal criminal case ended in January when they announced McMahon had settled his case with the Securities and Exchange Commission for undisclosed million dollar settlements. Grant\’s settlement was one of those McMahon paid fined for not disclosing.

    At the time, reps for Grant said they had never heard from the Department of Justice or investigators that the case against McMahon had been closed. A federal ruling over evidence submitted by McMahon and his attorney Jerry McDevitt earlier this year said the case was still ongoing.

    Prior to Laurinaitis settlement and agreement with Grant, defendants in the case were expected to file a motion to compel arbitration in the case. Defendants have until June 13 to file the motion.

  • TKO in Talks to Put UFC on Netflix, Latest on UFC, ESPN relationship (Exclusive)

    TKO, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship, is negotiating with Netflix in a potential deal that could land the mixed-martial arts promotion on the world\’s most popular streaming service, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

    UFC is nearing the end of its 7-year, $1.5 billion deal with ESPN. The exclusive negotiation period between ESPN and UFC ended on April 15.

    While both Netflix and UFC are talking, there are major hurdles that could impede a deal.

    TKO wants $1 billion per year for UFC, a massive increase from the seven-year, $1.5 billion deal the promotion had with ESPN. UFC\’s regular pay-per-view and weekly show model doesn\’t line up with Netflix\’s strategy laid out last month by co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who proclaimed a focus on big events.

    Netflix doesn\’t want to add a pay-per-view model to its current service. The streamer said it\’s well aware of how increasing subscription prices may push viewers away. A multi-year, multi-billion dollar deal would force Netflix would apply pressure to raise its subscription rate again.

    A source said Netflix could take on UFC Fight Night as regular programming or add another tier specific to UFC to keep subs low for general subscribers.

    TKO would like to keep UFC on ESPN in some capacity, including UFC President Dana White. But interest from ESPN may be simmering as Disney has begun focusing on long-term, larger sports leagues with more guaranteed ratings like the NFL, NBA and college football.

    TKO sees UFC\’s five years on ESPN as an important high mark for making the company and MMA a legitimate big league sport. Other sports, like the NHL and NASCAR, saw negative effects in the past after leaving ESPN for other networks because the network stopped nearly all of its coverage once those leagues left the channel.

    ESPN and UFC were reportedly very far apart when their exclusive negotiation window ended, but adding Netflix to the mix as another outlet would give UFC more exposure on two major platforms and a chance to hit TKO\’s goal of $1 billion per year.

    TKO negotiated a five-year deal with Netflix for WWE Raw, which began airing on the streamer in January.

    Other potential players for UFC

    After Warner Bros. Discovery lost its rights to the NBA, the company began considering UFC with those suddenly free billions in NBA dollars. That strategy changed and WBD\’s interest in UFC dropped considerably after it changed its focus to current IPs and making MAX (now HBO MAX, again), a high-level, but niche player in the streaming market. The company is also waiting out the new Superman movie set this fall, directed by James Gunn, which is another re-launch of WBD\’s DC Comics on Cinema.

    NBCUniversal could be a possible home for UFC, but NBCU has been on a spending spree following its latest deal with the NBA. NBCU is a favorite to land the Major League Baseball package after the relationship between ESPN and MLB soured, causing the two sides to split in the middle of their deal.

    One upside, TKO is already familiar with NBCU due to its long-time relationship with WWE. The Peacock streaming service already airs WWE \”PLE\” shows.

    Amazon Prime Video is another consideration for UFC PPV, especially if the promotion were to partner with another studio for its Fight Night and regular showings.

  • Latest on USA, TNT and TBS Spinning off from NBC, Warner Bros. Discovery; Latest on UFC TV deal, Other Business Notes

    Comcast and NBCUniversal will be spinning off its cable channels into a new company called Versant.

    NBCUniversal announced in late 2024 it was spinning off some of its cable channels else and other digital properties. NBCU announced the company\’s name in a press release in May.

    Among the channels moving away from NBCU and into the new company would be USA Network, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, SyFy, and the Peacock streaming service.

    USA Network has been a home for World Wrestling Entertainment programming for over 40 years. WWE\’s relationship with USA began in the 1980s and ran into the 2000s. WWE\’s flagship Raw program was a Monday night fixture on the network until 2000, when it moved to TNN for five years. The show returned to USA in 2005.

    After Raw left for Netflix at the beginning of the year, USA started carrying SmackDown. It\’s the latest WWE show to air on USA, going back to Tuesday Night Titans, Shotgun Saturday Night, Sunday Night Heat, and a plethora of various WWE shows.

    According to PUCK, the entertainment industry website, Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango, GolfNow, and other web properties would be part of the move. The CEO of the new company would be Mark Lazarus, who was questioned about the move at the MoffettNathanson annual media conference. Lazarus focused on the success of the company\’s GolfNow app, which allows golfers in 52 countries to sign up for tee times, and highlighted the nascent company\’s digital offerings.

    WWE\’s move to Netflix set them with a five-year deal, with possible renewals every five years after. Pulling Raw out of the TV cable fray, and the massive decline in households for major cable channels, was a move built to keep Raw and WWE out of the current cable and media fray. Whether Raw\’s move to Netflix is a sign of a complete move to streaming may depend on how successful Versant is at keeping its cable channels as players and finding ways for them to gain homes.

    According to Deadline.com, Comcast and NBCU would handle ad sales for Versant for two years. The launch/spin-off is expected to happen before 2025, according to a release from NBCU.

    UFC, ESPN trying to work out issues

    With the exclusive negotiation period expiring last month, Ultimate Fighting Championship is making the effort to work out issues with its partner of the last five years, ESPN.

    ESPN out-bid several other companies and signed UFC to a 5-year, $1.5 billion deal in 2018. The deal has had highs and lows, many of them mirroring the struggles of cable and network TV.

    ESPN would like to keep UFC on its programming, but the issue is cost. ESPN loves UFC\’s dominant numbers among certain demographics, but ESPN\’s homes have collapsed. According to John Ourand, ESPN was in 68 million homes in 2024, a number that had dropped from over 100 million half a decade ago. Disney hopes the ESPN streaming service begins a rebound.

    UFC has said it\’s seeking more than $1 billion a year in its next deal. Given the current media environment, that seems unlikely unless another partner is added to the mix.

    Dana White and TKO also want to avoid the fate of Major League Baseball, which announced it is terminating its deal with ESPN after the network wanted to re-negotiate its current contract. MLB felt disrespected by ESPN for the lack of baseball highlights on SportsCenter and other shows, as well as the cancellation of Baseball Tonight.

    But sports legitimacy thrives on being part of the conversation on ESPN. The network quickly cut programs and highlights of NHL and NASCAR when ESPN quit airing the sports. While MLB Network is a success (one reason for Baseball Tonight\’s cancellation was the success of MLB Network among baseball fans), it doesn\’t keep them on the one network that determines what\’s hot in sports. UFC understands this well. It wasn\’t all too long ago finding UFC on pay-per-view was a chore. Just ask Dana White what ESPN means as far as legitimacy and exposure.

    Warner Bros. Discovery was interested in acquiring UFC at one point, especially after it lost the NBA last fall, but that interest has waned as WBD repositions HBO Max and its strategy around its current products, the NHL and much of its popular creative studio offerings.

    CNN likely on the go, what about TNT and TBS?

    While Versant will become its own entity by the end of 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to spin CNN off as well. The innovative and heralded news brand has suffered setbacks in recent years; unless there\’s major breaking news, CNN hasn\’t been the go-to in recent years. The recent upheaval of the network by David Zaslav was a disaster and cratered the network\’s ratings and sent journalists running.

    PUCK and other media publications believe a company heavy with local channels may purchase CNN – among the suitors could be Cox (which is looking to sell its own TV stations…) and TEGNA. Other players could be Gray, which has worked to get involved in the regional sports game. Nexstar, which owns the most local stations in the country, has spent millions building NewsNation into a viable property and news outlet, one built on competing with CNN\’s audience, would seem to be out, especially having to navigate monopoly issues when it purchased the Tribune company in the late 2010s.

    With CNN on the block for a spin-off, what does that mean for TBS and TNT? The channels are bleeding homes like everyone else, but marketing them as digital entities needs some more oomph. The NBA is gone, but the NHL is there. All Elite Wrestling is a success, and a regular in the top 5 of cable with strong streaming numbers, but not nearly enough to buoy two entire cable channels.

    WBD could work to share properties with other media companies, maybe try to get into the NFL game with a deal with CBS (which it partners with for NCAA Men\’s Basketball Tournament), but missed the boat on the WNBA and Caitlin Clark-mania. Maybe college football? How a spin-off would work with TBS and TNT would be more complicated than Versant because of HBO Max\’s position as a niche but powerful streamer with a ton of popular legacy properties, and no clear strategy for marketing TBS and TNT as not only channels but lifestyle or sports digital properties.

    While WBD looked to have done well with losing the NBA rights, especially as ratings plummeted for the league early in the season, having the NBA deal would make those properties much more valuable, especially after playoff ratings this season were up over last season.

    Look to the indies

    The rumors of independent wrestling\’s demise were greatly exaggerated.

    The stronger and better-run companies are drawing well and putting together must-see cards from week to week.

    Pro Wrestling Revolver dealt with a nightmare scenario, but still drew around 400 for a lively show on May 18 featuring Rhino, Rich Swann, Jessicka Havok, Alan Angels, Sami Callihan, and other stars on a solid card. Myron Reed vs. YouTuber BDE was a highlight, as was Jake Crist against Crash Jaxon.

    The show was originally scheduled the night before at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Many would have canceled the event entirely; instead, the locker room and promotion put on a great show.

    Support the indies, the indies are strong.

    2K adds Tyrese Haliburton

    As reported yesterday by SEScoops, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will be a playable character in the WWE 2K25 video game. After watching Haliburton dispose of the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, I\’d advise Johnny Gargano and The Miz to run.

    Correction

    The original version of this story said NBCUniveral announced its cable spinoff plan in May 2025. This was not correct. The spinoff was announced in late 2024. The name of the spin off company was released during the first week of May. I apologize for the error.

  • Heatwave \’98: Watching Sabu, Hayabusa Live Was a Transcendent Experience (Editorial)

    Extreme Championship Wrestling\’s Heatwave \’98 pay-per-view was exceptional in many ways.

    Pro wrestling was in the middle of its late 1990s boom and ECW was at its peak. Heatwave \’98 was the company\’s most successful PPV and the second-largest crowd.

    Sabu was the wrestler that innovated ECW into the minds of American pro wrestling fans. Trained by his uncle, The Sheik, Sabu followed in his footsteps as a silent, disturbing foreign villain. The Sheik was one of the industry\’s greatest draws with a penchant for violent matches, blood and guts.

    Add an uncanny natural athletic ability (think Ricochet), one part devoted adrenaline addict (Darby Allin), and a lack of fear of blood, heights, barb-wire, flame, glass or any other (Jon Moxley, Terry Funk, Mick Foley), Sabu was the perfect evolution of his uncle.

    He paired perfectly with fellow Sheik trainee Rob Van Dam, the brash, stoner, the Whole F\’N Show and Mr. Monday Night, and the loud, whistle-blowing former ref turned manager Bill Alfonso. Their promo packages were a mix of Van Dam\’s showboating, Alfonso\’s antics and Sabu\’s facial expressions, ironically similar to a confused Tazmanian Devil when confronted with Bugs Bunny.

    Hayabusa

    If there was a Sabu of Japan, it was Hayabusa. The top star in FMW, his appeal was similar to Sabu – you never knew what would happen anytime he was in the ring. Years before he was paralyzed in 2001, Hayabusa landed nearly head first after a Shooting Star Press. The match was showcased on FMW video tapes sold in the U.S.

    An innovator, he popularized the Falcon Arrow, a move used by dozens of wrestlers including Seth Rollins among others. Jinsei Shinzaki wrestled briefly for the World Wrestling Federation in the mid 1990s, a capable wrestler who was famous for his praying ring walk and body tattoos. His build and look screamed badass. As a special attraction, the match couldn\’t have been better put together. As a tag team match, it was an event.

    We were in the deck above the floor, nearly straight across where Bam Bam Bigelow and Taz would crash into the entrance ramp. Electricity is often used to describe crowds, but this one was different. Before the show, fans were chanting E-C-W for hours in the parking lot and over an hour before the show in the arena. Tammy Sytch and Al Snow, who was backstage but not part of the event, came to the ring before the pre-show. They were in awe of the sold out crowd of devoted ECW cultists, the hours of chants. The line of fans who circled the large Hara Arena complex.

    ECW\’s milestone show

    This was ECW\’s first show in the Midwest. The company almost exclusively operated in the Northeast. Prior to picking Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, the company was looking for a venue in or near Indianapolis. One wasn\’t available. Hara was quickly brought up as an appropriate replacement.

    Dayton had a reputation as a diehard wrestling town. The town was the territory of The Sheik\’s Big Time Wrestling for years, until the company went out of business in the 1970s. After came a territory war that saw Southwest Ohio become one of the wrestling hotbeds in the world. Dayton and Cincinnati were big business towns, home of military bases, auto and jet manufacturing and a century of inventive history – this meant a lot of money was in the neighborhood.

    Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic/Crockett Promomtions, the WWF, the AWA and Bruno Sammartino\’s promotion in Pittsburgh tried burrowing the way into the area. The first match between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan happened at Hara in 1991, a deliberate test match in front of Dayton fans unannounced and taking place at a house show. WCW\’s 1997 Sould Out PPV was at the arena the year before. WWF ran major house shows at Hara for years before moving to Wright State\’s arena in 1990. This means fans were used to different styles and were smart.

    The location was also a draw. ECW was suddenly much closer – and it was a PPV. Cars in the parking lot sported license plates from every state from the Rockies to the Midwest and a few further to the West. This made the show an even bigger event.

    ECW wrestlers knew of the arena\’s significance and the history of promotions who ran it – and they had sold it out, to a crowd chanting the name of their company for hours before the show. After years of building the company through tape trading, syndicated TV, shows at bars, clubs and wherever they could get booked, Heatwave \’98 had cemented the company as a major promotion.

    Seeing something new and in front of 5,000 fellow human beings is a different experience. Things slow down. Every moment stays. Your mind doesn\’t wander. That\’s what being in the crowd was like.

    Tough act to follow

    The tag match started slow, as it should have following Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka\’s first PPV match. While the tag match is what people most remember, the brutal Awesome/Tanaka match was another gift of the FMW/ECW partnership. It\’s hard to follow two crazies powerbombing each other out of the ring and through tables and blasting each other with chairshots. The match was brutal, entertaining and a spectacle. It was also everything wrong with pro wrestling in the 1990s. It was careless and dangerous at best.

    Van Dam and Sabu were arguing over who would be in the match first, nearly coming to blows. I was near a group of fans who began cheering for Sabu while he stood on the apron. Sabu, living his character by the second, acknowledged the fans and took that as a cue to enter the ring. The referee ushered him back, but Sabu nearly punched him for his trouble.

    The character building, the time to cool off following Awesome/Tanaka, the little bits of dissension, reviewers at the time thought the match was devoid of psychology, but it was full of it. The story of the match was the four guys in the ring and what they brought as innovators. They weaved this slowly through some matchups. Hayabusa establishd his team as the heels early by punching Sabu in the face while in he stood on the apron. Sabu and Van Dam worked limbs in between their bigger moves. Hayabusa and Shinzaki followed suit.

    The match wasn\’t perfect. Van Dam and Hayabusa had a couple miscommunications early, but they got into the flow. Shane Douglas, then ECW World Champion and on commentary, noted how Sabu and Van Dam had adjusted their style to fit a strategy – \”from reckless abandon\” to \”organized strategists.\”

    The match heated up after Van Dam interfered without a tag. Sabu had Hayabusa in a half Camel Clutch. Van Dam jumped in with a springboard backflip into a dropkick on the locked up Hayabusa. Shinzaki wasn\’t happy and knocked Van Dam out of the ring with a brutal springboard dropkick while RVD posed.

    Hayabusa with an asai moonsault. Sabu with a chair-assisted splash into the crowd. Van Dam laid out Hayabusa on the guardrail before jumping off the apron with a corkscrew legdrop. Hayabusa with a springboard senton splash, Shinzaki with a springboard knee drop.

    Fans had been standing for most of the show. This was the rare match where \”what would happen next?\” was the story. The teams traded off tag team moves. A bow and arrow with a top rope chair smash to the ribs. A double bulldog. A standing heel kick into a german suplex.

    The 5-star Frogsplash and the finish

    The most memorable moment of the match followed Sabu\’s springboard top rope hurricanrana on Shinzaki. Van Dam had been outside the ring and had disappeared from view. Shinzaki landed near the ropes on the far left side of the ring from the hardcam.

    In the arena it might as well have been half a football field. To PPV viewers, Van Dam came flying out of the top of the screen. The Five-Star Frogsplash would become Van Dam\’s finisher but at this point in his career, it was becoming a staple move. Eddy Guerrero popularized the move when he was in ECW, using it in honor of his tag team partner Art Barr. Van Dam\’s frongsplash had a literal twist. He would jump and mid-air shift 90 degrees landing sideways.

    Van Dam was a special wrestler because he was a special athlete. He could do things no one else could. He could leap to a turnbuckle in perfect balance. His frogsplash wasn\’t another finishing move, it was worth the price of admission. Watching him leap from the floor, to the apron, to the turnbuckle, and fly three-quarters across the ring was a feat of rare and singular athletic ability. I\’d seen the move on ECW TV, I\’ve never seen him land it like this.

    He traveled across the ring and gained height as he twisted. It\’s a singular move and a singular moment.

    Van Dam was a reflection of Sabu. Every Sabu match was a singular moment. RVD was his mirror. The chairs, the splashes, the flash, the kicks, he leaps – the perfect tag partner for the most innovative wrestler of the last 30 years.

    Shinzaki powerbombed RVD, setting him up for a 450 Splash from Hayabusa, one of the best to perform the move. Van Dam countered with a top rope Van Daminator that spanned one turnbuckle to the next.

    The match ended with a table. With Hayabusa on one side and Shinzaki on the other, Van Dam Sabu leapt off opposite turnbuckles with dual leg drops. Sabu made the pin ending the match. The crowd roared.

    Aftermath

    The match was the highlight of the PPV of the year, an award it won in the Wrestler Observer Newsletter that year. The fans felt that way.

    There was a party atmosphere during the entire show, but the tag team match pushed it to another level. It was euphoric. Cars blasted \”Walk\” by Pantera, RVD\’s theme at the time. Fans cheered. They went in search of wrestlers and autographs. Getting out of the building was difficult, getting out of the parking lot was worse. The PPV felt like a major concert more than a wrestling show. it was a party.

    Watching the match nearly 30 years later, the most notable was the pace of the match. This wasn\’t a race and there wasn\’t long pauses between big moves. Today, this match would have been more calculated, with today\’s wrestling norms replacing the ones of the late 90s. The big spots were setup quick, there was no waiting for people to get in place. Wrestling filled the gaps. It\’s a match that belongs in different eras.

    The figure who made the match and the show and ECW\’s success was Sabu. Without Sabu, Rob Van Dam doesn\’t develop his style. ECW doesn\’t become a national promotion. Hayabusa doesn\’t exist. FMW would have become something else. Table spots wouldn\’t have been a thing weekly on WCW and WWE TV, for better or worse.

    Three short years after its biggest show, ECW was shut down, its copyrights purchased by the WWF. Outside of one great angle on an episode of Raw, and the original One Night Stand PPV, the company was gone. WWE\’s joke of a revival was the equivalent of Pat Boone performing as The Ramones.

    A month after ECW shut down, Hayabusa\’s career ended when he was paralyzed. After regaining his ability to walk in the 2010s, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 2015.

    Sabu wrestled for a time in the WWE revived ECW. He regularly wrestled in TNA and independent shows. He appeared for AEW in 2023 as an enforcer for Adam Cole against the Jericho Appreciation Society.

    Three weeks ago, Sabu wrestled his retirement match against Joey Janela at GCW\’s Spring Break 9. The match was in his hometown of Las Vegas. Dead at 60 years old, he outlived many of his ECW locker room contemporaries, but died young.

  • Janel Grant files to keep Vince McMahon, WWE, John Laurinaitis from pausing discovery

    Representatives for Janel Grant filed a motion in federal district court in Connecticut on Friday in opposition to pausing discovery in her civil case against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and World Wrestling Entertainment.

    Grant is suing McMahon and the other defendants for sex harassment, sex trafficking and other allegations.

    Discovery is the gathering of evidence and information to be shared by both parties for a trial, and which both parties would base their arguments.

    \”Defendants can\’t have it both ways,\” reps for Grant said in a statement to SEScoops on Tuesday. \”When it comes to safety in the workplace, they can\’t assert that allegations of harm are taken seriously while using stall tactics to delay an examination of facts. These are irreconcilable paths. Unlike avoidance, there is dignity and integrity of process for all parties in discovery. Ms. Grant\’s fight for justice continues.\”

    SEScoops asked representatives for Vince McMahon for a statement on Tuesday, but hadn\’t heard back at the time this article was published.

    Earlier this month, McMahon, Laurinaitis and WWE filed motions to stay discovery in the case pending whether Judge Sarah F. Russell would allow Grant\’s amended complaint to move forward in the case and on the expectation they would file motions to compel arbitration. The defendants believe Grant\’s case should be a matter for an arbitration process per the rules of a non-disclosure agreement she signed with McMahon. A hearing was scheduled for a similar motion last year, but the case was stayed at the request of federal prosecutors.

    \”Defendants argue that this court should stay discovery simply on the basis of a motion to compel arbitration that has not yet been filed, is not pending before this court and that the court has explicitly instructed them not to renew at this time,\” the Grant motion said.

    The complaint said the \”anticipated\” arbitration motion raises material issues regarding the legality of the arbitration clause in the NDA signed by Grant and McMahon, issues of duress and coercion placed on the plaintiff and \”communications recently found to be subject to the crime-fraud exception.\”

    The motion said the court and precedent \”expect parties to move their cases forward while it considers dispositive motions,\” referring to the anticipated arbitration motion.

    \”The sweeping stay relief sought by Defendants here is unwarranted and should not be granted.\”

  • Interview: Luchablog Discusses AAA Sale to TKO/WWE, Stephanie Vaquer Domestic Violence, Internal Reactions

    The purchase of AAA Lucha Libre by TKO and Fillip, a Mexican private equity firm, was announced on Sunday during WWE\’s WrestleMania pay-per-view.

    The Cubs Fan, the longtime writer and publisher at Luchablog, said there are many points of contention involving the sale. AAA was floundering the last 10 years showcasing a more American style product. And there are bigger issues such as Stephanie Vaquer, whose ex-boyfriend, El Cuatrero (Rogelio Reyes) served two years in jail on a femicide and domestic violence case after he was accused of assaulting her in 2023. He is out on bail while the case remains open, and was at AAA\’s last show in Mexico City.

    Vaquer is one of WWE\’s rising stars. She made her WWE Raw debut on Netflix on Monday, the night after WrestleMania. TCF said he sees Vaquer staying in the United States for now with WWE\’s American brands. El Cuatrero is a major star in Mexico, along with his brother Sanson as well as some of their allies in the industry.

    \”For the WWE part of her career, I don\’t think this will affect her at all. She was on Raw on Monday night, and while she isn\’t on the main roster now she will be soon. But the other people involved are from very famous wrestling families in Mexico. They\’re big stars themselves. At some point, whoever is in charge of AAA, will have to make a decision – do you bring in Vaquer, who is this huge star in WWE or do you keep her away? Someone is going to have a tough decision to make and some people are going to be very angry.\”

    Another issue for WWE is Alberto Del Rio – he was one of 15 wrestlers under contract with the company when it was purchased by TKO and Fillip. TCF said AAA has built its promotion around Del Rio over the last year, which climaxed in August when he defeated Nic Nemeth for the promotion\’s biggest title. Del Rio was indicted in Texas on aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault charges in 2020. After several trial delays, the charges were dropped.

    With the shadow of both civil and criminal allegations of sex assault and sex trafficking against former WWE owner Vince McMahon, Del Rio is another roster decision WWE has to contend with. TKO has handled sexual harassment allegations against top people in different ways. McMahon resigned while John Laurinaitis was fired. Executive Producer Lee Fitting has remained with the company, which made no comment after an investigation with The Athletic revealed he was fired from ESPN and the Gameday college football preview show over sexual harassment allegations.

    \”The last year of AAA has been booked where Alberto is the center of the universe,\” TCF said. \”They\’ve been trying to rehab his image in the hopes he can get one more run in a top American promotion. They have to keep him around for the short term because of upcoming matches and announcements.

    \”It\’s interesing they brought in Vikingo for the announcement and for the Rey Fenix match, but they didn\’t mention Alberto who is champion.\”

    Major obstacles ahead for WWE in Mexico

    TCF said running Mexico has been difficult for AAA for the last decade. It\’s also difficult to find creative talent. Konnan, the legendary luchadore who became famous in America during the 1990s as part of WCW\’s popularity explosion, has booked the company since 2017, but has been absent at times due to health issues. TCF said he\’s spent still head of creative but usually helps book using Microsoft Teams and hasn\’t been to a TV taping in eight months.

    He believes WWE may hire familiar faces to promote AAA as being authentic lucha, but he doubts they would be running things behind the scenes or have any hand in creative.

    \”It\’s a problem in Mexico in general,\’ TCF said. \”There\’s not a lot of creative people you can bring in. Konnan has been with AAA since 2017, with the exception of one year. The same people have ran CMLL for the last 30 years. There\’s no Jim Cornette or Bill Wats you can pull off the sideline who has credibility and experience.\”

    TCF said getting fans to trust a WWE-ran AAA will be difficult. Aligning with Fillip should help, but in a post on Luchablog on Tuesday, TCF said it\’s not known who he majority partner is in the acquisition.

    \”It\’s an interesting story,\” TCF said. \”Even in the press releases, sometimes they mention TKO as purchasing the company, sometimes it\’s mentioned as an alliance. From what I heard in rumors before the announcement, a third-party was expected to take over the company with WWE manging it and owning a smaller share. I believe Fillip may end up owning the majority but I don\’t have that reported.\”

    The biggest challenge for a TKO-ran AAA is the culture differences and WWE\’s own history with Mexican and Latino wrestlers. TCF said getting into Mexico and buying AAA was important for them to compete in the growing Latino demographic in the United States and this has been something the company has prioritized.

    But the lack of major star success for Latinos and Mexican wrestlers in WWE will be a hard obstacle for the company to overcome because of its past booking on its own shows in the US.

    \”There\’s a lot of trepidation and I think it\’s fair,\” TCF said. \”It\’s WWE doing something they\’re not used to doing. AAA has promoted itself as a part of the country\’s culture over the years, which puts more pressure on WWE. Fillip brings Mexican involvement but they don\’t have much of a public presence and they work behind the scenes with money people. I\’ve read speculation that it would be called NXT Mexico and I think that would be a mistake. If they\’re going to bring in a complete WWE product in, there could be a market for that but not like the size of a market for a traditional lucha libre company.\”

    Luchablog and WrestleVotes broke news over the weekend that NXT and AAA would host a When World\’s Collide pay-per-view in the coming months. This news emerged a day before the sale became public. TCF said AAA has a lot of young talent, but has lost much of its veteran mid-card to AEW and other companies, which could be challenge for the company if it were to do a full US television show with just its roster.

    The full audio of The Cubs Fan\’s interview can be heard at B.J. Bethel \”Interviews Everyone\” Podcast on Substack. Bethel interviewed NFL Scout \”Big C\” Carlos Holmes to discuss this week\’s NFL draft earlier in the week.

  • Actual AEW Streaming Numbers on Max (Exclusive)

    All-Elite Wrestling is averaging around 500,000 viewers for its Wednesday Dynamite show on the MAX streaming platform since the show debuted on the app this year, according to sources.

    Combined with live cable numbers, this would give Dynamite an average of around 1-to-1.2 million viewers per episode since it was added to the streaming service.

    UPDATE: As noted in the original story, there\’s large deviations week to week which affect total streaming minutes.

    UPDATE 2    : AEW President Tony Khan corroborated this report during the AEW Dynasty 2025 media call.

    According to sources, the show is averaging around 60 million minutes watched per show with a deviation of plus/minus 10 to 20 percent depending on the episode and competition. Nielsen style viewership numbers aren\’t necessarily important to streamers, the minutes watched averages to 500,000 viewers per episode Live-Plus-1. Meaning it takes into account viewers who watched live on the app and for 24 hours afterward.

    In a February report, CNBC said MAX expects to reach 150 million global subscribers by the end of 2026. Estimates from several companies believed MAX had around 60 million subscribers in the US this year. Andrew Bucholtz of Awful Announcing reported TBS had around 72 million homes in 2023. The number is expected to be lower in 2025 due to downward trends.

    Late last year, sources with WBD said the company was impressed with AEW\’s performance on TBS and TNT. The result was a three-year deal for around $175-to-$185 million per.

    AEW PPV is expected to move to MAX once the app has the capability to run PPV shows.

    Sources said AEW has regularly out-performed some major hockey games on the app. NBA games on MAX average around 1.7 to 2 million viewers depending on matchups and competition.

    While AEW\’s success on streaming has been noted by the WBD, the numbers are far from top streaming programs like Daredevil: Born Again and Agatha All Along, which bribed in numbers from 7 to 10 million per episode.

    A source, who corroborated the numbers, said he expected AEW to face stronger competition through the spring. The Andor Star Wars series resumes in April. WWE is entering Wrestlemania season.

    \”Many of the top execs don\’t know the overall numbers,\” the source said. \”Whether its total minutes watched. Viewers who have watched the total show. (They) can make correlations but what streamers look for is quite different from cable or OTA where numbers are there to satisfy advertisers.\”

    .

  • Janel Grant files to move discovery forward in federal case against WWE, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis

    Attorneys for former World Wrestling Entertainment employee Janel Grant filed a motion for \”a Rule 26(f) conference\” on Friday in Federal district court in Connecticut. A Rule 26(f) conference occurs when counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants meet to plan discovery ahead of a federal civil trial.

    The filing noted Grant\’s attorneys discussed the possibility of a settlement.

    \”Plaintiff’s counsel, after consultation with their client, certify that (a) they have discussed the nature and basis of her claims and possibility for achieving a prompt settlement or other resolution of the case,\” the filing said.

    The motion outlined proposed schedules for when expert witnesses would be finalized, and set proposed dates for discovery timelines and other trial matters from now through the end of the year.

    Notes from the filing included:

    • Grant\’s team says it plans on depositions of 45 material witnesses.
    • Discovery won\’t be in layers and would begin after Dec. 1, 2025.
    • Expert witnesses would be named by Oct. 1, 2025 with depositions completed by Nov. 1, 2025.
    • If no dispositive motions are filed, a joint trial memorandum filed by Jan. 16, 2026, with the trial beginnig sometime within 30 days.

    Several issues remain in front of the court ahead of discovery – Grant is awaiting a decision by Judge Sarah F. Russell on allowing her amended complaint, which was filed in January. Attorneys for McMahon, Laurinaitis and WWE filed a motion in opposition of the complaint in February.

    \”As such, given Defendants’ position that a Rule 26(f) conference and report are premature and Plaintiff’s position to the contrary, Plaintiff presents to the Court that the parties are at an impasse and submits the following for the Court’s consideration as her proposed schedule.\”

    • If no dispositive motions are filed, a joint trial memorandum filed by Jan. 16, 2026, with the trial beginnig sometime within 30 days.
    • Four exhibits were included with the filing, all four were communications between Grant\’s legal teams and counsel for the defendants.

    Several issues remain in front of the court ahead of discovery – Grant is awaiting a decision by Judge Sarah F. Russell on allowing her amended complaint, which was filed in January. Attorneys for McMahon, Laurinaitis and WWE filed a motion in opposition of the complaint in February.

    It\’s highly unlikely WWE would agree the conference until the court has ruled on the arbitration motions the three defendants are expected to file.

    Grant filed a civil suit against the three defendants in January 2024 alleging she was trafficked sexually and assaulted by McMahon and Laurinaitis. She filed an amended complaint in January 2025 including more text message and alleging McMahon was viewing texts from Grant while he was being filmed by a crew from the Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary. The texts allegedly made it on air.

    The amended complaint named several unnamed individuals in the original complaint, including WWE wrestler and former UFC fighter Brock Lesnar, as well as several other WWE executives and managers. The complaint also included alleged text messages and photos allegedly from McMahon including other information., such an office that was allegedly planned for construction that would allow Laurinaitis a secret door entry into Grant\’s office.

    According to the motion, attorneys for Grant, McMahon, Laurinaitis and WWE met during a teleconference on Friday before the filing was made in Connecticut district court. Attorneys for the defendants declined to discuss the conference request.

    Grant\’s team responded by submitting a proposed timeline to move the case forward.

    SEScoops reached out to McMahon\’s legal team for a statement on Grant\’s proposed timeline and conference. SEScoops made the inquiry shortly before the publication of this article. If McMahon\’s team responds, the article will be updated to include their statement.

    It\’s expected the defendants will await Judge Russell\’s decision on allowing the amended complaint to stand and re-file motions for arbitration. McMahon, WWE and Lauriniatis have argued that Grant\’s NDA requires her to negotiate her complaints through an arbitration process lined out in the non-disclosure agreement she signed when leaving WWE. Grant and McMahon have argued the other broke the NDA first. Recent federal legislation has banned using NDAs and arbitration in events involving sex crimes or sexual harassment.

    Grant rep Kendra Barkoff Lamy of SKDKnickerbocker provided a statement to SEScoops:

    \”Janel\’s Grant courage continues to be an inspiration to so many,\” Barkoff Lamy said. \”Her filing today seeks to move forward with her purusit of justice and accountability against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE for the horrific sex trafficking and abuse inflicted upon her.\”

    Grant also filed a motion of discovery complaint against McMahon\’s doctor, Dr. Carlon Colker, and his company Peak Wellness. The complaint alleged Peak Wellness failed to handover Grant\’s medical records when asked last spring on two occasions. Grant\’s team said the discocvery was needed to see if any potential RICO violations occurred.

    McMahon, TKO, WWE and Linda McMahon are being sued in Maryland Superior Court by several alleged survivors of the 80s WWF ringboy scandal. A recent ruling by the Maryland Supreme Court said legislation that eliminated the statute of limitations in negligence filings in sex assault cases will allow the suit to move forward. Attorneys for the defendants have requested the case be moved to federal court for jurisdictional reasons.

  • Latest on WWE, AEW streaming numbers, WBD\’s new moves, Vince\’s \’new promotion\’,

    Fans excited Vince McMahon might be working on a new promotion for FOX will be disappointed.

    McMahon, who is mired in two civil suits, a possible federal criminal investigation (depending on whose lawyers you ask) and sitting in ccash like Scrooge McDuck (if that reference is too aged, how about Mr. Beast?), was rumored to have been talking with FOX about establishing a new wrestling promotion.

    FOX just ended its run on Smackdown after several years, with the network disappointed by the promotion\’s ratings. AEW was in talks for a show on the network, but that fell to the side after AEW ratings slipped over the past year.

    McMahon could have been name and publicity at a discount, but people close to FOX say this isn\’t happening (sources told SEScoops this over the past week. This information has also been reported by other sites). While someone may have entertained the notion as just as an idea at the network, sources close to the network said McMahon is absolutely a no-go, especially after the Grant and Ring Boy suits and the fallout of the Mr. McMahon documentary on Netflix.

    FOX Sports is also mired in is own sex scandal with a former FOX Sports hairdresser suing the company alleging harassment, as well as a former anchor Julie Stewart-Binks accusing executive and (Nick Khan client) Charles Dixon of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

    Warner Bros. Discovery to make hard play for UFC

    Flashback to six months ago. Warner Bros. Discovery failed to match the deal Amazon Prime had made for NBA coverage, moving the league off Turner networks for the first time in ages. WBD challenged the deal in a lawsuit, but to no avail, despite having the best studio team in sports, they had no games to call.

    WBD\’s fortunates changed when the NBA 2024-25 season began in November to historically low ratings. Many blame it on the constant negativity of league alumni and analysts, calling out the league, its players and style of play. The NBA\’s All-Star Weekend was panned, perhaps unfairly, especially in comparison to the NHL\’s Four Nations tournament which featured some of the best hockey in years. Others believe fans haven\’t found a team or player to identify with like the WNBA has in Caitlin Clark or the NFL has with the Kansas City Chiefs. Losing the deal was now a smart move, and now WBD has cash to shop. While it didn\’t happen at the beginning of the season, the ludicrous trade of Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the L.A. Lakers was another blow.

    Since losing the NBA deal, WBD has taken a hard look at luring Ultimate Fighting Championship from ESPN. The deal between ESPN and UFC runs out this year. TKO will be looking for money that rivals ESPN and what WWE got for moving to Netflix, and WBD has money to spend, if you consider the now and not the future, with homes dwindling so quickly among TV nets and cable.

    Major League Baseball and ESPN announced it was ending its deal after the 2025 season, early, after ESPN wanted to pay less for baseball on its network. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he didn\’t want to take less money because it would devalue the league when it tries to negotiate in future deals.

    The problem for the MLB becomes the problem for anyone that\’s off ESPN – losing the prime and biggest sports network. Having a presence on ESPN is bigger than any games they may air and how much they pay. Ask the NHL and NASCAR what life is like after they moved off the network. Studio shows, highlights, online articles tend to disappear for those not doing business with the Mouse and the Worldwide Leader.

    UFC isn\’t exactly in a dynasty of top stars. Ronda Rousey and Anderson Silva aren\’t walking through that door. Neither is Conor McGregor, at least one that\’s a decade younger. Being on ESPN is a great way to ride the waves of stars and draws that affect combat sports and pro wrestling. It\’s the model that has served WWE well at times.

    WBD will offer a lot, but will it be enough? TKO seems to look more at the cash end than celestial TV and cable presence (shareholders afterall). Good luck getting any league to leave ESPN after the bad press MLB got this past week.

    AEW and WWE streaming wars are on different battlefields

    AEW\’s winning the early battle in streaming success since its shows have began airing on the MAX app starting this year, coinciding with its shows on TNT and TBS. While WWE has seen a steady fall from its debut episode. This was predicted in many ways, but the way streamers hold onto their numbers in a dragon sleeper makes it hard to know how well anyone is doing.

    Netflix has a massively global audience, but WWE is putting all of its cards with RAW on the streaming table. AEW has shows on TNT and TBS, which are in around 50 million homes, but adding homes through MAX is more of a zero-sum gain. That\’s if you believe MAX\’s subscription numbers of 72 million in the U.S. and around 100 million worldwide.

    WWE\’s expected audience of 5 million per episode has fallen short many weeks, but it isn\’t reflective of the quality of the show (or the gazillions the company is making), but of the Netflix world in which it lives. Major events will get big algorithm play from Netflix – WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble – but the algorithm becomes a fight between shows dueling it out on search week after week.

    It doesn\’t help WWE that its demographics don\’t match well with the rest of the demos on Netflix. WWE would certainly love to get more of a push from the streamer on its search, but that\’s likely not to happen unless things change at the company. Keep in mind Netflix paid billions for Friends re-runs.

    Does this mean WWE is in trouble? Probably not. They get millions of viewers and WWE carried the last quarter for TKO, not UFC as usually expected. The company is moving into WrestleMania season and it\’s locked in for at least five years, with Netflix having an option for an additional five at with a bigger paycheck for WWE if it takes it on.

    WBD won\’t release numbers on AEW, meaning we have to take their word for it (or we don\’t, release the damn numbers), but says the show is one of the most consistent performing on MAX and rivals the top sports shows, which is interesting since AEW is earmarked as entertainment by the company. It\’s certainly picked up more viewers with millions of more homes available, but the company has to hope its current run of good storytelling and shows continues and it can avoid anymore 2024s.

    A lot can change and WWE\’s biggest skill has been manuevering change in the ever evolving world of the web and streaming.

  • Grant attorneys say Colker, Peak Wellness \’admit\’ to withholding medical records; Vince McMahon paid for doctor

    In a new filing in Connecticut Superior Court on Friday, attorneys for Janel Grant claimed counsel for Dr. Carlon Colker and Peak Wellness admitted Vince McMahon paid for Colker to be her doctor and Peak Wellness withheld her medical records.

    The two claims were part of Grant\’s complaint filed against McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment and John Laurinaitis last year in federal civil court. Grant said McMahon forced her to see Colker, was medicated against her will and wasn\’t given access to her medical records.

    Grant\’s filing was in response to a supplemental filing by Colker\’s attorneys on Wednesday. Colker and Peak Wellness asked Connecticut Superior Court to dismiss Grant\’s bill of discovery complaint stating it didn\’t follow Connecticut state statute because Grant intended to use information from the state discovery to name Colker and Peak Wellness as defendants in her federal civil suit.

    Colker and Peak Wellness said the bill of discovery should also be denied because some of the information gathered by Grant\’s counsel was part of confidential settlement communications.

    In Friday\’s memorandum, Grant\’s attorneys said the settlement communications were null and void once they were disclosed by attorneys for Colker and Peak Wellness on Wednesday. They also disagreed with Colker\’s attorneys on discovery and state law, saying no state statute in Connecitcut keeps discovery in state court from being used in a federal case.

  • New Janel Grant complaint accuses McMahon, WWE of using her \’like commodity;\’ new texts and communications

    Janel Grant, the former World Wrestling Entertainment employee who filed a complaint against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE last year, filed an amended complaint on Friday in Connecticut federal district court.

    The new complaint accused McMahon of using Grant like a \”commodity\” through sex assault and sex trafficking.

    In a press release, attorneys for Grant accused McMahon of the following:

    • \”McMahon sent a text message to Grant, where he fantasized in graphic detail about watching as a group of men are “surrounding” her and leaving her physically “wrecked,” underscoring how he viewed her as a commodity to offer to others.\”
    • \”A text message from McMahon to Ms. Grant where he makes clear that only McMahon has the power to “arrange” Ms. Grant’s sexual encounters.\”  
    • \”An occasion where McMahon video recorded Ms. Grant while nude for Laurinaitis, without Ms. Grant’s knowledge or consent.\” 
    • \”Details about the sham investigation WWE proclaimed to conduct in 2022 after it became public that McMahon signed NDAs with multiple women, in which “investigators” refused to interview Ms. Grant.\”
    • \”The transcript of a voice message from McMahon to Ms. Grant, where he attempts to coerce her into signing an NDA “really f***in’ fast” so he doesn’t get kicked out of his own “f***in’ company.”

    Representatives for Vince McMahon sent SEScoops the following statement from his attorney Jessica T. Rosenberg: \”As expected, the proposed amended complaint is nothing more than the latest publicity stunt in an ongoing smear campaign. It is filled with desperate falsehoods from a team that continues to disregard the law and the truth.”

    The complaint included additional text messages and communications between McMahon and Grant and gave more details on the allegations against McMahon, Laurinaitis and a physical therapist at Peak Wellness. It also included communications with other WWE staff.

    One portion of the complaint said McMahon forced Grant to film material for him to give to Michael Hayes and other WWE employees on the production crew.

    The complaint said a new office, designed with knowledge of WWE execs Nick Khan and Brad Blum, was built for Laurinaitis that gave him an internal door to Grant\’s office. The office was said to be located on the same wall as an office for Paul Levesque.

    It also alleged McMahon could be seen looking at photos of Grant while being filmed for the 2024 Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary.

    \”McMahon recklessly obtained Ms. Grant’s nude photos while being filmed for a documentary and shots of him viewing her nude images aired on Netflix in 2024 for the world to see,\” the complaint said.

    The amended complaint said McMahon had originally violated the non-disclosure agreement signed by him and Grant, accusing McMahon of leaking the information to a media blogger.

    Judge Sarah F. Russell denied Grant\’s motion for a status conference on Jan. 16 and also denied McMahon, WWE and Laurinaitis\’s request to hold a motion for arbitration hearing until after Grant filed her amended complaint.

    SEScoops has reached out to The Ringer, which produced the Mr. McMahon documentary for Netflix for comment.

  • Counsel for Vince McMahon responds to SEScoops article on Janel Grant motion, files opposition motion in federal court

    Representatives for former World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon responded to an SEScoops article published on Monday after counsel for Janel Grant, who is suing McMahon, WWE and John Laurinaitis in federal district court on allegations related to sex crimes, filed a motion for a status conference on Monday.

    Attorneys for McMahon also filed a motion of opposition in Connecticut federal district court, asking the court to deny Grant a status conference and move to an arbitration hearing. Attorneys for WWE, McMahon and Laurinaitis have asked the court to have Grant\’s complaint taken to private arbitration as per her non-disclosure agreement with McMahon, which was signed in 2022.

    McMahon, WWE and Laurinaitis want Grant to argue her case per an arbitration clause in the non-disclosure agreement she signed in 2022.

    Grant\’s counsel said on Monday that their client\’s NDA was one of two for which Vince McMahon was fined and paid restitution for after an investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission finished last week. Grant\’s counsel filed her status conference motion asking the court to meet to organize a schedule and that the plaintiff needed more time to amend its complaint after the SEC investigation finished.

    \”The recent federal investigation resulted in no criminal indictments from the SDNY, while the SEC settlement relates to minor accounting issues at WWE that have nothing to do with this case,\” attorney Jessica T. Rosenberg said in a statement to SEScoops. \”Any claims to the contrary made by Janel Grant’s team are just another desperate PR stunt.”

    In a post on Twitter/X, Grant representative Kendra Barkoff Lamy responded to Rosenberg\’s statement.

    \”(Vince McMahon) is trying to prevent Janel Grant from having her day in court because he doesn’t want the public to see the horrifying evidence of his repeated sexual abuse and trafficking,\” Lamy said.

    SEScoops reached out to prosecutors at the Southern District of New York, where the McMahon criminal investigation was taking place. When asked if the case was still ongoing, a media representative said, \”No comment.\”

    Grant attorney Ann Callis said in a statement to SEScoops on Monday that McMahon has remained under federal investigation after a stay on the civil case expired in December. A federal prosecutor in May requested a stay on the case in May 2024.

    In the opposition motion filed on Monday. McMahon\’s attorneys asked the court to move straight to the arbitration hearing. The motion said Grant\’s counsel had adequate time to amend its complaint during the previous three weeks and it had missed the date filings, according to civil procedure rules.

    \”Plaintiff’s announced plan to file an amended complaint (which she could have done any time in the past three weeks) would not impact the deadline to respond to Defendants’ pending motion and does not necessitate a status conference,\” the motion said.

  • Janel Grant Files Motion in Vince McMahon-WWE Civil Suit in Light of NDA Ruling by SEC

    According to her counsel and a motion filed on Monday in federal district court in Connecticut, one of the non-disclosure agreements Vince McMahon was fined for last week was signed by Janel Grant. This information was part of a motion for status conference that was filed on Monday by Grant\’s attorneys.

    According to a press release last week from the Securities Exchange Commission, McMahon was fined $400,000 and paid over a million in restitution to World Wrestling Entertainment for not properly disclosing two NDAs he had signed. One was an NDA in 2022, which counsel for Grant said was the NDA she signed at the time. The other NDA McMahon was fined for was with a former WWE contractor/wrestler.

    Grant second status conference filing asked the court for a schedule due to the following developments:

    • The new judge in the case
    • No order entered on the docket officially ending the 6-month stay that was requested by federal prosecutors last year
    • Motions by defendants requesting arbitration per the NDA agreement.
    • The SEC ruling on McMahon\’s NDA with Grant.

      Attorneys for Grant planned to amend her complaint by Jan. 15, according to the first motion filed two weeks ago, but asked the court for a schedule in order to consider the SEC fines and charges against McMahon and other developments.

    \”It is clear that the Court\’s guidance is needed to reach consensus on a schedule to move this litigation forward,\” the motion said. \”Plaintiff respectfully requests the Court schedule a status conference at its earliest convenience, and enter an order clarifying that no further submissions are due until the Court instructs otherwise.\”

    In a statement to SEScoops, Grant attorney Ann Callis said the SEC charges against McMahon prove the NDA violated the law.

    “In light of the SEC’s charges proving that the NDA Vince McMahon coerced Ms. Grant into signing violates the law, Ms. Grant has renewed her request for an updated scheduling conference to ensure these new developments are reflected in her complaint and establish a clear schedule to move her case forward,\” Callis said. \”Ms. Grant deserves the opportunity to have her day in court and hold her abusers accountable.\”

    The public information officer for the Southern District of New York Attorneys office wouldn\’t give comment on Monday on the status of the federal criminal investigation into McMahon. A representative for Grant on Monday said her counsel was told in December by federal investigators that the criminal probe into McMahon is still ongoing.

  • Janel Grant to amend lawsuit against Vince McMahon, according to filings

    Attorneys for Janel Grant are amending her lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment, Vince McMahon and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis.

    Ann Callis, an attorney for Grant, sent an email to plantiffs\’ counsel on Dec. 16 stating they would be amending the lawsuit by Jan. 15. The email was included in an exhibit filed with a motion for status conference made on Thursday, Jan. 2.

    Grant filed her initial complaint against McMahon, WWE and Laurinaitis in January 2024. The case was placed in a stay in May for six months at the request of federal prosecutors. According to the Wall Street Journal, McMahon has been under investigation of a federal grand jury in Manhattan for sex assault, rape and sex trafficking.

    \"\"

    In an interview with SEScoops in November, Callis said other women had come forward since Grant filed her lawsuit. She said attorneys were vetting several women and could amend Grant\’s suit to include other alleged victims.

    McMahon and his wife Linda, who is expected to be Donald Trump\’s nominee for the Department of Education post with the Cabinet, were sued in October by five alleged survivors of the 1980s WWF Ring Boy Scandal in Maryland. The civil suit is currently on hold while the Maryland Supreme Court considers whether a state law voiding statute of limitations regarding negligence in sex assault cases is constitutional.

    Attorneys for McMahon re-filed his motion on Dec. 23 to appeal the Grant case to arbitration, per the non-disclosure agreement Grant and McMahon signed.

  • Variety names Tony Khan, Nick Khan, TKO board to its 2024 \’Dealmakers\’ list

    Variety, the long-running magazine covering the entertainment industry, named All-Elite Wrestling owner Tony Khan and several members of WWE parent company TKO, including Nick Khan to its \”Dealmakers 2024\” in an article published on the magazine\’s website on Wednesday.

    Khan, AEW and the TKO board were one of the few non-agency or law firms named to the Dealmakers list this year, which included Audible and several lobbying and entertainment law firms.

    Tony Khan was credited with AEW\’s new three-year deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, five years after the company aired its first show on WBD television.

    In October, five years to the week after Khan launched professional wrestling promotion AEW as a direct competitor to Vince McMahon’s long-dominant WWE, he closed a multi-year media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, worth a reported $185 million a year, that calls for AEW’s shows and events to be broadcast on TBS and TNT and stream on Max. The company is now valued at more than $2 billion, making it the third-most-valuable combat sports company in the world.

    Ain’t bragging if it’s true: “Our new arrangement signifies that AEW will make history as the first professional wrestling promotion to simulcast events weekly on top cable channels and a top streaming platform,” says Khan.

    The article called 2024 a year where \”deals weren\’t as plentiful or as rich, but necessity being the mother of invention, often more innovative.\”

    Longtime World Wrestling Entertainment executive and president Nick Khan, along with fellow TKO executives Ariel Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and Andrew Schleimer, were also named. Variety cited the Endeavor\’s 2023 acquisition of WWE and WWE\’s deal with Netflix.

    Last year, Endeavor merged Ultimate Fighting Championship with World Wrestling Entertainment under the TKO Group Holdings banner. In January 2024, TKO’s leadership quadrumvirate closed a $5.2 billion, 10-year deal to make Netflix the exclusive home of WWE’s flagship show “Raw” in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Latin America and other territories beginning in January 2025. As part of the pact, Netflix will be the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. from that date forward, giving roughly 80% of international territories immediate access to 100% its content, with the rest of the globe filling out their WWE lineups as outstanding deals expire.

    “While the money is extraordinarily important, the downstream impact and ancillary benefits to being with the distributor and just south of 300 million homes globally was something that got us very excited,” says Schleimer.

    Other members of the list included:

    • Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, the second-largest lobbying firm in the U.S.
    • Alter Kendrick and Baron, music lawyers who closed $1 billion in publishing and mater recording acquisitions in 2024.
    • Audible\’s executive team
    • Perry, Plashuk, Lefebvre and Hill of Covington and Burling, law firm specializing in entertainment acquisitions
    • David Wright Tremaine, litigation law firm now advising on major entertainment projects
    • Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb and Dang, entertainment law firm
    • Nina Shaw of Del Shaw Moonves Tnaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb and Dang
    • DLA Piper, Hollywood legal firm
    • Francisco Arias of Fifth Season
    • Fox Rotschild, lawyers and talent reps

    The magazine credited those on the list for maneuvering the economic ups and downs of the streaming bubble, COVID-19 and inflation, as well as strikes by the writers and actors unions.

  • Vince McMahon, WWE, John Laurinaitis federal case moving forward after 6 month stay

    The District Attorney with the Southern District of New York won\’t file an extension of the six-month stay in Janel Grant\’s federal civil suit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and World Wrestling Entertainment.

    Grant filed the suit in January, claiming the defendants of sex trafficking, sex assault and other civil rights violations, as well as violating a non-disclosure agreement.

    Federal prosecutors requested a six-month stay due to possible interference between the case and an ongoing federal grand jury criminal investigation of Vince McMahon that\’s been ongoing since 2023.

    In a statement to SEScoops, attorney Ann Callis said she\’s happy Grant\’s case can proceed while the federal investigation continues.

    \”We are pleased that prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have concluded that they can continue their criminal investigation while we bring forward new evidence in our civil case about the sexual exploitation carried out by Janel Grant’s abusers. For the last six months, Ms. Grant has patiently waited to hold Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE accountable for the sex trafficking and abuse she endured at the company on a near daily basis. Her wait is over, and we now look forward to sharing Ms. Grant’s story.”


  • Can Donald Trump pardon Vince McMahon\’s legal woes away? Some, but, not all of them

    With Donald Trump again president-elect, and Linda McMahon working on his transition team and expected to head the Department of Commerce, wrestling media has broadly speculated that a pardon for Vince McMahon is likely to occur.

    Trump has the power to pardon McMahon, even though he hasn\’t been formally charged or indicted in a federal sexual assault, rape and sex trafficking investigation that\’s been ongoing for over a year, and despite the conflict of interest in Trump\’s relationship with McMahon which has last 40 years and McMahon\’s wife Linda being a former Small Business Administration head in Trump\’s last administration.

    What Trump can\’t do is pardon McMahon from any civil court proceedings, such as the lawsuit filed against him by Janel Grant, or any state or local criminal proceedings. This would include the civil action filed against him, Linda McMahon and TKO in Maryland last month by four survivors of the WWF Ring Boy scandal.

    Why can presidents pardon convicted criminals or those charged with federal crimes?

    Presidents receive pardon powers directly from the U.S. Constitution. In Article II, Section II, the president \”shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.\”

    Pardon power dates back to English common law of mercy, when royalty could pardon certain people sentenced for crimes.

    Presidents can pardon people who have been convicted or are facing federal criminal charges. This is where McMahon enters the picture since he\’s being investigated by the FBI and a federal grand jury in Manhattan for sex crimes.

    Trump could also commute McMahon\’s sentence if he\’s indeed indicted by a federal grand jury and is found guilty in court.

    Trump and his previous pardons

    Pardons are inherently political and many are controversial.

    The most notable pardon in U.S. history, President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon early in his term. Nixon had resigned following the Watergate scandal and was replaced by Ford, the sitting Vice President.

    Ford felt it best to pardon Nixon and not put the country through the trial of a recent president. The pardon and a rough debate performance (Warsaw was in fact, not happy with the Soviet occupation of Poland, Mr. Ford) were key factors in his loss to Jimmy Carter, showing the political damage a pardon could have on the president.

    Some pardons seek to give justice to those who were denied it. This was the case when Trump pardoned Jack Johnson. Johnson became the first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion during the height of Jim Crowe in the early 1900s. He was convicted by an all-white jury in 1913 for violating the Mann Act when he was traveling with his white girlfriend between states, violating a law that forbid traveling with women across states with the intent of \”immoral purposes.\”

    Trump, a boxing fan, had pardoned Johnson with support of actor Sylvester Stallone and after decades of outcry from Civil Rights activitists. The pardoned occurred over 100 years after his conviction.

    Other Trump pardons included people convicted of various drug offenses.

    Charles Kushner, a slumlord and father of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, was sentenced to 24 months in prison in what then U.S. Attorney General Chris Christie called \”one of the most disgusting crimes he had ever prosecuted. Kushhner was convicted after he lured his brother-in-law (who was informing on Kushner to the FBI in a tax-evasion case) to a hotel, hired a prostitute to lure him into sex and recording it in hopes of using it as leverage on his brother-in-law.

    Trump saved most of his pardons for his inner circle of political operatives – Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Michael Flynn had been charged or convicted of various crimes involving acting as international agents or other acts that benefited his campaign. He pardoned the four as he left office with little to no backing to show they deserved being pardoned. All four continue to be involved in his political operations and are part of his inner-circle, unlike the McMahons.

    Can Trump pardon Vince McMahon?

    Yes, and no.

    Trump could pardon McMahon from the criminal investigation he\’s facing in the Southern District of New York.

    Trump cannont pardon McMahon in any state or local criminal cases or from any civil federal cases, like the Janel Grant suit. The Grant suit is currently on a stay at the request of federal investigators. The stay is scheduled to end on Dec. 11.

    Trump cannot pardon businesses or companies. If World Wrestling Entertainment, TKO or any other company were to be charged in a criminal action, Trump couldn\’t pardon the company.

    He also can\’t pardon anyone who has been impeached.

    McMahon pardon could be risky for Trump

    Whether Trump does pardon Vince, the potential fallout from public opinion could be a major factor. Manafort, Bannon, Stone and Flynn were highly controversial figures, but they aren\’t accused of anything as seriuos as McMahon. According to the Wall Street Journal, McMahon is being investigated for sex trafficking, rape and sex assault. Public opinion is powerful and a pardon of McMahon would be extremely controversial, morseso than someone who commited white collar crimes or something related to the election.

    The risk is real. President Bill Clinton pardoned former Wall Street wonderboy Mark Rich during his final day in office. Rich was charged with 51 counts of tax fraud along with numerous other crimes when he fled prosecution and flew to Switzerland. Rich\’s ex-wife had been a large donor to Clinton\’s campaign and his presidential library. The pardon beame the most controversial since Nixon\’s.

    The pardon was heavily criticized by media and politicians in both parties, including President Jimmy Carter, former Clinton associate Terry McAulife and former Clinton campaign manager James Carville. Brookings called the Rich pardon \”the final outrage.\” Rich and other pardons on Clinton\’s last day in office were referred to later as \”Pardongate.\”

    Clinton was investigated for the Rich pardon to see if there was evidence he had been \”bought off\” by Rich\’s ex-wife, but investigators concluded this wasn\’t the case.

    Case law history on Presidential pardon powers, Congressional legislation and the separation of powers

    The interpretation of presidential pardon power is known as \”plenary,\” meaning broad. Trump has much sway with how he issues pardons, but he\’s limited to federal criminal cases.

    Presidential pardons have been revoked – twice. The first occurred in 1869 when outgoing President Johnson issued a pardon (ironically, a case handled in the Southern District of New York, where Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges last year and the same court investigating McMahon) which wasn\’t completed when he left office. Incoming President U.S. Grant revoked the pardon once he came into office.

    President George W. Bush revoked his own pardon in 2008. Bush pardoned Issac Toussie, a New York property and real estate developer who was convicted of mail fraud and making false statements to a government agency. After the pardon, the Bush administration learned Toussie\’s father made a $38,000 donation to the Republican party. After outcry from the media, the pardon – which had been issued but not completed – was revoked by Bush himself.

    It\’s unlikely the Supreme Court would take action to limit Trump\’s pardon power after it ruled earlier this year that Trump had \”absolute immunity\” from criminal prosecutions after he was out of office for actions he took while in the office of the President. The current court, which ended Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision, has taken a broad view on presidential power in other cases.

    This doesn\’t mean Trump couldn\’t face an investigation if there were public pressure and if the circumstnaces around the pardon called for it. The Mark Rich pardon was the case of a president being suspected of being paid for a presidential pardon. He was ultimately cleared.

    Two Supreme Court cases set the broad power standard of the presidential pardon – both date to the post-Civil War era and the Andrew Johnson administration.

    Ex Parte Garland, an 1866 case, a federal law passed by the US after the Civil War required a loyalty oath from any federal court officer stating they had never served with the Confederacy.

    Augustus Garland challenged the law after he received a pardon from President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded President Abraham Lincoln. The ruling stated the loyalty oath law was unconstitutional in a 5-4 decision. The ruling\’s legacy established the president\’s pardon power could occur anytime after a crime had occurred.

    The other key case was U.S. v. Klein in 1871. In 1870, Congress prohibited the president from using a pardon to allow a former member of the Confederacy to claim proceeds from having their property or estate sold. Klein went to court after the death of a relative, asking for the proceeds from the estate. The Supreme Court ruled Congress had no right to limit the president\’s pardon powers and violated the Separation of Powers between the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches.

  • Janel Grant’s Attorney Ann Callis Says More Alleged Victims Have Come Forward (Exclusive)

    Ann Callis, one of the attorneys representing Janel Grant in a civil complaint filed against Vince McMahon the former President of World Wrestling Entertainment in January, said Grant\’s lawsuit against WWE and Vince McMahon has inspired other women in the wrestling industry to come forward with stories of abuse.

    Callis credited Grant with allowing other women in the wrestling industry to reach out.

    \”I can say generally Janel has been courageous in speaking out about her situation,\” Callis said. \”Her hope is she is an example to other people who feel that they are not alone and they can speak out themselves and we have been seeing that. I have had several people contact me and we are doing vetting and going through that process.\”

    Callis said while other women have contacted her following Grant\’s case, her federal civil suit against McMahon, John Laurinaitis and World Wrestling Entertainment is in a stay until December 11. This came after a request was made by the FBI and federal investigators who are looking into McMahon in a separate federal criminal case.

    Callis, who said she couldn\’t talk about Grant\’s NDA specifically, spoke with SEScoops about non-disclosure agreements in general and the impact they\’ve had on people in the work place.

    \”They have been weaponized and I think that\’s why recent laws have been passed in order to protect men and women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted in the workplace,\” Callis said.

    In 2022, the Speak Out Act was passed making it illegal for non-disclosure agreements to prohibit men and women from coming forward if they were sexually harassed or assaulted.

    A year earlier, Congress passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act.

    Callis said these laws don\’t end contracted non-disclosure agreements automatically, but prevent them in the future in cases of NDAs signed at the onset of employment being used to silence someone who allegedly suffered sexual harassment or sexual assault.

    But the new federal laws, as well as state laws, are aimed at protecting employees in these circumstances.

    According to the American Bar Association, 82 percent of employees in the U.S. have signed arbitration agreements with their employers when they fill out paperwork starting a new job. Arbitration agreements are also part of many NDAs in discussing how disagreements should be handled.

    Before the stay was issued in the McMahon civil suit, his counsel as well as Laurinaitis and WWE\’s filed a motion for a hearing to determine whether Grant should be forced to air her grievances in an arbitration hearing in the NDA she signed.

    This type of language isn\’t just in NDAs, but in the fine print of paperwork and contracts signed by employees. Callis said many of these arbitration clauses aren\’t upheld in court and recent legislation, court precendent should make people feel better about their situation if they want to fight in courrt.

    \”When you\’re faced with a multi-national corporation or a multi-billion dollar company, there\’s a lot of road blocks that you will see when you are faced with protecting your children and feeding them,\” Callis said. \”It\’s an unfortunate situation people find themselves in but recent legislation, case law and precednet should make these people feel better about their situation.\”

    Most wrestlers are independent contractors despite meeting many of the conditions of being employees, according to descriptors set by the U.S. Department of Labor.

    \”Some companies want to characterize workers as independent contractors, but it\’s not as clear cut,\” Callis said. \”In many of these instances the courts find they are indeed employees.\”

    Several lawsuits have been filed against WWE and World Championship Wrestling over independent contractor status in the last 24 years.

    While Grant\’s civil case has been under a stay in federal court, she filed a motion for a bill of discovery against Dr. Carlon Colker and his company Peak Wellness in July in Connecticut Superior Court.

    Vince and Linda McMahon, as well as WWE, were named as plaintiffs in a suit filed weeks ago in Maryland by several alleged survivors of the 1980s ring boy scandal. The suit claimed the company and the McMahons were negligent in keeping predators away from children, who were hired as ring boys at the time and later accused WWE employees of sexually assaulting them.

    McMahon, who is no longer affiliated with WWE, was reported to be looking to start a new entertainment company last week. Linda McMahon, despite being named in the Ring Boy lawsuit, is part of Donald Trump\’s 2024 transition team as he prepares to take over the White House in January.

  • Popular online wrestling \’positivity\’ personality providing lessons to Brooklyn HS students

    Since 2021, Ari Berenstein\’s students at Abraham Lincoln High School have prepared for the argumentation unit of their coming English Regents Examination on the question that\’s become an over-arching subject across culture, education, psychology, tecnhology and politics.

    Does the internet have a negative impact on our thinking process?

    A scroll through any social media platform will show you many negative examples. Berenstein, a pro wrestling fan, discovered one positive influence that has changed the thinking of many of his students – Jay Fowler.

    Fowler, who writes under The Great Fowler handle on Twitter, was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation in Jan. 2020 and with only 10 percent heart function. Fowler was given six months to live, but despite close calls with death and many visits to the ER, he\’s survived nearly five years and became famous among pro wrestling fans, wrestlers and wrestling media as the guy who kicked out at 2.9 against The Grim Reaper.

    Fowler gained support on Twitter from some of wrestling\’s biggest names like Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega as the guy who kicked out at 2.9 on the Grim Reaper.

    What made Fowler\’s story standout – he used the contacts and goodwill he received to spread goodwill to others. Whether it\’s helping those in need, or setting up messages and greetings from top wrestling names for kids in need.

    Berenstein wanted a topic for research that would interest his students and work their critical thinking skills. Fowler\’s story immediately came to mind.

    \”One of those research activities goes into the positive aspects of the internet, social media, and the influence it can have on people, especially helping others and \”paying it forward\”,\” Berenstein said. \”Which is something Jay has done with his health situation and how he has helped others in similar moments in their lives. I ask students to choose from a menu of options such as researching different gofundmes or charities. Another option is reading and responding to the article about Jay\’s life and how he became a positive influence on others even amid a difficult and ongoing struggle.\”

    Berenstein learned of Fowler\’s health condition listening to Bryan Alverez and Dave Meltzer\’s Wrestling Observer podcast. He began following Fowler online and became more familiar with his work to push positivity on a more-often-than-not negative platform like Twitter and a notoriously cynical fan base like pro wrestling.

    Berenstein said most of his students aren\’t pro wrestling fans, but it didn\’t stop them from relating to Fowler\’s story.

    \”Students have been very complimentary towards Jay and his story,\” Berenstein said. \”Most students are obviously not into wrestling fandom, but they understand on a basic level that someone is helping others to experience something cool.\”

    Fowler\’s health will be an uphill battle for him the rest of his life. He\’s still faced eviction and finding cash to pay for bills, but he said the struggle has been worth it if it inspires others to do good.

    As part of the assignnment, students in Berenstein\’s class shared their thoughts about his story on Padlet.

    \"\"
    Screenshot
    \"\"
    Screenshot
    \"\"
    Screenshot
    \"\"
    Screenshot
    \"\"
    Screenshot

    Fowler said his own dire situation helped him see the power of good.

    \”That is what makes me feel good,\” Fowler said \”If high school students start looking at things from a better perspective, everyone wins.\”

  • Fact-checking Piers Morgan\’s \’showdown\’ between Phil Muschnick, former WWE employees

    Friday\’s episode of Piers Morgan\’s YouTube show, Uncensored, featured former WWE employees Vince Russo, Charly Arnolt, Maven Huffman and Jonathan Coachman, discussing the current issues facing World Wrestling Entertainment and former owner Vince McMahon in the wake of Netflix\’s Mr. McMahon six-part documentary.

    McMahon is being investigated for criminal charges by a federal grand jury. McMahon, WWE, and former employee John Lauritnaitis are being sued in federal civil court for sex assault, sex trafficking and other complaints by former employee Janel Grant.

    A clip of New York Post sports columnist Phil Muschnick was aired from the documentary, where he criticized McMahon and discussed his coverage of the WWF steroid trial in the 90s.

    Mushnick\’s image immediately drew the ire of several of Morgan\’s guests. They were in for a bigger surprise later.

    Mushnick then appeared as a surprise guest, catching fire from Huffman, Coachman and especially Russo.

    Russo accusing Phil Muschnick of ignoring WWF\’s steroid symposium and testing

    Russo criticized Muschnick before he appeared on air for not covering the WWF steroid symposium that took place after McMahon was found not guilty in the steroid trial. He repeatedly took shots at Mushnick for his lack of coverage.

    Muschnick eventually fired back, stating the man behind the symposium, Dr. Mauro DiPascale, was notorious for teaching how to cheat steroid tests.

    DiPascale ran the WWF\’s drug testing program for several years. He was also involved in programs with the World Bodybuilding Federation and worked with NASCAR. He\’s written several books on what he calls the Anabolic diet.

    One source told SEScoops that rumors of DiPascale\’s showing how to cheat steroid tests were well known throughout the time he was with WWE and beforehand when he was one of the first to write about steroids. Muschnick also wrote about the allegations in 1999 shortly after the death of Owen Hart in his New York Post column.

    Another source said DiPascale was known as the guy to go to in the bodybuilding committee if you wanted to beat steroid tests.

    \”A naive media filed stories portraying McMahon as a leader in the war on drugs,\” Mushcnick wrote in his May 25, 1999 column about his drug testing program coming out of his early 90s steroid trial. \”McMahon that day named his new drug czar: Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale, legendary among body-builders for his writings on how to beat drug tests.\”

    The column mentioned the deaths of Brian Pillman and Rick Rude.

    In a 2019 interview with Bodybuilding.com, DiPascale criticized the medical establishment for how it handled steroids and doctors who felt they weren\’t healthy or didn\’t bring results.

    \”As well, being traditional and conservative by nature, they tend to follow the general moral consensus. If society in general condemns drug use by athletes, then so do they. Unfortunately they also tend to bend the information is such a way as to discourage behavior that they feel is morally or socially unacceptable.\”

    Later in the interview, DiPascale said one of his books, Drugs In Sports, was banned by the Canadian Olympic Committee. The interviewer also said the book was straightforward in showing how to beat drug tests.

    DiPascale said he wrote his book purposely straightforward as an information guide on steroids.

    Coachman, Russo, Maven said they never heard McMahon tell wrestlers to use steroids

    Coachman said he spent more time with McMahon during his time period as his assistant than anyone in the company and never heard him talk about steroids.

    Russo echoed the same point, stating he spent hundreds of hours with McMahon in the writer\’s room and he never heard McMahon say a certain wrestler needed to begin taking steroids if they wanted to keep their job.

    Maven Huffman said he told fans on Instagram that he had taken steroids. He said he was never told to by the company and he said he did it out of his own personal vanity.

    But this doesn\’t mesh at all with what other wrestlers have talked about WWE\’s hard emphasis on the bodybuilder look for years.

    Shortly before he died, Lance Cade (Lane McNaught), said in an interview he was told repeatedly while in OVW by members of talent relations that his work wasn\’t sharp enough to get him called to the roster. Feeling he was being told indirectly that he wasn\’t living up to what the company expected, McNaught said he began taking steroids. He was promoted to the main roster within a few months, and told his work had improved, despite little to no change his ability or his work to himself.

    Shoot interviews are full of wrestlers, especially during the 2000s, telling stories of how they were demoted because \”management\” didn\’t think they had the proper look. Sometimes this was a demotion to developmental \”to get in shape\”, other times wrestlers were put on the bottom of the card or taken off TV. This was common knowledge throughout the company and was talked about incessantly by talent in the company.

    Mushnick calls McMahon a real life Hannibal Lecter

    Mushnick hasn\’t written about the Janel Grant case in the New York Post. He also didn\’t mention it during his segment on Morgan\’s show. He did mention the ring boy scandal of the early 1990s, and referred to it as a \”pedophile ring.\”

    Morgan asked Mushnick how he viewed McMahon, and he said he saw him as a real life version of the fictional Hannibal Lecter, which earned guffaws from several of the WWE supporters during the segment.

    Arnolt was asked if she had witnessed or been treated in a way that matched some of the allegations made against McMahon in his civil case. She said she hadn\’t, hadn\’t seen anything of that nature, but said there was some behavior that she could have taken to human resources, but also knew this was the nature of the wrestling business.

    The lack of discussion about Grant was disappointing considering her lawsuit and the current criminal investigation in New York. More disappointing, was how quickly former WWE employees line up and are willing to fight battles for a company that either dismissed them, treated them badly or harassed them.

    This was disappointing for several reasons. Russo mentioned he immediately left the WWF for WCW when he asked McMahon if he could spend more time at home with his family. McMahon said with the money he was making, he could afford to hire a nanny to raise his kids. He said this was his impetus for getting out of the company.

    Coachman was once the victim of a vile prank by McMahon when he was put in charge of a football pool backstage, then real officers dragged him off and arrested him as a bookie as part of a vicious joke by McMahon. Coachman was also further bullied, but that didn\’t change his attitude when he defended John Layfield behavior bullying announcer Mauro Rannallo when Coachman was working for ESPN.

    Trump, McMahon similarities \’are a positive\’

    Arnolt was asked by Morgan about McMahon and his friendship with presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump. She described them for their speak-first nature, but said they \”shared positive traits.\” Both McMahon and Trump have been accused of sex assault, rape and sexual assault by multiple women.

  • Janel Grant fires back at Vince McMahon\’s doctor, Peak Wellness with new court filing

    Attorneys for Janel Grant filed a memorandum in Connecticut Superior Court on Tuesday in opposition to Dr. Carlon Colker and Peak Wellness to dismiss the bill of discovery complaint she filed in July.

    Grant\’s filing, a memorandum in law in opposition to plaintiff\’s motion to dismiss, challenges several claims in Colker\’s motion.

    Grant\’s memorandum in opposition claims McMahon was in contact with Colker during Grant\’s treatment at Peak Wellness, from Nov. 22, 2019 to April 15, 2022.

    The motion says the bill of discovery is necessary to see if there\’s reason for Grant to file a suit against Colker and Peak Wellness in Connecticut Superior Court. It also reiterates claims from her bill of discovery complaint that Colker and Peak Wellness ignored requests for her electronic medical records and only sent incomplete forms on paper in violation of four different federal laws.

    \”Defendants (and Vince McMahon) have gone to great lengths to block Ms. Grant from accessing these documents relating to her own medical care,\” the statement said.

    Colker\’s motion said. the bill of discovery complaint violated the stay requested by the FBI and other investigators in her civil case, which is paused until December. The judge in the federal civil case denied a motion to stop the bill of discovery complaint in federal court and said the court wasn\’t the correct venue.

    Grant\’s counsel claims Colker\’s attorney\’s motion to dismiss was improperly filed and should have been a motion to strike; that Connecticut Superior Court has jurisdiction to hear the bill of discovery complaint; Grant\’s bill of discovery has probable cause; McMahon, Laurinaitis and WWE are non-parties to the state action; any procedural issues mentioned by Colker\’s counsel weren\’t fact or have been fixed; Colker and Peak Wellness don\’t dispute they were timely notified of the bill of discovery complaint; Connecticut precedent says courts should make every effort to adjudicate Grant\’s action on its claims over procedural matters (Worth v. Picard).

    \”Ms. Grant filed this bill of discovery for the purpose of investigating potential claims of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, fraud, assault, battery, RICO, RICO conspiracy, and/or breach of fiduciary duty against Dr. Colker and Peak Wellness,\” Grant\’s motion said.

    Grant filed the bill of discovery complaint in June claiming Colker and Peak Wellness refused to send her medical records and other information earlier this year for discovery in her federal civil suit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and World Wrestling Entertainment.

    Colker and Peak Wellness filed a motion to dismiss the discovery complaint on Aug. 29 stating the discovery complaint wasn\’t verified under Connecticut General Statute; the complaint is for a federal case and not a Connecticut state case; and Grant\’s motion ignores \”the very different and unique procedures for statutory bills of discovery.\”

    Colker and Peak Wellness counsel sent marshal to serve Grant personally

    Grant\’s motion of opposition states hours after the Federal judge refused to block her bill of discovery, Colker\’s counsel had Grant served personally with their own bill of discovery instead of going through her counsel.

    \”In a move calculated to cause Ms. Grant extreme emotional distress, Defendants sent a marshal to effect personal service of their petition on Ms. Grant at her home, despite knowing she was represented by counsel,\” the motion said.

    Colker and Peak Wellness withdrew its bill of discovery after Grant\’s counsel filed a motion to strike.

    In press release, Grant\’s counsel listed their discovery requests from Peak Wellness and Colker.

    • Ms. Grant’s electronic medical records, including all associated metadata;
    • Dr. Colker and Peak Wellness’ recordkeeping and billing procedures;
    • Payment records relating to Ms. Grant;
    • Dr. Colker and Peak Wellness’ payment arrangements with McMahon and/or WWE;
    • The purpose of Ms. Grant’s prescribed treatments;
    • The substance of Ms. Grant’s prescribed treatments;
    • Any communications between Dr. Colker and McMahon relating to Ms. Grant; and
    • Dr. Colker’s involvement in recommending Ms. Grant’s attorney for negotiation of the purported non-disclosure agreement.

    “Imagine being at your most vulnerable, and the doctor you are told to see only makes you feel worse,” said Ann Callis, attorney for Janel Grant. “Our filing today makes clear that Dr. Colker violated ethical and medical standards when he injected unknown substances into Janel’s body and directed her to take unlabeled pills while dismissing her basic questions about those drugs. Peak Wellness owes Janel Grant answers and the clinic’s secrecy and evasion must come to an end.”

    Callis, attorney Erica Nolan and SKDK firm spokesperson Kendra Barkoff Lemy will have a press call on Tuesday at 11 a.m.