Posted in: AEW, Sports, TV | Tagged: Vince McMahon, wrestling

Vince McMahon Sells $250M in Stock Amidst Legal Trouble, New Venture

Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon liquidates quarter-billion in TKO holdings while launching new investment firm 14TH & I amid ongoing sexual misconduct lawsuits.

Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Chairman Vincent K. McMahon has liquidated approximately $250 million worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in a private transaction with Endeavor Group Holdings. The substantial divestiture represents the latest financial maneuver by McMahon as he navigates ongoing legal challenges and establishes a new entertainment enterprise.

According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday and first reported by Variety, McMahon sold 1.579 million shares of TKO's Class A common stock to Endeavor on June 3, 2025, at a per-share price of $158.32. The transaction was consummated the following day. This sale reduces McMahon's holdings in the company he helped create through the 2023 merger of WWE with Endeavor's UFC properties and further distances him from the professional wrestling industry he once ruled with an iron fist.

Following this latest transaction, Endeavor Group Holdings has consolidated its position as the dominant shareholder, now controlling 61.7% of TKO's outstanding stock. Prior to this sale, McMahon maintained approximately 8 million TKO shares as of April 15, 2025, representing a 9.8% economic stake and 4.1% voting power, according to Variety's report. The current divestiture continues a pattern of significant stock liquidations by McMahon, who has now sold more than $2 billion worth of TKO shares since the merger's completion.

The timing of McMahon's latest stock sale coincides with revelations about his new business endeavor. WrestleNomics reported last week that McMahon has established an investment firm called 14TH & I, focusing on sports, media, and entertainment opportunities. Public filings indicate that McMahon registered three limited liability companies in Connecticut on September 20, 2024: 14TH & I Holdings LLC, 14TH & I Investments LLC, and 14TH & I Management LLC.

The nomenclature of McMahon's new venture appears to pay homage to the headquarters of WWE predecessor Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which was the company of Vince McMahon's father, Vincent J. McMahon. That company was possibly founded Vince McMahon's grandfather, patriarch Roderick James "Jess" McMahon Sr., who first brought the McMahon family into the wrestling business over a century ago. Brad Blum, a former WWE executive and longtime McMahon crony, serves as President of 14TH & I.

These business developments unfold against the backdrop of McMahon's ongoing legal challenges. The former WWE Chairman resigned from all positions at WWE and TKO in January 2024 following allegations of sexual assault and trafficking made by former WWE employee Janel Grant in a civil lawsuit. McMahon has categorically denied these allegations.

As Bleeding Cool reported last week, a significant development emerged in the Grant litigation when John Laurinaitis, former WWE head of talent relations and originally a co-defendant, reached a confidential settlement with Grant and agreed to cooperate in providing evidence against McMahon. Laurinaitis's cooperation is a dramatic turn of events given his former position within WWE's executive hierarchy. A joint statement from Grant and Laurenaitis's representatives stated:

John Laurinaitis has agreed to cooperate and provide evidence in Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. 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.

McMahon's attorney, Jessica Rosenberg, responded to the Laurinaitis settlement, stating:

Today's dismissal of John Laurinaitis as a defendant doesn't alter the facts of this case in any way. 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.

Beyond the Grant litigation, McMahon faces additional legal challenges, including a lawsuit filed by eight former ring attendants alleging sexual abuse by a former WWF ring announcer during the 1970s through 1990s, with claims of negligence against both Vince and the current Secretary of Education of the United States, Linda McMahon. It bears noting that McMahon previously paid millions of dollars in settlements to multiple women who accused him of sexual misconduct, revelations that contributed to his resignation from WWE and TKO.

As McMahon continues to divest his holdings in the company he transformed into a global entertainment phenomenon, a professional wrestling industry that has moved on without him watches with detachment to see how his new venture, 14TH & I, will manifest in the sports and entertainment landscape, even as his legal challenges persist through the courts.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!