Audio Released of Ari Emanuel’s 2022 Offer to Vince McMahon of Legal Help Amid Federal Investigations Into McMahon

As noted before, a Federal investigation into former WWE and TKO Executive Chairman Vince McMahon regarding allegations of him committing sexual abuse and paying off women with secret “hush money” NDAs settlement deals had been dropped by February of 2025. This investigation had started in 2022 following McMahon’s initial resignation from WWE over the allegations against him. McMahon would eventually return to WWE in early 2023 and sale of the company to Endeavor in April of 2023.

Post Wrestling and Wrestlenomics Brandon Thurston reported that he recently had acquired audio files of conversations TKO CEO Ari Emanuel had with McMahon in 2022.

Thurston reported that this audio is from two messages Emanuel had sent to McMahon in September of 2022, which is after McMahon had retired from WWE following an investigation of sexual misconduct and sercet hush money payments.

In a voice message sent on September 16, 2022, Emanuel stated:

“I spoke to my lawyer from Latham,” Emanuel said, referring to top-tier law firm Latham & Watkins, which often served as Endeavor’s outside counsel. “Just FYI, everybody at the DOJ is former Latham lawyers. So on that side, it will be helpful. SEC, of course, is SEC, but that’s just the penalty. As it relates to everything else, yes, we can indemnify you, and we will. If it’s criminal, of course, you can’t stop criminal, but this is not criminal. Call me when you get a chance.”

In a second voice message sent on September 19, Emanuel stated to McMahon:

“I really do think that we all need to get together and talk through all the issues, because I think whether it be the DOJ or anything, there’s ways around this to figure this out, and I don’t know what, you know, you’re hearing or thinking. So give me a call if you have five seconds.”

Thurston reported that McMahon sent a voice message on December 13, 2022 to Jeff Sine, who is a banker from The Raine Group and had avised McMahon and WWE on the TKO merger deal. In the message, McMahon stated:

“Hey, Jeff. It’s 10:13 [p.m.]. Very good meeting with Ari and company. And I think and probably the best thing to do is to go forward with the deal with Ari. It solves a lot of problems. I, you know, again, together, I think it’s a stronger situation than either one of us on our own. But I’m pretty sure that’s the way I want to go now. It’s easier, faster and all that kind of stuff. So, let’s talk in the morning, and I didn’t commit to Ari, but let’s talk in the morning, and, and go. [Laughs.] Jeff, thank you so much. Sorry to call so late.”

WWE’s sale deal with Endeavor and merger with UFC to form TKO Group was officially announced in April of 2023.

This sale to Endeavor previously was the focus of a lawsuit filed by WWE shareholders in November of 2023 against McMahon over claims that McMahon had engaged in a “sham sale process” in favor of Endeavor. This lawsuit was settled this past June shortly before it had been scheduled to go to trial.