Italian soccer giants Juventus and WWE, the heavyweight professional wrestling promotion, have announced a new strategic partnership aimed at expanding their global fanbases.
Under the new multi-year deal, Juventus and WWE will collaborate on a wide range of initiatives, including co-branded merchandise, digital storytelling projects, integrated marketing campaigns, and the opportunity for Juventus players and WWE stars to feature in collaborative content and special events.
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The partnership will aim to connect WWE’s sports entertainment world with the soccer community, with both organizations leveraging their vast international reach to engage younger and digitally native fans.
The partnership was officially launched during last week’s WWE Clash in Italy premium live event in Turin, which saw the first crossover activations between the pair, including WWE star Jey Uso appearing in joint content alongside Juventus mascot Jay, while WWE champion Cody Rhodes was presented with a custom Juventus shirt.
Fans at the event were also able to purchase exclusive WWE x Juventus championship title belts around Turin’s Inalpi Arena.
The partnership builds on WWE’s other European soccer agreements, with Juventus becoming the third club to partner with the entertainment giant after England’s Manchester City and France’s Paris Saint-Germain.
For Juventus, the agreement continues the club’s strategy to increase its general global visibility, as well as recent moves to bolster its commercial partnership portfolio.
This year has seen the club secure major partnerships this year, including with Italy-based banking and financial services firm UniCredit, food and beverage container brand Stanley 1913, and Dutch brewing giant Heineken, among others.
Meanwhile, a scheduled trial involving WWE executives, including Vince McMahon, over the deal to merge the organization with mixed-martial arts promotion UFC through the publicly listed company, TKO Group, has been cancelled.
In 2023, WWE shareholders filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon and other WWE senior leaders including Nick Khan, Paul ‘Triple H’ Lévesque, George Barrios, and Michelle Wilson, with the plaintiffs accusing McMahon of using “his domineering personality and control over WWE” to orchestrate an unfair transaction.
The trial was due to start today (June 8), and last four days, but the listing was removed from the Delaware court calendar on Friday, with Tamara Burton, the Court Administrator for the Delaware Court of Chancery, confirming the trial had been cancelled.
It has not been confirmed whether a settlement between the two parties has been agreed to.
At the time of the filing, the shareholders accused the former WWE chairman of ignoring other offers, including from private equity firm KKR and Liberty Media, which offered better terms to take one that was set up to allow him to regain power within WWE despite the sexual misconduct claims made against him prior to the sale of the company that threatened to lead to his dismissal.
The lawsuit claimed McMahon pushed for a "quick sale" to Endeavor owner Ari Emanuel, a "close friend and longtime ally" of WWE's former chairman, with bidders who wanted to oust McMahon ignored, including two with better cash terms.
The suit seeks to represent all stockholders who cashed out their shares in the merger, claiming breach of contract, and that those who supported McMahon on the WWE board timed negotiations in such a way as to favor the deal with Endeavor.
The suit also argues that the $21 billion price tag undervalued WWE and that "WWE only secured a budget for UFC's current fiscal year rather than insisting on a full set of multi-year projections, as is customary."
