Folks, it looks like WWE’s legal battles have finally paid off—for the fans who love reading fine print, at least. After much back-and-forth, WWE’s 2023 Royal Rumble agreement with San Antonio is now out in the open, thanks to the company dropping its legal case. And surprise, surprise, the unredacted contract reveals that WWE is not just protective of its superstars—it’s also fiercely territorial when it comes to where they rumble.
According to the legal eagle sleuthing of Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston, the contract’s juicy addendum highlights just how exclusive WWE likes to keep things at the Alamodome. We’re talking seriously exclusive. The venue wasn’t allowed to advertise or host another wrestling event for 90 days before and 60 days after WWE’s Royal Rumble, making sure the competition couldn’t so much as sniff the building. And that’s not all, folks! As long as tickets were on sale for the Royal Rumble, the Alamodome had to pretend other wrestling companies didn’t exist—WWE was the only show in town.
Now, this exclusivity window isn’t a short one, either. With WWE putting tickets on sale months in advance, this lockout essentially lasted longer than a Royal Rumble match itself. So, if you were hoping for some non-WWE wrestling action in San Antonio before or after the Rumble, well, better luck next year!
WWE had gone as far as suing the Texas Attorney General to keep this agreement under wraps, calling it “trade secrets,” but that argument crumbled faster than a poorly executed suplex. The truth is, WWE’s lawyers were probably sweating more over the prospect of competitors getting a glimpse of their tactics than fans seeing behind the curtain.
However, WWE has bigger legal fish to fry. The company, along with former chairman Vince McMahon and former head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, is also entangled in a civil suit involving allegations of emotional and sexual abuse, harassment, and even sex trafficking, made by a former legal assistant, Janel Grant. And just when you thought that was intense enough, the civil case is on pause while the federal government looks into potential criminal charges. Looks like WWE’s legal team will be busy for the foreseeable future.