World Wrestling Entertainment Inc was sued on Tuesday by a smaller rival that accused it of violating federal antitrust law by monopolizing the professional wrestling market. MLW Media LLC accused WWE and its Chief Executive Vince McMahon of threatening content partners for doing business with MLW, to help protect its 85 percent share of the U.S. market for professional wrestling broadcasting rights. The Mamaroneck, New York-based plaintiff said WWE’s interference in 2021 caused Vice TV to end talks to air new MLW content, and led to a 40 percent drop in ticket sales after Fox Corp’s Tubi streaming service abandoned a licensing agreement the night before it was to be publicly announced. MLW also accused Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE of inducing MLW wrestlers to break exclusive contracts and airing MLW footage without permission, to combat a five-year decline in the popularity of its own programs. WWE’s “pattern of predatory and exclusionary …