That’s Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment Executive Vice President and General Counsel Edward L. Kaufman (Government and Foreign Affairs ’81) at WWE headquarters. At his side, WWE Superstar Triple H displays the appeal that’s generated millions for the global entertainment company.
Photo by Leslye Smith

Ed Kaufman grew up wrestling with his brother in suburban New Jersey. In college, he threw the smackdown on his fraternity brothers at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house.

So it should come as no surprise that Kaufman (Government and Foreign Affairs ’81) ended up as executive vice president and general counsel of World Wrestling Entertainment, which launched the careers of such take-it-to-the-mat celebrities as Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who paved the way for today’s champions Batista and Steve Orton.

After receiving his law degree from Stanford in 1984, Kaufman eventually found himself handling employee and labor relations for NBC’s West Coast operations followed by tenure at Hanna-Barbara Inc. In 1997, Kaufman, 48, joined WWE (formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation), and built its in-house legal department from a one-man band into a 13-member staff. The Stamford, Conn.-based firm’s activities include not only its familiar live and taped entertainment but also merchandise, digital media and films—and the legal department oversees the deals, everything from talent contracts and licensing agreements, to pay-per-view rights, intellectual property and international accords.

In 2000, the company went public and, despite doping controversies, continues to generate big dollars with programming distributed to 100 countries in 13 languages, in addition to its other businesses. In November, WWE programming pushed USA Network’s ratings to second-place among ad-supported cable networks, according to Mediaweek, and the company’s European tour was one of its most successful ever.

“It’s been an incredible, incredible experience,” says Kaufman.