Vince McMahon, the boss of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), has stepped down from his role as executive chairman of TKO, the parent company of WWE, following sex-trafficking allegations from a former employee.
Janel Grant claims that Mr McMahon and another former executive, John Laurinaitis, sexually assaulted and trafficked her to other men “as a sexual bait to lure wrestling talent”.
Mr McMahon, 78, denied the allegations and said in a statement on Friday that he had decided to resign “out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today”.
He added: “I stand by my prior statement that Ms Grant’s lawsuit is full of lies, obscene fabricated scenarios that never happened, and is a spiteful distortion of the truth.”
In a staff memo obtained by ESPN, WWE president Nick Khan announced that “Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors”.
“He will no longer have a role with TKO Group holdings or WWE.”
Ms Grant, who worked at WWE’s headquarters in Connecticut between 2019 and 2022, accused Mr McMahon and Mr Laurinaitis of trafficking her to other men “as a sexual pawn to entice world-famous wrestling talent”. The BBC could not reach Mr Laurinaitis for comment.
Ms Grant was jobless at the time of meeting Mr McMahon and was dealing with her deceased parent’s bankruptcy.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr McMahon coerced her into a physical relationship, making her promises of a job at WWE.
According to the legal case, Ms Grant felt trapped “in an impossible situation… submitting to Mr McMahon’s sexual demands or facing ruin”.
The lawsuit alleges Mr McMahon “expected and directed Ms Grant to engage in sexual activity at the WWE headquarters, even during working hours”.
She also accuses both defendants of sexually assaulting her at WWE headquarters in Connecticut of June 2021.
Back in 2022, the WWE board launched an investigation over an alleged $3m (£2.5m) settlement between Mr McMahon and an ex-employee with whom he had a consensual affair.
The 78-year-old was replaced as acting chief executive and chairperson by his daughter. In January 2023, he returned as WWE chairperson after the investigation ended.
In Thursday’s legal filing, Ms Grant called the WWE’s special committee investigation “a sham” and accused the company of trying to “sweep the matter under the rug”. She says the committee never contacted her or requested documents from her.
Mr McMahon has overseen WWE’s growth into a media powerhouse whose weekly content is broadcast in more than 180 countries and 30 languages.
Extract from BBC News
