WWE founder Vince McMahon has resigned from parent company TKO Group, a day after a former employee accused him of sexual assault and human trafficking in a recent lawsuit.
In 2022, McMahon announced that he was leaving WWE after an internal investigation found allegations of hush money against a former employee, with McMahon reportedly paying a then-unnamed female WWE lawyer $3 million to keep the “consensual” private affair. After the investigation, he returned to WWE in July 2023.
But on Thursday, the woman — Janel Grant, who was hired into the specially crafted role of “manager-coordinator” in WWE's legal department — filed a lawsuit against McMahon, WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis and of wrestling company that describes years. for alleged sexual assaults.
In a statement issued Friday, McMahon denied the allegations. “I stand by my previous statement that Ms. Grant's lawsuit is full of lies, obscene fabrications that never happened and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” he claimed. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations and look forward to clearing my name.”
“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the outstanding TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and voters, as well as all the employees and Superstars who have helped make WWE the world leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately,” he added.
Among the allegations in the lawsuit are McMahon's demands that Grant make himself sexually available to both himself and Laurinaitis (who is also named in the lawsuit), as well as unnamed “WWE Corporate Officers” and a “WWE Superstar.” Grant also accused McMahon of humiliating her and in one incident, she said Laurinaitis locked her in an office and raped her.
McMahon has been a prominent figure in WWE for decades. He took over the organization in 1982 from his father and founder of the then World Wrestling Federation, Vincent J. McMahon.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/wwe-vince-mcmahon-resigns-tko-1234955501/
