New Allegations Surface in WWE Boss Vince McMahon’s Abuse Case
In a shocking turn of events, The Wall Street Journal has recently uncovered new allegations in the sexual abuse scandal surrounding Vince McMahon, the 78-year-old chief of WWE. McMahon, who has been at the helm of the professional wrestling entity for the past 42 years, faced a temporary retirement in 2022 when it was revealed that his company had paid out $14.6 million in hush money to victims of his serial abuse. However, McMahon managed to make a comeback and regain power, sidelining his own daughter and CEO, Stephanie McMahon, in the process.
To add to the intrigue, McMahon sold WWE to the Endeavor Group, which had previously acquired the mixed martial arts group UFC. The combined company is now known as TKO Group and is led by Ari Emanuel, brother of former Bill Clinton aide and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The history of McMahon’s scandals and controversies is not new. Irvin Muchnick, an investigative journalist and author, has extensively reported on WWE’s sex and drug scandals over the years. In his 2007 book “Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drug, Sex, Death, and Scandal,” Muchnick delved into the dark side of professional wrestling. He followed up with another book in 2009 titled “Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death,” shedding light on the tragic events surrounding wrestler Chris Benoit.
In 2022, Muchnick wrote an article focusing on McMahon’s close ties to former President Donald Trump. McMahon and his wife Linda McMahon, who served in the Trump administration, were the largest donors to the now-defunct Donald J. Trump Foundation. Their support was seen as a reward for Trump’s involvement in a WWE event called “The Battle of the Billionaires,” which garnered record-breaking pay-per-view numbers.
McMahon’s circle of associates also included Rudy Giuliani, who officiated the wedding of Marty Bergman and Laura Brevetti. Bergman, investigated but never charged, was accused of tampering with testimony during McMahon’s 1994 trial on steroid-trafficking charges. Brevetti, McMahon’s defense attorney, successfully secured a jury acquittal for him.
The recent civil lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant takes the allegations against McMahon to a whole new level. Grant claims to have been one of the recipients of McMahon’s hush money, but she alleges that she only received a fraction of the agreed-upon amount. She is now seeking to have the nondisclosure agreement voided and is demanding additional damages.
The lawsuit paints a disturbing picture of McMahon’s behavior, with explicit details and text messages allegedly written by McMahon himself. One particularly shocking anecdote describes McMahon defecating during a threesome, with Grant’s hair allegedly being smeared with excrement.
Alongside McMahon, the lawsuit also names the company and its former executive John Laurinaitis as defendants. Another disturbing allegation in the complaint suggests that McMahon arranged for Grant to have sex with an unidentified “WWE Superstar” as an inducement during the wrestler’s recruitment process after their stint in UFC. Speculation among wrestling analysts points to Brock Lesnar as the potential superstar involved.
Vince McMahon’s story is a testament to the saying, “There’s no business like show business.” As the scandal continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how this will impact the future of WWE and its reputation in the world of professional wrestling.
Read more from Irvin Muchnick on the dark side of sports.
