Vince McMahon, the founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), has reportedly resigned from his position as Executive Chairman of TKO - the company formed by Endeavor after the WWE and UFC merger in September.
McMahon has been accused of serious sexual misconduct, including offering a female colleague up to a star wrestler for sex and defecating on her head during a threesome.
Janel Grant, a WWE employee, filed a lawsuit in Connecticut district court on Thursday accusing the 78-year-old businessman of sexual assault, trafficking and physical abuse.
Grant’s lawsuit also includes allegations that McMahon trafficked her to other men inside and outside the company. Other defendants named include John Laurinaitis, the WWE’s former head of talent relations.
Vince McMahon speaks to an audience during a WWE fan appreciation event in 2010. Photo / AP
A spokesman for McMahon said he would “vigorously defend himself” and that the case was “replete with lies”. Laurinaitis has yet to comment on the allegations.
Deadline reported that McMahon resigned from his role at TKO but vowed to fight the allegations.
“I stand by my prior statement that Ms Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said in a statement. “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 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, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.”
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon dangled “career-making and life-changing” promises in front of Grant after the pair were introduced in 2019.
According to the lawsuit, McMahon lived in the same building as Grant and in 2019 offered to get her a job at WWE after her parents died.
‘Sex was requirement of the job’
She alleges that he eventually made it clear that one of the requirements of the job was a physical relationship with him and later with Laurinaitis and others.
Over the next few years, McMahon lavished her with gifts, including an expensive car, the lawsuit says.
(L-R) Wrestler Triple H, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. Chairman Vince McMahon, and wrestlers John Cena and Shawn Michaels pose in the ring during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas & Mack Center in 2009. Photo / Getty Images
The lawsuit alleges that McMahon and Laurinaitis “controlled her continued employment with WWE, and pressured her to engage in sex acts”.
It also alleges that McMahon offered one of his star wrestlers sex with Grant as a perk in 2021. The wrestler was not named in the lawsuit.
McMahon allegedly sent sexually explicit photographs and videos of Grant to other WWE employees.
“Ms Grant was exploited during her time of employment with WWE and was subjected to countless depraved and humiliating acts, which has led to severe and permanent trauma,” the lawsuit said.
Grant claims that in 2020 McMahon defecated on her and “commanded her to continue pleasuring” another man with his faeces on her body.
Ann Callis, Grant’s lawyer, said she wanted to “hold accountable” the executives and WWE, which is the world’s largest and best-known wrestling company.
“She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of McMahon and Laurinaitis. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimised,” Callis said.
Vince McMahon gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo / Getty Images
McMahon co-founded WWE and served on the board of directors from 1980 to September 2023.
He had been the executive chairman of WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, which also owns Ultimate Fighting Championship, since September 2023. Laurinaitis left the company in 2022.
TKO Group released a statement saying it was taking the allegations seriously.
“Mr McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” TKO Group said in a statement. “While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
McMahon stepped back as WWE’s chief executive amid sexual misconduct claims in 2022.
A WWE investigation, which began in April 2022, revolved around the allegation that McMahon paid a secret US$3 million settlement to a former employee he had an affair with, The Wall Street Journal reported.
While the lawsuit did not explicitly name Grant as the former employee, it was reported that in January 2022, McMahon told Grant to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) when his wife discovered their relationship.
Grant was promised payments over several years totalling US$3 million in return for signing the NDA, according to the lawsuit.
WWE commented in June 2022 that it takes “all allegations of misconduct very seriously” and said that it had engaged independent legal services to assist with the review.
In July 2022, the Journal reported that McMahon had paid more than US$12 million to four women to cover up “allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity”.
WWE last week signed an exclusive deal with Netflix to stream WWE Raw, its weekly wrestling show, on the platform from January 2025.
