LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 08: WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon speaks at a news conference announcing the WWE Network at the 2014 International CES at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on January 8, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The network will launch on February 24, 2014 as the first-ever 24/7 streaming network, offering both scheduled programs and video on demand. The USD 9.99 per month subscription will include access to all 12 live WWE pay-per-view events each year. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 10 and is expected to feature 3,200 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 150,000 attendees. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
WWE co-founder Vince McMahon has been accused of sexual assault and trafficking in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant. The lawsuit is against McMahon, the company and a former WWE executive.
Grant revealed texts as evidence in the case, which allegedly show McMahon telling highly explicit stories in which he offered to sex traffic her to other WWE executives.
The texts are just one of many bombshell allegations being made by Grant, who also claims that McMahon defecated on her head during a threesome in 2020 and abused her, sometimes drawing blood or bruising her, with sex toys named after WWE wrestlers. There are also texts in which McMahon claimed ownership and control over Grant.
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The lawsuit was filed in Connecticut on Thursday, seven months after the Wall Street Journal reported that WWE was investigating a $3 million payment McMahon allegedly made to silence a former female employee. Grant claims that she received one $1 million payment and nothing thereafter. McMahon’s payments later became a federal investigation when law enforcement issued a subpoena in August 2023. In all, further probing has revealed that McMahon paid nearly $15 million to various women between 2006 and 2022.
Though McMahon has largely been ousted as an on-air and creative presence in WWE, he remains an executive chairman for TKO Group Holdings, WWE’s parent company. TKO released a statement Thursday in response to the lawsuit.
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” the statement said. “While this matter pre-dates 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 has not yet responded to the lawsuit directly but has repeatedly affirmed his innocence during earlier stages of the investigation into the matter. McMahon’s family, which still has significant influence in WWE, has not yet issued a statement. The Royal Rumble, an annual WWE pay-per-view event McMahon began in 1988, will air this weekend.
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