WWE co-founder, Vince McMahon, resigned on Friday from his position as executive chairman of TKO, WWE’s parent group of the pro wrestling behemoth, following a lawsuit accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Janel Grant, a former employee of World Wrestling Entertainment, filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, the company, and John Laurinaitis, the former head of talent relations, on grounds of emotional abuse, sexual assault, and trafficking.
Grant accused McMahon of forcing her into a “sexual relationship,” sharing graphic images and videos of her with male coworkers, and exposing her to “increasingly depraved sexual demands”—among them, sex sessions with Laurinaitis and others—in a complaint she filed on Thursday in a Connecticut court.
In a statement announcing his retirement from the board of the TKO Group, which also owns the mixed martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Vince McMahon refuted the accusations.
McMahon stated in a statement. that he maintains his earlier assertion that Ms. Grant’s complaint is a spiteful fabrication of events, filled with outlandish fabrications, and full of lies.
Vince assured his admires that he is looking forward to clearing his name and will vigorously defend himself against the unfounded accusations.
Vince added: “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.”
A close friend of Donald Trump, Vince McMahon is a promoter and entrepreneur who has contributed significantly to the success of WWE, a ratings-pushing show.
Following his father’s 1982 purchase of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), McMahon transformed the mediocre organization into a massive entertainment empire.
The league, which changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002, crossed the $1 billion annual sales threshold last year. On Tuesday, Netflix and WWE finalized a $5 billion, ten-year broadcast agreement.
However, McMahon has already faced criticism. In 2022, he announced his resignation as CEO of WWE due to an internal probe into claims he had an affair with a staff member and paid her $3 million to keep it a secret.
As the inquiry proceeded in the face of growing accusations of wrongdoing and payments of millions of dollars to women who had previously been connected to WWE to stay quiet about extramarital affairs and other alleged wrongdoing, his daughter Stephanie McMahon was elected temporary CEO.
