Warning: The next story accommodates accounts of alleged sexual abuse.
A recent spherical of allegations in opposition to former WWE CEO and patriarch Vince McMahon proceed to not solely underscore the damaged tradition that existed inside skilled wrestling’s largest firm, but in addition the beautiful silence coming from these in positions of energy now.
5 people named as “John Does 1-5” filed a lawsuit in opposition to Vincent Okay. McMahon, Linda McMahon, and WWE dad or mum firm TKO Group Holdings, Inc. alleging the events knew of systemic grooming and sexual abuse of teenage boys employed by the corporate as “Ring Boys” within the Eighties and 90s to run errands and arrange the world previous to occasions. The go well with names former announcer and ring chief Melvin Phillips Jr. as the first perpetrator, concentrating on boys from damaged properties to rent, groom, and sexually abuse whereas able of energy throughout the firm.
The go well with alleges that Vince and Linda McMahon, in addition to different individuals inside WWE have been conscious of the abuse, which occurred backstage at wrestling reveals in addition to at company-booked lodges, however did nothing to cease Phillips’ actions. It provides that the plaintiffs beforehand have been unaware that the McMahons and others knew of the abuse, however discovered from the pending lawsuit in opposition to Vince from Janelle Grant, in addition to different media surrounding McMahon’s exit from WWE that they certainly had data of the abuse of ring boys because it was occurring.
We’re left, but once more, with a case instantly implicating the WWE as an entity, however with no acknowledgment from WWE or TKO itself — who haven’t issued an announcement on the most recent lawsuit. This follows a sample of conduct through which decision-makers inside the corporate have been content material to absolve the corporate of any wrongdoing, pin it on Vince McMahon solely, with none proof of actions taken to forestall sexual abuse.
In June of 2022 an inner investigation was opened into Vince McMahon after it was revealed he made $19.6M in undisclosed funds to settle sexual misconduct allegations that befell between 2006 and 2022. Particulars of this investigation have been by no means made public.
In January of 2023 a former WWE worker Janel Grant filed a lawsuit alleging that she was sexually abused and sexually trafficked from 2019 to 2022 by McMahon, WWE government John Laurinaitis, and a former WWE/UFC performer.
In February of 2024 the FBI opened a federal investigation into McMahon for “rape, intercourse trafficking, sexual assault, business intercourse transaction, harassment or discrimination” of former WWE staff — figuring out a referee, a contractor, and a wrestler as a part of the investigation. These actions are believed to have taken place between 1992 and 2022.
Now there’s the ring boy lawsuit, which continues to spotlight a sample of conduct which didn’t merely exist within the Eighties and early-90s in isolation, however fairly underscores over 30 years of constant allegations in opposition to McMahon and WWE by extension.
It’s right here the place the silence from WWE is unacceptable and alarming. Whereas no person doubts that Vince McMahon was the nexus of those claims, it’s extraordinarily unsettling that there are individuals in positions of energy who’re instantly associated to McMahon, or who have been employed by the corporate through the time interval many of those allegations occurred. All of whom have remained freed from any questioning or scrutiny.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque is WWE’s present chief content material officer, son-in-law of Vince McMahon and husband of Stephanie McMahon who was chief model officer of WWE from 2013-2022, in addition to interim CEO and Chairwoman of the corporate.
Levesque was routinely recognized as inheritor obvious to McMahon, and appeared poised for a takeover of the corporate when his father-in-law retired. This means a degree of information of the high-level workings of the corporate which make it troublesome to consider he was utterly unaware of any of the allegations throughout his time as an government. That is underscored by the very fact no person at WWE is acknowledging these fits, elevating questions on their management’s transparency as a publicly traded firm.
There must be a major investigation and audit of WWE’s office practices with a scope past Vince McMahon. Buyers and followers of the corporate ought to trust that these lawsuits and allegations don’t implicate anybody at the moment in a management function. We’re speaking the very most elementary tenets of moral apply, however because it stands the corporate continues to place all the things on McMahon as a monolith and play dumb in the case of dialogue of the office surroundings that prolonged past him.
It’s unacceptable, and WWE ought to do higher.
