Wrestling legend Vince McMahon resigned Friday from WWE’s parent company, the day after a former employee filed a federal complaint accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct, including giving her to a famous wrestler for sex. According to a statement posted late Friday, McMahon has stepped down as executive chairman of the board of directors at WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings. Following Janel Grant’s lawsuit, he continued to deny any wrongdoing.
The suit alleges that McMahon, now 78, pushed Grant into a sexual connection for her to get and keep a job and that he distributed pornographic images and films of her to other men, including other WWE workers. The Associated Press normally does not name accusers in sexual assault cases, but Grant’s representatives said she wanted to go public. Her lawyer declined to comment on Friday. McMahon stated that he was leaving the board “out of respect” for WWE and the TKO Group.
“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,” he said in the statement. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”
McMahon stepped down as WWE CEO in 2022 during an investigation into claims
McMahon stepped down as WWE CEO in 2022 during an investigation into claims similar to those in the case, which was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, where WWE is based. McMahon was WWE’s leader and most famous face for decades. When he purchased the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, wrestling matches were held in modest venues and shown on local cable networks. WWE contests are now staged in professional sports arenas, and the company has a considerable international fanbase.
WWE merged with the firm that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship last April to form TKO Group Holdings, a $21.4 billion sports entertainment corporation, and McMahon remained as its executive chairman of the board until Friday. The TKO Group spokeswoman forwarded media inquiries concerning McMahon’s resignation to his statement. Deadline originally reported that he was stepping down. “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” TKO Group said earlier this week. “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.”
Grant also names WWE and John Laurinaitis, an ex-pro wrestler who was the company’s former head of talent relations and general manager, as defendants in the case. WWE and Laurinaitis did not respond to calls for comment Friday. According to the lawsuit, McMahon lived in the same building as Grant and offered her a position at WWE in 2019 when her parents passed away. She claims that he ultimately made it apparent that one of the work conditions was a physical relationship with him, followed by Laurinaitis and others.
Grant is seeking unspecified monetary damages and to have the court void a $3 million nondisclosure agreement
Over the next few years, McMahon lavished her with gifts including a luxury car, the suit says. It also alleges that McMahon offered one of his star wrestlers — a person not named in the lawsuit — sex with Grant as a perk in 2021. “WWE benefited financially from the commercial sex act venture orchestrated by McMahon, including by having wrestling talent, such as WWE Superstar, sign new contracts with WWE after McMahon presented Plaintiff as a sexual commodity for their use,” the lawsuit states.
Grant is seeking unspecified monetary damages and to have the court void a $3 million nondisclosure agreement, of which she alleges she received only $1 million. “Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized,” her attorney, Ann Callis, said in a statement Thursday. “The organization is well aware of Mr McMahon’s history of depraved behaviour, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”