The professional wrestling world continues to gather its thoughts on Vince McMahon in the midst of his latest lawsuit. This past January, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon, alleging that the former WWE Chairman sexually abused her and sexually trafficked her to co-workers, including former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. This lawsuit builds upon claims put against McMahon in 2022 which unraveled that he had used company funds as hush money payments for various affairs over the years. McMahon has denied the latest allegations, but one of his former top talents sees McMahon’s fingerprints all over the evidence.
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Bret Hart’s Response to Latest Vince McMahon Allegations
Bret Hart recognizes Vince McMahon’s voice.
“They sound like Vince,” Hart told Slate.com when asked about Janel Grant’s text message evidence against McMahon. “I’m going to speak my truth. I’m not worried about Vince’s feelings. He’s never cared about mine.”
Hart wrestled for McMahon for 13 years, emerging as the face of the “New Generation Era.” Positioned as the WWF’s top guy, Hart reigned as WWF Champion numerous times and headlined multiple WrestleManias. Hart and McMahon’s relationship soured after WWF Survivor Series 1997 in the infamous “Montreal Screwjob.” Despite their falling out, Hart and McMahon rekindled their friendship in the 2000s, culminating in Hart returning to the company in a recurring on-screen capacity in 2009. Hart saw McMahon as a “father figure” and even sought comfort from him when he was undergoing cancer surgery in 2016.
Now, Hart cannot look at McMahon in the same way again.
“When you get that vision in your head, you go, ‘That’s messed up.’ It’s too sick and disgusting to really imagine,” Hart said of some of the graphic details of the allegations against McMahon. “I think, despite all of the issues I ever had with Vince, I know, deep down, I always respected him; but now, knowing what kind of a weirdo he became, I have absolutely zero respect for him. I do not think I could ever shake his hand if he extended it. Too creepy.”
The original sexual misconduct investigation cost the aforementioned John Laurinaitis his job. This latest lawsuit led to McMahon resigning from his position as TKO Chairman, effectively dissolving all of his power. From Hart’s perspective, McMahon and Laurinaitis’s downfalls are only just the beginning.
“I don’t think this is the only incident of this kind of predatory behavior,” Hart said. “I think you’ll find that it’s everywhere in [WWE].”
