Earlier today a new report from the Wall Street Journal expanded on the allegations made against WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. The original report stated that hush money had been paid to a former WWE employee to keep an affair quiet. That was in the amount of $3 million, but the new report alleges that McMahon actually paid more than $12 million over the past 16 years to keep allegations of sexual misconduct quiet. Fightful Select has released an update on McMahon’s reaction to the original report, saying they’ve been told by a WWE staff member that McMahon’s response to the allegations would often go from “no selling the whole thing” to “being defiant”.
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They then added that after McMahon’s June 17th appearance on TV, he returned to the Gorilla position and shouldered “F*** em!”, which seemed most likely to be a response to the previous reports and allegations. That same source also added that they wish they’d spoken out sooner, and upon publication of the report, Fightful was contacted by multiple WWE staff.
The newest report says that the allegations involve four women, and all were previously affiliated with WWE. The payouts include non-disclosure agreements, which prevent them from “discussing potential legal claims against or their relationships with [Vince McMahon]” according to the documents reviewed by WSJ.
Since then McMahon has stepped down from his role as Chairman and CEO, with his daughter Stephanie McMahon stepping into both roles. Vince still runs both shows and Creative, and he will be on-site for tonight’s SmackDown. You can find Stephanie’s statement on taking over the role below.
“I love this company and am committed to working with the Independent Directors to strengthen our culture and our Company; it is extremely important to me that we have a safe and collaborative workplace,” Stephanie said. “I have committed to doing everything in my power to help the Special Committee complete its work, including marshaling the cooperation of the entire company to assist in the completion of the investigation and to implement its findings.”
