WWE/Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Allegations (CW: Sexual Assault, etc.)

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MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

This thread has been created at the request of the moderators to contain all discussion of the current scandal to one thread. The allegations contained in the lawsuit against Vince McMahon, Johnny Ace/John Laurinaitis and WWE are extremely disturbing and many posters would understandably like to not be confronted with graphic depictions of abuse in unrelated threads. Furthermore, please try to keep this thread civil, there is no need to attack other posters.

Background:

Vince McMahon and WWE in general have a long history of both covering up abuse and allegations of being involved directly. Here is a brief history of cases relating to abuse and assault.

Vince McMahon personally talked Nancy Argentino out of pressing charges against Snuka:
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/jimmy-snuka-girlfriend-nancy-argentino-death

Vince McMahon settled with Rita Chatterton who accused him of sexual assault:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10062356-vince-mcmahon-settles-lawsuit-with-former-wwe-referee-over-1986-rape-allegations

An in-depth look at the Ring Boy Scandal:
https://www.businessinsider.in/poli...ow/78938854.cms

Details on Vince's sexual assault allegations at a tanning salon:
https://deadspin.com/witness-vince-mcmahon-stared-down-groping-accuser-for-1822642014

Beyond these incidents there have been rumors of sexual misconduct and NDAs involving Vince McMahon for years, as well as reports that Johnny Ace's recruiting of female talent was suspect and that the Diva Search was highly fetishistic for executives such as Kevin Dunn. Ashley Massaro also made graphic claims against the company.

In addition 13 women approached the New York times in late 2017 about their treatment but eventually got cold feet due to the reporter's lack of understanding of wrestling.

The Most Recent Case:

June 2022: The Wall Street Journal reports the WWE Board of Directors is probing a $3 MM agreement between Vince McMahon and a female employee who had signed an NDA about a sexual relationship with Vince.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wwe-board-probes-secret-3-million-hush-pact-by-ceo-vince-mcmahon-sources-say-11655322722

The original report stated the victim was in fear and Vince "gave her like a toy" to Johnny Ace. So from the start it was known this was not a consensual relationship, as consensual as a relationship between a billionaire and an employee could ever be. The victim had been promoted and given a 100% pay increase as part of the relationship. "My friend was so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry paid her millions of dollars to shut up" according to a friend of the victim. A WWE spokesman at the time claimed the relationship was consensual.

Vince appeared on Smackdown to show off how bulletproof he was where he was greeted by bowing fans and agreed to step aside as Chairman during the investigation. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/17/media/vince-mcmahon-wwe-comments/index.html

Stephanie McMahon took over as interim CEO. She had previously announced a leave of absence from the company in May of 2022.

July 2022: A second WSJ article is published laying out more payments and NDAs including a $7.5 MM settlement with a former wrestler, in total $12 MM was paid out according to this article.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/wwes-vince-mcmahon-agreed-to-pay-12-million-in-hush-money-to-four-women-11657289742

Vince then retired with Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon being named Co-CEOs.

Later in 2022: More old allegations continued to come out as it was reported a spa manager was planning to file suit against Vince for a previously unreported 2011 sexual assault and that Rita Chatteron was planning to sue as well.

In December rumblings that Vince was planning a return began.

2023:

The Wall Street Journal reports that Vince was planning to return as Executive Chairman with his excuse being the upcoming media rights negotiations.

On January 6th WWE filed with the SEC that Vince, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson were re-appointed to the WWE Board of Directors. Vince then became Executive Chairman on January 10th with Stephanie McMahon announcing her resignation from the company.

It was made clear that WWE was open for business in regards to a possible sale. On April 3rd Endeavor announced a deal that would merge UFC and WWE into a new publicly traded company "TKO" with Endeavor holding 51% ownership. Vince would retain stock in the company and become Executive Chairman.

Federal agents raided Vince McMahon in July and he was subpoenaed as well.

The deal was closed in September of 2023 and soon after it was reported Vince was not involved in day to day business running the company.

In November a lawsuit was filed alleging that Vince McMahon used his control over WWE to orchestrate an unfair sales process which spurned higher offers to sell to Endeavor, run by his longtime friend Ari Emanuel. The suit alleges Vince did so to exclude other bidders who would axe Vince. In TKO's articles of incorporation, Vince cannot be replaced as Executive Chairman unless he dies, resigns or is incapacitated.

quote:

"7.2 Executive Chair. Notwithstanding Section 7.1(b), Vincent K. McMahon shall serve as the Executive Chair of the Board (the �Executive Chair�) until the earliest of his death, resignation or Incapacitation. Any vacancy of the Executive Chair (which, if Mr. McMahon is the initial Executive Chair, shall initially only occur upon the death, resignation or Incapacity of Mr. McMahon) shall be filled by the Board by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors."

2024

This week TKO announced a Raw media rights deal with Netflix and that The Rock was joining the TKO board. Vince McMahon made a public appearance with the rest of the leadership team:

Yesterday, the WSJ published an article about a lawsuit being filed by the victim involved in the NDA which was reported in the original WSJ article.

The most recent WSJ Article in readable format:
https://archive.ph/t5H3A#selection-2665.0-2691.323

The Lawsuit:
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ctd.157647/gov.uscourts.ctd.157647.1.0_1.pdf

The allegations are incredibly disturbing. The victim is named in the lawsuit and article, so these quotes will use her name. It is alleged the company originally outed her name by revealing it to noted scumbag Brad Shepard who then tweeted her name and a photo of an unrelated person with the same name. I am excluding the most graphic depictions which can be found by reading the documents.

Wall Street Journal posted:

Janel Grant, a former employee at WWE�s headquarters, said in a lawsuit filed Thursday that she was abused and sexually exploited by McMahon while he was chief executive. She alleged that McMahon lured her with promises of career advancement, and then he allegedly exploited her and trafficked her to other men inside the company.

She describes how following the death of her parents who she was caring for, she was in need of a job. She was introduced to Vince and Vince offered her a job and then lays out how she was groomed by Vince and Johnny. This involved a level of control that included her doctor.

Lawsuit posted:

McMahon befriended Ms. Grant, giving her hopes of a new life with promises of a
yet-to-be-determined role at WWE, and showering her with attention and assurances, along with
gifts like a VIP experience at WrestleMania. But what seemed like a dream in the Spring of 2019
quickly became a nightmare.

Lawsuit posted:

In November 2019, Ms. Grant informed McMahon that her doctor suggested that
her symptoms stemmed from trauma and ongoing stress. McMahon mocked her: �emotional
trauma my rear end!!�
116. However, on November 20, 2019, McMahon insisted that Ms. Grant see a physician
of his choosing. This physician is referred to herein as �Celebrity Doctor� and the facility that
Celebrity Doctor operated from is referred to herein as �Alternative Clinic.�

Lawsuit posted:

154. On or about December 29, 2020, a threesome was arranged between McMahon,
Laurinaitis, and Ms. Grant at McMahon�s condo � McMahon instructed her to tell Laurinaitis that
she was a neighbor and girlfriend working in the legal field (but not at WWE).
155. Shortly after meeting Laurinaitis, Ms. Grant asked him if she was the first woman
whom McMahon had introduced him to in such a setting. Laurinaitis failed to respond and shot a
look directly at McMahon, who quickly intervened by kissing Ms. Grant and initiating the sexual
encounter amongst the three of them. Once again, Ms. Grant asked for protection; once again, her
request was denied after an assurance that Laurinaitis was �clean.�

Wall Street Journal posted:

Grant alleged that McMahon shared nude photos and explicit videos of her without consent with other WWE employees, unnamed executives and stars, and directed her to have sex with them. The suit cited a July 2020 text that said others at WWE wanted to have sex with her after seeing photos on McMahon�s phone, and the group laughed when he told them, �She may scream and try to say NO!!although it would B difficult to say anything with a c� down her throat.�

Grant alleged that the company diverted attention away from McMahon�s abuse by focusing on the accounting for the payouts. Others at WWE knew about McMahon�s misconduct but worked to conceal the wrongdoing, according to the suit.

Lawsuit posted:

In March 2020, McMahon began sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos
of Ms. Grant (including pornographic content he recorded) with other men both inside and outside
the company, including with members of the television production �tech� team, executive(s),
producer(s), and a world-famous athlete and former UFC Heavyweight Champion with whom
WWE was actively trying to sign to a new contract (and ultimately did sign that contract).

Wall Street Journal posted:

In July 2021, the suit said, McMahon instructed Grant to create personalized sexual content for a WWE superstar that he was trying to re-sign. The suit didn�t name the professional wrestler, but described him as both a UFC fighter and WWE talent. People familiar with the matter identified the wrestler as Brock Lesnar, one of WWE�s biggest names.

Lawsuit posted:

On July 21, 2021, McMahon flew and/or caused WWE Superstar to fly on a jet into
a local airport and travel into Connecticut (across state lines) for what McMahon described to
Ms. Grant as a �business dinner,� as well as a sexual encounter with Ms. Grant in McMahon�s
condo. Upon information and belief, the dinner was to discuss WWE Superstar�s continued
involvement with WWE. Prior to the �business dinner� with McMahon, WWE Superstar made a
brief visit to Ms. Grant�s building. However, WWE Superstar did not return to the building for a
sexual encounter because he was too intoxicated and taken back to the plane.

Wall Street Journal posted:

In May 2021, McMahon allegedly told Grant that her presence in the legal department was holding up the hiring of a new general counsel for the company and thus transferred her to the talent-relations department, reporting to Laurinaitis. McMahon and Laurinaitis started her in a lower-level position but promised that she would soon be promoted to vice president, the suit said.

McMahon controlled her professional and personal lives and subjected her to degradation, according to the suit. In the June 2021 encounter inside the WWE office, the suit said McMahon and Laurinaitis forced themselves on her and took turns restraining her for the other, while saying �No means yes� and �Take it, b�.�

Wall Street Journal posted:

In January 2022, the suit said, McMahon told Grant that his wife, Linda McMahon, had discovered the relationship and he pressured Grant to sign an NDA in exchange for payments. The CEO warned Grant of reputational ruin that included pornographic content he had of her. He paid her about $1 million in February, the suit said, and later stopped making the payments.

Lawsuit posted:

On March 2, 2022, while Ms. Grant was away on a trip to Florida, McMahon called
Ms. Grant to advised that it would probably be the last time she would hear from him and, if she
needed anything, to contact WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 or WWE Corporate Officer No. 2.
Over the course of an approximately half hour call, McMahon lamented both his inability to focus
on the upcoming WrestleMania and how his personal life had blown up over the past few weeks.
Towards the end of their conversation, McMahon and Ms. Grant agreed to resume contact after
WrestleMania. He also instructed Ms. Grant to continue having sexual relations with other men,
including WWE Superstar, in the meantime

Beyond this, the allegations make it clear this was not a secret in the company. Multiple executives, techs, wrestlers and other employees are noted as either being shown photos by Vince, Vince bragging to them or knowing about the relationship in general.

A text from Vince describing how public this was for him:

As noted above, she is instructed to contact two WWE executives after Vince breaks off contact for Wrestlemania.

Especially notable is "WWE Corporate Officer No. 1" as he comes up several times as knowing about the relationship and Vince referring to this person as a point of contact in the cover up.

Lawsuit posted:

At all times relevant, �WWE Corporate Officer No. 1� was a high-ranking
employee and Board member at WWE during Ms. Grant�s employment with WWE. WWE
Corporate Officer No. 1 continued to work in high-ranking positions in connection with the
September 12, 2023, merger. This individual is referred to herein as �WWE Corporate Officer
No. 1.�

Nick Khan, per: https://frontofficesports.com/wwe-nick-khan-brad-blum-vince-mcmahon-sex-trafficking-suit

But here we have a Corporate Officer who is described in a way where it can only be HHH who knew and participated.

The most glaring part of the lawsuit is the claim of sex trafficking.

Lawsuit posted:

WWE knowingly participated in the trafficking described above in violation of
18 U.S.C. �1595 by benefiting from and knowingly facilitating the venture in which McMahon
traveled for WWE affairs across the United States and recruited or enticed females such as Plaintiff
into coerced sexual encounters on the promise of employment with WWE, job security and
advancement.

299. WWE knew, or recklessly disregarded, that it was the practice of McMahon to
entice, recruit, force, and/or coerce women into sexual acts based on the promise of a new life, a
job, an income, job security, and advancement within the WWE, including with respect to Plaintiff.
Alternatively, WWE reasonably should have known of these facts under the circumstances and is
subject to liability pursuant to the civil remedy provision of the TVPA, 18 U.S.C. � 1595(a).

As one would imagine, her trauma did not end with the abuse.

Lawsuit posted:

Indeed, Ms. Grant�s trauma (and ongoing fears of additional retaliation) was so
severe that she required extended inpatient treatment. Today, she lives with so much anxiety and
depression that she is unable to leave her residence for weeks at a time out of fear and PTSD.

To sum it up: She was promised a job, groomed into a sexual relationship which became violent and degrading, and was repeatedly exposed to other people. During the course of the abuse she was forced to travel across state lines (the trafficking) and engage in sex or forced to arrange to engage in sex with people traveling across state lines. She was threatened with exposure and the loss of her income if she did not cooperate and eventually pressured into signing an NDA after Linda McMahon learned of the relationship. Vince then only paid $1 MM of the promised $3 MM.

The relationship was public knowledge in the company and according to Vince McMahon's own text message, celebrated by everyone from the tech crew to wrestlers and executives. Vince refers to rumors within the company about the relationship as early as 2020 with the exit of Barrios and Wilson. Knowledge of the relationship went beyond the company as Vince had involved a physical therapist in three ways and showed pictures to a former WWE referee.

If you read through the filing there are numerous texts from Vince which are graphic, controlling and make it obvious the relationship was not just abusive but monstrously so.

TKO's statement:

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1750628928287330429

A statement by Vince McMahon's spokesman:

quote:

"This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself."

Post with descriptions of who some of the people in the lawsuit

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=0&threadid=4052812&pagenumber=5&perpage=40#post537433118

Summary of the case:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9K_G3VS4Dw

Interview with the victim's attorney:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkMYD19H_oo

The federal government is investigating: https://archive.is/MqbW5

Johnny Ace continues to talk, confirms WWE was aware of Ashley Massaro's claims despite their statement they knew nothing.

https://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1755314848211124626

Corporate Officer 1, 2, & 3 named: https://frontofficesports.com/wwe-nick-khan-brad-blum-vince-mcmahon-sex-trafficking-suit

MassRafTer fucked around with this message at 23:05 on Mar 11, 2024

# ? Jan 26, 2024 19:35

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# ? Apr 30, 2024 19:37

Joey McChrist: Aug 8, 2005

after all of this i have zero issues believing ashley massaros blood is probably on vince's hands

# ? Jan 26, 2024 19:42

Coaaab: Aug 6, 2006; Wish I was there...

Coaaab posted:

if no one else wants to step up and this is the only formal complaint about vince's "proclivities", will this be a matter that'll likely be settled out of court? who does else tko need to answer to before trying to sweep this under the rug?

Professor Funk posted:

It will almost certainly settle. I assume Vince will retain separate counsel from WWE since their interests are not necessarily aligned here. Every defendant will move to dismiss the complaint, which will be a tough motion to win because the Court will assume all of Grant's allegations are true and there are 300ish paragraphs of internally coherent/corroborating claims. Assuming at least Vince loses his MTD, the case will go to discovery and likely settle at some point prior to trial. Unless discovery shows that Grant is full of it (seems very, very, very unlikely), in which case I'm sure Vince would want to take it to trial.

There might be some separate indemnification fight between Vince and TKO/WWE, too.

SatoshiMiwa posted:

It 100% will be settled out of court or if Vince wants to fight it all the way TKO will settle and let Vince fight it.

TKO does have to answer to share holders and they don't like giving money out to settle cases like this so while TKO will try to sweep it under the rug I expect Shareholders will want somebody gone. That will probably be just Vince and they'll say everyone else not directly named is no longer with the company but I could also see TKO using this as an excuse to cut higher level WWE jobs to the bone as well just to reduce costs (and pay lip service to cleaning things up)

okay, thanks for giving me a clearer picture of what will likely happen next to a layman such as myself

i'll be keeping an eye on whatever journalists are keeping up with updates with the suit and don't want the story to be buried. i imagine 95% of wrestling media will be handwaving this story away a week from now, with maybe a few of them even being paid to participate in smear campaigns, lest they lose their precious access

# ? Jan 26, 2024 19:51

AsInHowe: Jan 11, 2007; red winged angel

ESPN sent this push notification to everyone with their app today.

I don't use the app for anything wrestling or MMA related, this wasn't a targeted notification.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ? Jan 26, 2024 19:51

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

Lucifunk posted:

How did Dave Meltzer not hear about any of this over the years?

Dave has hinted at knowledge of relationships such as this one in the past and obviously knew about the public cases. He has probably been more explicit about his knowledge in the past than he is now. Based on the fact that literally dozens of people within the company knew, one must wonder what, if anything he knew about this case before it came out. I believe he said he was unaware but I don't remember and can't check as I am no longer a subscriber. But for the most part he's not going to report something that could get him sued.

However, I can believe it was public knowledge in the company but people wouldn't be telling the dirt sheets because this stuff was seen as "Vince being Vince." The lawsuit cites how the company knew about many previous cases. This wouldn't be notable to the company, just business as usual.

This kind of stuff wasn't a total secret either. There were rumors of Vince having a mistress in Florida during the pandemic. Anyone who wasn't in denial knew his marriage was a business relationship. This stuff wasn't reported but if you were clued in you'd hear about it.

MassRafTer fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Jan 26, 2024

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:01

BigBallChunkyTime: Nov 25, 2011; Kyle Schwarber: World Series hero, Beefy Lad, better than you.; Illegal Hen

If a settlement is what Ms Grant needs for at least a little bit of closure I hope she gets it. But if she wants to drag those motherfuckers publicly and have her day in court I hope she does. But it would likely be years away due to all the legal bullshit WWE would pull.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:05

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

BigBallChunkyTime posted:

If a settlement is what Ms Grant needs for at least a little bit of closure I hope she gets it. But if she wants to drag those motherfuckers publicly and have her day in court I hope she does. But it would likely be years away due to all the legal bullshit WWE would pull.

I would expect a shareholder lawsuit. We got one over the Saudi plane incident and the company even settled that one. We had several over the investigation and now one over the sale. In the very least there is going to be more pressure on the company than just her lawsuit even if the federal investigation stopped with raiding Vince.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:09

SatoshiMiwa: May 6, 2007

BigBallChunkyTime posted:

If a settlement is what Ms Grant needs for at least a little bit of closure I hope she gets it. But if she wants to drag those motherfuckers publicly and have her day in court I hope she does. But it would likely be years away due to all the legal bullshit WWE would pull.

It depends on the case but TKO right feels very much in the Settle any cases that have merit to make them go away mode cause of Cung Le lawsuit. They settled with MLW when they couldn't stop it going to Discovery. I feel they very much will just want this to go away and despite Vince's bluster will probably settle sooner rather than later

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:12

rotinaj: Sep 5, 2008; Fun Shoe

I hope that johnny ace gets accidentally tied by the ankle to the next spacex flight and is shot into space and freezes to death while also being burned alive by the rocket thrusters

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:25

That DICK!: Sep 28, 2010

hosed up man. You know that thing ain�t gettin to space

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:30

rotinaj: Sep 5, 2008; Fun Shoe

That DICK! posted:

hosed up man. You know that thing ain�t gettin to space

i would accept Johnny ace being spread over a large area of southern texas in a uniform manner

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:34

TV Zombie: Sep 6, 2011; Burying all the trauma from past nights
Burying my anger in the past

Is the best one can expect for punishment,for Vince,is that he is fired?

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:40

Big Coffin Hunter: Aug 13, 2005

I hope this company burns to the ground and I hope Vince and everyone has horrible agonizing deaths but I'm too realistic to think any of that will actually happen

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:41

Evil Badman: Aug 19, 2006; Skills include:
EIGHT-FOOT VERTICAL LEAP

Can we have a standing agreement to avoid speculation of other involved parties not named or alluded to in the documents until they're revealed? I don't think we need to start adding people to this mess for failing to make a statement in the first x hours of the news breaking.

Yes, Mick and others should absolutely being making statements, but this situation is incredibly messy at best.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:42

Big Coffin Hunter: Aug 13, 2005

The man poo poo on a woman against her will and kept her there. That is serial killer stuff

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:43

Big Coffin Hunter: Aug 13, 2005

Evil Badman posted:

Can we have a standing agreement to avoid speculation of other involved parties not named or alluded to in the documents until they're revealed? I don't think we need to start adding people to this mess for failing to make a statement in the first x hours of the news breaking.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:43

rotinaj: Sep 5, 2008; Fun Shoe

Evil Badman posted:

Can we have a standing agreement to avoid speculation of other involved parties not named or alluded to in the documents until they're revealed? I don't think we need to start adding people to this mess for failing to make a statement in the first x hours of the news breaking.

Yes, Mick and others should absolutely being making statements, but this situation is incredibly messy at best.

While I personally am not gonna start adding people to the do not fly list yet, I am pretty fuckin� disappointed in a whole shitload of dudes who I thought would be the tiniest bit better than this

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:51

That DICK!: Sep 28, 2010

Evil badman

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:52

BigBallChunkyTime: Nov 25, 2011; Kyle Schwarber: World Series hero, Beefy Lad, better than you.; Illegal Hen

Evil Badman posted:

Can we have a standing agreement to avoid speculation of other involved parties not named or alluded to in the documents until they're revealed? I don't think we need to start adding people to this mess for failing to make a statement in the first x hours of the news breaking.

Yes, Mick and others should absolutely being making statements, but this situation is incredibly messy at best.

Idk, but if it were me I couldn't put out a statement condemning it and distancing myself from the company fast enough.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:54

Astro7x: Aug 4, 2004; Thinks It's All Real

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FV112gTPGc

TV Zombie posted:

Is the best one can expect for punishment,for Vince,is that he is fired?

Vince could easily throw enough money at it to settle the lawsuit and then it's business as usual because he was never convicted of anything and it never goes to court. So best case scenario for Vince is that he is out several million dollar he'll never spend in his lifetime anyway and that's it.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:55

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

First domino to fall

https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1750961318859792855

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:57

That DICK!: Sep 28, 2010

I just saw the bit about Vince McMahon having his assistant pick up and deliver $15,000 in Bloomingdale�s gift cards to the victim. Imagine getting that email, writing it off as a phishing scam and then having it be real

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:58

BigBallChunkyTime: Nov 25, 2011; Kyle Schwarber: World Series hero, Beefy Lad, better than you.; Illegal Hen

TV Zombie posted:

Is the best one can expect for punishment,for Vince,is that he is fired?

I'm not versed in corporate or business law, but from what I've seen and heard, Vince is very well insulated in his position and even with this it would be difficult to force him out.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:58

BigBallChunkyTime: Nov 25, 2011; Kyle Schwarber: World Series hero, Beefy Lad, better than you.; Illegal Hen

MassRafTer posted:

First domino to fall

https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1750961318859792855

This is the best way to get any company to act...hit their bottom line.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:58

That DICK!: Sep 28, 2010

We stan slim jim

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:59

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

TV Zombie posted:

Is the best one can expect for punishment,for Vince,is that he is fired?

The best you can hope for is a federal indictment. He was raided and subpoenaed. It's unlikely!

I would say the best punishment is he doesn't get fired and the company burns around him. Any agreement to get him out of the company will involve a massive financial windfall for him.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:59

I have been out of the loop with watching wrestling or paying attention to wrestling for a while but thank you for the informative OP about this whole monstrous situation. Burn this company to the ground.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 20:59

Evil Badman: Aug 19, 2006; Skills include:
EIGHT-FOOT VERTICAL LEAP

BigBallChunkyTime posted:

Idk, but if it were me I couldn't put out a statement condemning it and distancing myself from the company fast enough.

Oh, 100%.

rotinaj posted:

While I personally am not gonna start adding people to the do not fly list yet, I am pretty fuckin� disappointed in a whole shitload of dudes who I thought would be the tiniest bit better than this

That's pretty much all I'm asking. There's deep scouring of WWE's entrenched shitheads that should be happening.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:01

AsInHowe: Jan 11, 2007; red winged angel

MassRafTer posted:

First domino to fall

https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1750961318859792855

The WWE's biggest legacy sponsor.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:06

rotinaj: Sep 5, 2008; Fun Shoe

Hey remember when Vince tore both of his quads off his legs and must have been in loving agony and also super pissed off at his body daring to show a sign of weakness

I hope it still hurts when the weather changes

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:08

Vince has sex toys he names after professional wrestlers.

Imagine how little dignity you'd have to have to find out that your boss has a sex toy he named after you and then used to assault somebody with, and then continuing to work for him.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:11

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

Apparently internally there's been no meeting or letter sent to all wrestlers unlike the last tine this happened. Just complete radio silence as the world burns.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:13

rotinaj: Sep 5, 2008; Fun Shoe

Lid posted:

Apparently internally there's been no meeting or letter sent to all wrestlers unlike the last tine this happened. Just complete radio silence as the world burns.

Am I going crazy or has that been the case kinda across the board, except for Meltzer? The first thing I have seen from any outlet is a POST wrestling podcast that just downloaded for me.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:14

Hellblazer187: Oct 12, 2003

I assume there's a great deal of scrambling in the legal departments to figure out exactly what to say.

The text messages are so damning.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:17

Craptacular!: Jul 9, 2001; Fuck the DH

I don't know much about Vince outside of the Mr. McMahon character, but what I do know tracks pretty well with the start of that document. Being forever scarred for living eight years in a trailer park and all that. I'm pretty sure one interview or another Vince has suggested that his own mother probably had the hots for him, or some other equally cringe statement that had big "if Ivanka wasn't my daughter I'd be dating her" energy. What's surreal reading through it is how much of the red flags come through due to me being a viewer, as though my understanding of predator signals is informed by watching too many 'Mr. McMahon' segments on the show over too many years which wouldn't come through to this lady who didn't know who he is. All I'm saying is if you're a female viewer, and VKM is giving you hugs and whispering about how good it feels, there's too much truth-in-fiction to not be able to read where that's going.

The mystery of Corporate Executive #2 is interesting as it shows how few figures fans know outside the locker room and board. The closest thing to a high ranking non-board member involved in hiring is Regal, but he's more talent roster/PC stuff similar to JR in the day, who didn't really have time to visit the office with all his commentator duties. Most fitting person among people I'm aware of would be Mark Carrano. Executive #4 (who seemed to know what was going on immediately and didn't like it) is someone who left in the 2020 shuffling. Mark Kowal comes to mind as someone who worked there a long time in similar departments and left that year.

Masturbating Referee's departure from the company lines up with Chioda, but I don't even like insinuating that because even if I can believe Vince wrote those horny texts with awful 4chan writing, remember we're not certain Vince wasn't making poo poo up when he allegedly wrote them. Part of the control and manipulation here is making her feel like everyone in the company sees her as a public prostitute, and so I doubt he was actually talking about her with as many people as he allegedly said he was if he didn't want this to blow up in his face. At one point he's saying "thousands of people" know about her as a sexual conquest, which again feels like he's eroding her self-image with these gangbang fantasies so that being shared by his inner circle of guys we're all familiar with comes easier.

The biggest headache for the company is how well Executive #1 fits Triple H. Feels likely that the company settles so that it ends with Vince and we don't get into the weeds of naming who is who.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:18

rotinaj: Sep 5, 2008; Fun Shoe

Sure, but not just from Wwe/TKO. As has been pointed out, nothing from Austin, foley, undertaker, nothing from AEW, nothing from cultaholic, nothing from wrestletalk, POST just got something up shortly ago�

I was expecting to at least see the first few mentions of this story last night, but it feels like it has been moving agonizingly slowly

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:18

Lid: Feb 18, 2005; And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.

According to Dave there was one directive issued unofficially - lay low, only discuss the Rumble or storylines when spoken to.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:18

magiccarpet: Jan 3, 2005

Are Stridex pads still a thing because

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:19

Hellblazer187 posted:

I assume there's a great deal of scrambling in the legal departments to figure out exactly what to say.

The text messages are so damning.

Maybe I'm a big piece of poo poo for guffawing at this, but the statement from McMahon's lawyers of "This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself" juxtaposed with the text message where Vince is like "all the tech guys were howling with glee at this truthful story I was telling them" made me guffaw.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:20

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# ? Apr 30, 2024 19:37

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

rotinaj posted:

Sure, but not just from Wwe/TKO. As has been pointed out, nothing from Austin, foley, undertaker, nothing from AEW, nothing from cultaholic, nothing from wrestletalk, POST just got something up shortly ago�

I was expecting to at least see the first few mentions of this story last night, but it feels like it has been moving agonizingly slowly

POST was covering it yesterday, the thing in your podcast feed is probably the audio version of a video they posted yesterday. Even the scummiest pro WWE outlets are covering it like Ringside News, and PWI posted this absolutely awful attempt at apologism:

https://twitter.com/GolazoDan/status/1750970492301738272

It's also in ESPN and major outlets.

# ? Jan 26, 2024 21:21

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Hammer House: Stinger Splash Zone > WWE/Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Allegations (CW: Sexual Assault, etc.)

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