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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# ¿ May 17, 2024 18:20

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

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

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

First domino to fall

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

# ¿ Jan 26, 2024 20:57

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

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

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

Craptacular! posted:

I haven't followed wrestling in a very long time. Is the Wrestlenomics guy credible?
https://wrestlenomics.com/2024/01/26/vince-mcmahon-sex-trafficking-lawsuit-says-other-executives-knew-of-exploitation-can-tko-remove-him/

The articles of incorporation are public knowledge and the analysis is basically in keeping with other things I've read. Whatever state TKO is incorporated in has rules for amending articles so it's all public record. But while I happened to be using a sick day yesterday and could spend it reading the lawsuit I am not today so I won't be the one to look up corporate law in I assume Delaware.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2024 21:41

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

96 BELOW THE WAVE posted:

I decided to read through the court documents after seeing the excerpts being discussed here�I had to tap out. He was orchestrating this from the moment he learned of her existence. Just monstrous levels of grooming, the false vulnerability, constantly pushing her boundaries. All the initial incidents are textbook abuser poo poo, because he has a loving textbook. This was practiced. He has to have done this hundreds of times or more.

The precision of his actions, the fact that he had tried-and-true tactics, that made me sick before I could even get to the text messages.

Everything is horrible about this but after seeing the most disgusting details and going back to read it in order, Vince telling her the only thanks he needed was a hug made me angrier than I'd been all day.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2024 22:47

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

kalensc posted:

MRT, small typo in the OP that is, well, um...

Edit: and thank you and SC64 very much for putting together a comprehensive OP, especially for something so vile and abhorrent, it's awful that it's a necessary resource for casual drive-by wrasslin' fans to see.

I guarantee my brain did that because

Big Coffin Hunter posted:

Like he would disrespect the sanctity of the SEX locker room like that on purpose

I am so used to typing that.

Slim Jim released a statement:

https://twitter.com/iamjohnpollock/status/1751011249737867445

# ¿ Jan 26, 2024 23:41

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

Thankfully WWE is taking this seriously.

https://twitter.com/WrestleTalk_TV/status/1750915023990399134

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 00:38

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

Drakkel posted:

Netflix has the opportunity to do the best thing for wrestling in decades

That three month period between the USA and Netflix deal just got a lot funnier.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 00:54

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

https://twitter.com/BrandonThurston/status/1751044291521073234

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 01:50

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

Since there is a lot of confusion as to who is who in the lawsuit, here is a quick breakdown.

The three named parties in the lawsuit are Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE.

"WWE Superstar" was reported to be Brock Lesnar in the WSJ.

"WWE Corporate Officer No. 1" is described:

quote:

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.�

https://frontofficesports.com/wwe-nick-khan-brad-blum-vince-mcmahon-sex-trafficking-suit reports this is Nick Khan.

"WWE Corporate Officer No. 2" is a high ranking employee but not a board member.

quote:

At all times relevant, �WWE Corporate Officer No. 2� was a high-ranking
employee at WWE who made hiring decisions, conducted prospective employee interviews, and
maintained significant control over personnel decisions. WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 worked
in these capacities during Ms. Grant�s employment with WWE. This individual is referred to
herein as �WWE Corporate Officer No. 2.�

It is reported to be COO Brad Blum.. They are more closely involved than No. 1, handle her hiring, inform Vince of the rumors swirling about the two in 2020, and informs her she will now be reporting to Johnny Ace.

"WWE Corporate Officer No. 3"

quote:

At all times relevant, �WWE Corporate Officer No. 3� was a high-ranking
employee and/or Board member during Ms. Grant�s employment with WWE. This individual is
referred to herein as �WWE Corporate Officer No. 3.�

This is reported to be Stephanie McMahon. This one is trickier because it is someone who appears to be both a board member and an employee, but was not always both. Others have read it as someone who was either or, but I don't think they would be described this way. Stephanie McMahon was a board member the entire period, but was not an employee the entire time as she resigned from the company in May 2022. Frank Riddick became interim CFO for a period and was on the board. They know about the relationship but are not involved in anything nefarious. They come up because they see the victim in a board meeting and invite her to sit near them. Riddick is mentioned by name elsewhere in the document which seems odd if it is him. (He's not mentioned for nefarious reasons just that he's taking over as CFO.)

"WWE Corporate Officer No. 4"

quote:

At all times relevant, �WWE Corporate Officer No. 4� was a high-ranking
employee at WWE who worked with legal affairs at the company. WWE Corporate Officer No.
4 held that position from the time of Ms. Grant�s initial employment with WWE until sometime
in 2020. This individual is referred to herein as �WWE Corporate Officer No. 4.�

This officer is ordered by Vince to hire the victim. and is hostile to her. They were fired in November of 2020. This seems to best match Brian Nurse.

"WWE Employee No. 1" is different from corporate officer No. 1. They are described as

quote:

McMahon informed Ms. Grant that her new
boss, a WWE employee who worked in risk and government relations (referred to herein as �WWE
Employee No. 1�), was a decades-long family friend and confidante, similar in age to McMahon
and one of a small, original group (what McMahon called the �titan family�) who helped the WWE
expand from a regional promotion to a global juggernaut.

quote:

WWE Employee No. 1 was the most
feared figure in the company because WWE Employee No. 1 usually fired employees. Beyond
that, he offered little detail about WWE Employee No. 1�s role at WWE. Instead, he focused on
WWE Employee No. 1�s personal traumas, explaining that similar to Ms. Grant, WWE Employee
No. 1 has no family left after WWE Employee No. 1's spouse passed away and that the McMahons
and WWE were WWE Employee No. 1�s surrogate family.

WWE Employee 1 was nice to her and knew what was going on but rarely in the office which led to her getting projects from. He is speculated to be Rich Hering.

"WWE Employee No. 2"

quote:

As WWE Employee No. 1 was seldom in the office and required little
administrative support, Ms. Grant reported indirectly to another WWE employee within the legal
department (referred to herein as �WWE Employee No. 2�), who provided her with occasional
projects related to Talent appearances and XFL that helped fill Ms. Grant�s time.

This is their only mention. Two Human Resources Employees (No. 1 and No. 2) also receive brief mentions.

"Celebrity Doctor"

quote:

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.�

She is pressured to see Celebrity Doctor who even notes she is unable to make eye contact during visits.

quote:

At the outset of her care with Celebrity Doctor, each session lasted up to one hour.
Ms. Grant would leave feeling exhausted from Celebrity Doctor�s deep dives into her personal and
work life as �a coach� focused on behavioral science

"Physical Therapist"

quote:

In May 2020, McMahon had recruited an individual whom he manipulatively
referred to as his �friend� to engage in a �threesome� with McMahon and Ms. Grant. The �friend�
turned out to be McMahon�s physical therapist at Alternative Clinic and is referred to herein as
�Physical Therapist.�

quote:

On the day of the threesome on May 9, 2020, Ms. Grant showed up to the condo
but reiterated that she did not want to go through with the act. She expressed fear of being thrown
around like a �rag doll� by McMahon and Physical Therapist. After Ms. Grant clearly stated she
wanted to back out, McMahon responded by telling Ms. Grant for the first time that he loved her,
stunning her into silence.

This is the incident that involves feces

"WWE Referee"

quote:

On March 26, 2020, McMahon sent a lengthy message to Ms. Grant describing in
detail the circumstances surrounding sharing explicit photographs of Ms. Grant to a former WWE
referee (referred to herein as �WWE Referee�). McMahon described how WWE Referee left to
masturbate and told Ms. Grant she had made a perfect stranger very happy.

It is unclear if this referee was a former referee when Vince did this or left WWE later. There is at least one referee who was let go in the COVID releases. There is also a forer referee who works in the office now.

MassRafTer fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Mar 11, 2024

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 03:44

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

Coaaab posted:

to be specific, stephanie is mentioned under items 28 & 29, riddick is mentioned under item 122

That is interesting I hadn't noticed Stephanie's name! Either way this person seems like they weren't being evil.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 04:00

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

Dango Bango posted:

Wouldn't this match Brian Nurse better since he was in legal and released in November 2020 as the lawsuit explicitly states?

https://411mania.com/wrestling/two-more-executives-gone-from-wwe/ (I don't have PWI and I'll admit I'm honestly not sure how accurate 411 Mania is. But it's based on WWE's corporate disclosure.)

And if the link is correct, it's especially damning that Brian reported directly to Vince.

You are correct I will edit.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 05:15

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

Edit: nvm

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 05:49

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

Timby posted:

Kevin Dunn was on the Executive Committee of WWE's Board of Directors for a very, very long time in addition to being the EVP of production (it was one of the things that insulated him from Triple H and Steph attempting to execute a putsch against him).

Dunn was off of the board of directors in 2015. He is listed in 2014 filings but not 2015, and not 2019-2022.

I have no idea where Dunn's office was recently but last I heard his office was in the TV studio with his unit and not the 4th floor with the other executives.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 07:09

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

Pylons posted:

Executive 1 is named as a board member, Dunn wasn't on the board. Neither was Carrano, as far as I can tell.

Carrano was definitely not a board member. The board of directors is a not a big group and the number of WWE employees on it at any one given time is very small. 3-4 people.

Here is the board in 2020.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 17:21

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

Craptacular! posted:

Executive 2 wasn't a board member, so that doesn't disqualify Carrano. Dunn has been on the board in the past and this suit puts his selling of stock in 2022 in a new light.

The point is that Vince is a known bullshitter with a specialty in humiliation fiction. Just because Vince says he was sharing porn with someone who matches Mike Chioda's profile does not mean that Twitter should burn Chioda's house down. Some of these unnamed people were not cited to have direct contact with the accuser at all. They just were roped into it because Vince said he was roping them in, but he also said "thousands of people" knows that she's a slutty bad girl as part of his effort to humiliate her and soften her to more abuse.

Dunn was not a member of the board during 2019-2022. He doesn't really fit any of these descriptions.

Your employee board members at any time during that period are

Triple H: 2019-2022 and remains an employee post merger.
Stephanie McMahon: 2019-2022, leaves company pre merger.
Nick Khan: 2020-2022, remains post merger and also on the board post merger (no one is mentioned being a post merger board member, but it might be an irrelevant detail)
Riddick: 2019-2022, but was only an employee for part of this period because he was interim CFO following Barrios and Wilson leaving.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 21:25

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

Tarnop posted:

After seeing you doing the same on twitter I just want to say I appreciate you patiently explaining this stuff to people

It beats thinking about a very rough couple of days (I'm personally ok, just a few deaths that rocked everyone in my circle) in conjunction with the Cuomo case makes it all feel very relevant.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 21:37

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

Majinfoose posted:

I appreciate the work you do MRT, hope you and your homies well

Thankfully my friends are doing ok, just kind of in shock. Probably similar to how wrestlers felt after Jay Briscoe's death, someone who was really well liked in the field and very nice to everyone gone in an instant.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 22:16

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

flashy_mcflash posted:

Sorry to hear, brother. Your friends are lucky to have you.

Big Coffin Hunter posted:

Big hugs to you and everyone for their loss, that's tragic

Thanks all, it's much appreciated.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2024 22:57

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

One thing that feels important to post is that a core argument of the lawsuit is that knowledge of this abuse was widespread in the company and there is a culture of sexual misconduct in WWE. This is not a case about a few bad apples but a company culture that permits it to happen, and based on some of the evidence cheerleads it.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 00:14

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

Craptacular! posted:

None of those people gave their names, but then there was the Chatterton case back in, uh, 88?

What are you talking about?

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 02:54

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

Craptacular! posted:

I'm saying that the anonymous accusations may not carry much weight with people in vacuum, but this has happened before and happened again since.

Anonymous accusations that Vince had to settle for millions of dollars including rushing to settle the Rita and 2011 cases before selling the company? Ones that were reported on in public and would definitely be known to the buyer?

Not to speak of all the other payouts reported by the WSJ that they didn't even mention.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 03:20

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

I'm told people on reddit are demanding Brock Lesnar and Vince be taken out of the video game, have no idea how widespread it is or where but if anyone goes on reddit let us know.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 04:40

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

Ganso Bomb posted:

Yeah, that�s loving vile. Even if there wasn�t an unnamed person who it seemed like was him, to say you haven�t read the lawsuit at all when you�re in the position he�s in is just insane and irresponsible. Just soulless, pathetic, blissful ignorance.

Why would he read what he already knows?

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 06:53

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

I don't think this is going to go well for Triple H.

https://twitter.com/MailOnline/status/1751488505354584076

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 07:26

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

edogawa rando posted:

I keep wondering how long this has been going on for, to be honest. I can't imagine the victim at the centre of this and the hush money scandal was the only one to be treated in this way.

This is one where you can just go back and forth making yourself more depressed. The earlier allegations we have details on were so different but have creepy details that foreshadow the details in this case. The promises made to Rita, the insane staring and arrogance in the Florida case, and the cases we know nothing about... the payment to the former wrestler was so gigantic it seems to imply something truly awful.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2024 23:31

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

Drakkel posted:

Like the guy had a whole support structure helping him. The people at his apartment building, the "celebrity doctor", the entire corporate structure at WWE itself.

And also keep in mind this one case only accounts for like, 3 out of 16 million dollars worth of hush money payments. There's so much more out there that we don't know any details about and for all we know it could be somehow even worse than what we already know.

And that's only what Vince has done, in a company where so many officials have histories of abuse and the company covering for them.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2024 01:47

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

It was always funny when wrestling fans would speak of Jerry McDevitt in hushed tones like he was a supersoldier lawyer.

The Bass article:
https://deadspin.com/how-nicole-bass-was-slut-shamed-by-wwe-during-her-sexua-1821245688

# ¿ Jan 29, 2024 01:57

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

Alan_Shore posted:

Has any ex-WWE wrestler commented on this at all? It's been a few days now and afaik it's been radio silence by everyone. I wouldn't expect any current WWE wrestlers to say anything cos they'd be fired instantly, but others surely...

Lance Storm thinks it's disgusting and that the company needs to clean house of anyone involved.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2024 18:56

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

Majinfoose posted:

Yeah, I was gonna say MRT

I also miss the Monumental Podcast

Wow it's only been a week since the last episode.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2024 20:48

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

Meant to post this here. Not new news but CNN is still a big outlet.

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1752050521135833543

# ¿ Jan 29, 2024 21:09

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

Dawgstar posted:

Man, people are really twisting themselves in knots to make Trips not be Corporate Officer #1.

And they'll wish that was his only liability if any of these news outlets doing articles about the press conference decide to do a little googling and decide to call Luchasaurus or Ryan Nemeth.

Or dig into some of the other poo poo Paul has done.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 00:29

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

Eat This Glob posted:

i know this isn't the paul thread, but the guy is in the family and ostensibly the guy running creative now. would you mind providing a few bullet points of his most grievous sins beyond royally burying chyna?

He hired Bill DeMott to abuse trainees and then covered it up for two years while Bill DeMott abused trainees and let women be fired who complained about being sexually harassed.

For one.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 05:23

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

MJeff posted:

Next time some disingenuous dumbfuck shows up in the main thread to have a cry about how it's just impossible that anybody knew anything bad was happening, throw this post at them.

Goons in this forum were told time and time again that WWE was an organization full of systematic abuse that covered it up at every opportunity, it was just less important than watching Monday Night Raw.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 15:30

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

DeathChicken posted:

I was just thinking the timeframe of the mystery payoff stuff would be around when Ashley Massaro's horrible bullshit happened. Although you'd think that would have come up when she sued ten years later

The wrestler left WWE in 2005 so the timeline doesn't match there.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 17:58

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

BigBallChunkyTime posted:

Oh he absolutely did. Companies don't make $9 billion purchases of other companies without extreme due diligence. They investigated every inch of that company before they bought it.

More specifically, companies don't ignore higher bidders to sell to their friends if they aren't trying to cover their own rear end and protect their power like Vince did, and Ari obliged.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 20:27

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 18:20

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

Pylons posted:

Another interesting bit from Ari Emanuel I had vague recollection of but had to go find again in the wake of this:

That feud with CAA and the Weinstein comments are really going to haunt him. His enemies are going to smell blood in the water and see if they can humiliate him over this.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2024 22:55

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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