Even with Vince McMahon gone, the culture must change within WWE

Vince McMahon is gone from WWE, but that’s only the first of many changes needed.

Vince McMahon has been no stranger to controversy. 

He has been indicted by the federal government, sued for the wrongful death of one of his wrestlers and accused of sexual assault and the misuse of company funds to pay multiple women in exchange for their silence about their personal relationships with him.

That is why it was no surprise that Vince McMahon was listed as one of the many “Risk Factors” facing TKO, the shell company comprised of WWE and UFC, in its filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“The special committee of independent members of WWE’s Board of Directors’ investigation into allegations of misconduct by Mr. McMahon, and any further allegations and investigations may have an adverse financial and operational impact on our business performance,” it reads, indicating that the company knew full well with whom it was forging a business partnership.

Not even six months after the paperwork was filed, TKO’s fears were confirmed. 

Jan. 25, 2024 will be a date that will live in wrestling infamy, as the Wall Street Journal published a story about a lawsuit that was filed against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. The allegations within the lawsuit, which features vivid details and text messages, filed on behalf of plaintiff Janel Grant are quite frankly disgusting and disturbing (MAJOR trigger warning to anyone who decides to read it), and include accusations of sexual assault and sex trafficking.

The lawsuit and the negative press that followed resulted in Vince McMahon’s resignation from all roles within TKO, removing all professional connections with WWE, the company he grew into a worldwide juggernaut.

It will serve as a fitting end for someone who used WWE as leverage against so many others — wrestlers, backstage talent, office workers — just to have it taken away from him. In reality, he was the person who needed WWE the most. 

WWE was the source of Vince McMahon’s power, which he wielded with little to no regard for the well-being of others. And while Grant’s allegations are currently just that, they are in line with the numerous experiences people have publicly revealed.

For example his own daughter, Stephanie McMahon, once disclosed on camera — during a WWE production no less— that her father once pitched the idea for her to take part in a story in which McMahon would be revealed as the father of Stephanie’s unborn child. Stephanie McMahon said she emphatically rejected the idea.

If even a portion of what has been alleged in that lawsuit is true, the only option was for McMahon to leave WWE and begin a life far from the bright lights and the adoration of wrestling fans that grew up watching his product.

However, this is not over.

Yes, McMahon, the source of all these issues, is seemingly gone for good this time. But as TKO’s own SEC filing suggests, others were aware of Vince McMahon’s past improprieties and understood how much harm they could cause the company. 

Despite this, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel said that he insisted Vince McMahon be part of the new company and that he would have “body-slammed” the wrestling promoter if he thought about doing otherwise.

In addition to the vile things that McMahon is alleged to have done to Grant personally, just as troubling was that the relationship was essentially an open secret around the company and that it was known to be emotionally, psychologically, and often physically abusive.

“WWE knew of McMahon’s illegal conduct and did nothing to stop it. This is self-evident from the numerous executive level and board members who were privy to McMahon’s involvement with Ms. Grant, as well as his prior incidents involving sexual misconduct,” the filing says.

Someone identified in the lawsuit as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 1” apparently knew of Grant before they had even met, despite them working in separate buildings and Grant working in an entry-level position, which was unusual, according to the lawsuit.

McMahon allegedly told Grant that he discussed their relationship with both “WWE Corporate Officer No. 1” and another person identified as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 2.”

“McMahon continued this conversation by detailing to Ms. Grant that they had expressed concern but were ultimately supportive. McMahon also advised Ms. Grant that one or both of WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 and/or WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 inquired whether Ms. Grant could be trusted, and that McMahon offered assurances that Ms. Grant would not do something to hurt the WWE,” the lawsuit alleges.

“To further illustrate knowledge of the culture of sexual misconduct at WWE, top level executives not only failed to properly investigate abuse, but also compounded Ms. Grant’s suffering by making public statements that trivialized the harm perpetrated upon her.”

Grant’s relationship with Vince McMahon was allegedly bandied about as mere watercooler talk, according to the lawsuit. One person in particular, known in the lawsuit as “WWE Employee No. 1,” was accused of frequently making jokes about Grant and McMahon’s relationship around the office.

“WWE Employee No. 1 was a lively individual who frequently regaled the legal department with stories of others at WWE. If McMahon’s name was mentioned, WWE Employee No. 1 would turn to Ms. Grant with a smile, a finger point, and/or a comment that drew attention to her connection to McMahon – such as, ‘She knows what I’m talking about.’”

Then you have the story of the person identified as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 4,” who was also privy to Grant and McMahon’s relationship and began to treat Grant differently because of it, further isolating Grant during a time where she was in desperate need of support.

“Based on her hiring alone, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 was on notice that there was something different about Ms. Grant; namely, her connection to McMahon. As Ms. Grant feared (and had expressed to McMahon), she was unhappy that a spotlight was unnecessarily put on her before she ever set foot in the office. Ms. Grant immediately noticed that WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 was warm with other colleagues but cold towards her.

Beginning in July 2019, after Ms. Grant raised an issue related to XFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy with McMahon, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4’s behavior shifted from cold to actively hostile. If Ms. Grant walked into a room while WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 was laughing with colleagues, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4’s expression immediately became blank and WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 would walk away. If WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 and Ms. Grant walked towards each other in a hallway, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 stopped and changed directions. Colleagues noticed this shift in behavior; while some commented on it to Ms. Grant, others emulated it.”

And there are more culpable parties, including the members of the company that were allegedly willing participants (Laurinaitis and Brock Lesnar) or others who yearned to become one.

The lawsuit not only points to Vince McMahon’s pattern of abuse, it also points to a slew of people within WWE that enabled it. The toxic work environment that Grant experienced in WWE is one that Vince McMahon established, as he used fear as a means of control. According to the lawsuit, that fear extended to every level of the organization.

No matter how much influence the alleged abuser may have, there is still no excuse for knowingly allowing the ongoing abuse of one of its employees to occur. Based on what is alleged in Grant’s lawsuit alone, saying that WWE’s culture behind the scenes is unsafe would be an understatement. It is now the task of Emanuel and the rest of TKO’s brain trust, which now includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to remedy it.

Then maybe the healing process can begin, not just for WWE, but for the entire wrestling industry. But most importantly, the healing could begin for Grant, who according to the lawsuit, endured years of abuse after being in an extremely vulnerable point of her life.