The latest allegations against WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon are receiving internal reactions. As PWMania.com previously reported, The Wall Street Journal recently revealed how McMahon had given four women a total of $12 million in “hush money,” one of whom was a former WWE wrestler. Full details can be read at this link and WWE’s internal statement issued to employees today at this link.
According to a recent report from Fightful Select, a WWE source got in touch and expressed regret over not raising their concerns about Vince’s handling of the current issue sooner. The employee further stated that McMahon’s response frequently switched from “no-selling the whole thing” to “being defiant” when the Board of Directors investigation was first made public a few weeks ago.
Vince allegedly returned to the Gorilla Position backstage following his “pointless” appearance on the June 17 SmackDown and yelled, “Fuck ’em!” This was thought to be Vince’s answer to the accusations that drove him to insist on appearing on TV that evening.
The WWE creative team was known to be heavily rumored about Vince’s actions. A former WWE writer said that Vince would exploit his relationships as a “half-joking excuse as to why he’d be late to meetings before TV.”
The general assumption is that John Laurinaitis, the head of WWE Talent Relations, will be finished after the Board investigation is over, if he isn’t already. It’s also believed that Laurinaitis has a “golden parachute” contract with WWE that will cover him.
Many WWE stars are reportedly privately voicing “displeasure and extreme frustration” with how Vince is handling the situation, despite the fact that they have not been available to comment on the claims or the investigation on the record.
As PWMania.com previously reported, it was disclosed on Wednesday, June 15 that Vince was the subject of an inquiry by the WWE Board of Directors regarding the “secret $3 million settlement” he had given to the former paralegal employed in 2019. The involvement of Laurinaitis is also under investigation, and the Board is also looking into other incidents involving former female employees. Then, on Friday, June 17, it was revealed that Stephanie had come back from her leave of absence to serve as the interim CEO and chairwoman after Vince willingly stood down from his chairman and CEO business obligations while continuing to carry out his creative tasks. Then, on Monday, June 20, it was made public that Bruce Prichard, Senior Vice President of WWE and Executive Producer of RAW/SmackDown, is also serving as Interim Senior Vice President of Talent Relations, standing in for Laurinaitis throughout the inquiry. Then, today, Friday, July 8, it was made public that McMahon had agreed to pay four women, among them a former wrestler, more than $12 million in “hush money.”
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
