In the summer of 2022, former WWE/WWF referee Rita Chatterton’s past allegations of sexual assault against Vince McMahon resurfaced in a New York Magazine article. By early 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that McMahon had agreed to a settlement with Chatterton.
During a recent interview on the Power & Glory Podcast, Chatterton shared that she came into contact with AEW President Tony Khan after receiving the Trailblazer Award from the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“My dreams ended a long time ago. I once dreamt of being in the WWF Hall of Fame. That never happened. Okay. I’m in this (International Pro Wrestling) Hall of Fame now but anyway, I turn around and I do this event for him (Seth Turner), I get the Trailblazer award and then, you know, it’s kind of like riding a Harley because it’s in your blood and it started creeping back into my blood and I’m like, ehh. So, a few weeks after that, Seth calls me and says, ‘Rita, there’s this guy — he’s trying to get a hold of you. He wants your phone number,’ and I said, ‘Really? Who’s that?’ He says, ‘Well, his name is Tony Khan.’ ‘Who the hell is Tony Khan? That doesn’t even sound right.’ He says, ‘No, Rita.’ He says, ‘You should probably take his call’ and I said, ‘Why do I wanna take his call?’ He says, ‘Well, he owns the Jacksonville Jaguars.’ ‘Well, why the hell would anyone who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars want my phone number?’ He says, ‘Well, he also owns AEW Wrestling.’ Okay. Okay. I said, ‘Give him my phone number.’ So he gives him my number and I don’t hear anything and a couple of weeks later, I get this phone call and I look and I don’t know the number. Then I’m thinking about, I said, ‘Let me call that number back.’ So I call it back, it’s Tony Khan. So Tony Khan and I had a nice, long talk and I was under contract with him for a year. Very nice man. Gentleman. Very, very nice man, and that’s how I ended up getting back involved in wrestling. So, it was just a crazy story.
You know what? I was under contract with him for a year and I did absolutely nothing. I did absolutely nothing (she laughed), and he wanted me under contract so I was under contract with him…”
While Chatterton did not disclose further details regarding her conversation with Khan, the interaction has sparked curiosity, given her pioneering role as WWE’s first female referee.
Stay tuned for further updates.
