Vince McMahon has resigned from WWE and UFC owner TKO Group Holdings, where he was the executive chairman of the board, following allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking.
As reported by Variety, McMahon’s resignation was in response to a lawsuit filed against him from former WWE employee Janel Grant. The lawsuit itself alleges that McMahon, former WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, and the WWE itself all violated the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act. Furthermore, it states McMahon and Laurinaitis used Grant “both for their own pleasure and as a pawn to secure talent deals with prospective wrestlers they were recruiting.”
McMahon also released a statement denying these allegations, sharing he would be fighting to “defend myself against these baseless accusations.”
“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said in a statement. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name. However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.”
WWE President and TKO board member Nick Khan also sent an internal memo seen by Variety that relayed the news.
“I wanted to inform you that Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors,” WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan said in an email to staff seen by Variety. “He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”
This is not the first time McMahon has both been accused of allegations of misconduct and retired from the WWE. In 2022, allegations arose that McMahon and had established a separation agreement and paid $3 million to a former female employee he had a consensual affair with. The report also claimed to discover even more potential payouts and legal agreements McMahon and Lauinaitis had with other women.
McMahon announced he was retiring from the WWE just about a month after he “voluntarily stepped back” from his role as CEO and chairman of WWE after these allegations were made public. However, he returned to WWE’s board in January 2023.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
