Vince McMahon Reportedly Shouted 'F*ck Em' After Recent WWE Appearance
The investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct regarding former WWE CEO and chairman Vince McMahon took another turn Friday morning when a second bombshell report from the Wall Street Journal revealed McMahon had paid more than $12 million to cover up several accusations of sexual misconduct over the years. In the wake of the report, more information has come out that continues to paint a profoundly unflattering picture of McMahon and WWE.
Fightful Select is reporting that several WWE staff members had contacted them after the publishing of today's WSJ article, including some who had been quiet regarding the allegations towards McMahon in the past. One source told Fightful they wished they had spoken up sooner, and went on to describe McMahon as alternating between "no selling the whole thing" and "being defiant" regarding the controversy surrounding him.
Perhaps more concerning, however, was what the source told Fightful about the aftermath of McMahon's June 17 appearance on "WWE SmackDown", which came only hours after McMahon had stepped down from his executive positions. Calling the appearance "pointless", the source said McMahon returned to the Gorilla position after his short promo and screamed "F*ck 'em!" in defiance of the allegations. McMahon would, of course, go on to appear on several more episodes of "WWE Raw" and "SmackDown" in the following weeks.
Fightful also reported that a former WWE talent had contacted them after the first WSJ story and vaguely alluded to another major story regarding McMahon that they believed would come out shortly. The talent confirmed to Fightful earlier today that said story appeared in today's second WSJ article, regarding allegations that McMahon paid $7.5 million to a former female talent he had coerced into having sex with him, followed by him demoting and firing her when she refused further advances.
McMahon's involvement with this former female talent, which reportedly occurred in 2005, was heavily rumored among WWE's creative team at the time, sources further told Fightful. While Fightful couldn't confirm whether the writing team knew of the NDA's involved or the element of coercion regarding McMahon, one writer did confirm to them that McMahon used what he characterized as a "relationship" with the talent as an excuse for being late to production meetings, doing so in a half-joking manner.
As for WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, sources told Fightful that it is believed he will soon be done with the company. However, it was noted that it's expected he will still be taken care of by WWE, in what was referred to as a "golden parachute" deal. It was reported shortly after the first WSJ article that Laurinaitis had been put on leave from his duties, with Bruce Prichard replacing him.
Fightful noted that talents were not allowed to speak about McMahon's allegations publicly, but had privately voiced frustration regarding the situation and McMahon's handling of it. Finally, Fightful revealed they had reached out to WWE and even former referee Rita Chatterton, who accused Vince McMahon of raping her in the 1980s, for comment. As of publication, neither party had gotten back to them.
As of this writing, it is unclear what the next step is regarding Vince McMahon's role in WWE, where he remains in charge of on-screen content, and whether he will appear live tonight on "SmackDown."