In 2022, amidst rumors of hush-money allegations, Vince McMahon stepped down from his position as WWE’s CEO and Chairman. Despite his departure from the company in September, following the WWE-UFC merger, McMahon continued to be an influential figure within the creative process. Following his departure from WWE, Vince took on the role of Executive Chairman at TKO.
Former WWE employee Janel Grant leveled severe allegations against McMahon leading to his resignation from TKO. The billionaire of 78 years faced a lawsuit from Grant who accused McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE of horrific crimes including sex trafficking and rape among other accusations.
Chris Legentil, the Executive Vice President for Talent Relations and WWE’s Head of Communications, discussed the company’s stance on on-going legal affairs during a stint on the “Sports Media” podcast.
Legentil credits Brandon Thurston and John Pollock for their impressive investigative journalism on the federal lawsuit against Vince McMahon and another former executive for allegations of sexual misconduct. He said, “There are obvious limits to what we can state about active legal proceedings. Nevertheless, we have complied throughout the investigation and answer all possible questions. Media understands that there are situations when we cannot divulge information. They are doing their job as reporters and we are doing ours as a company.”
Legentil moved on to commend the management, stating, “…We couldn’t ask for better management than Nick Khan and Paul Levesque. Their vision for the company garners widespread support and belief from the talent. Also, WWE, now under the TKO umbrella and a part of the media company run by top-tier executives like Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, Andrew Schleimer, Maura McGreevy has further solidified our management prowess.”
Since leaving his position, McMahon has let go of a substantial amount of his TKO ownership shares. Meanwhile, WWE anticipates that the federal investigation will uncover some unsavory information about McMahon.