Vince McMahon, erstwhile Chairman of WWE, continues to be the subject of federal scrutiny even after resigning from his executive duties at TKO.
The probe is centered on the charges of substantial monetary payments made to women following accusations of sexual harassment. Janel Grant, an ex-WWE headquarters staff member, brought legal action against McMahon in January 2024. Her allegations included coerced sexual involvement and claims of sex trafficking and assault, implicating both McMahon and John Laurinaitis.
In the middle of 2023, McMahon became the recipient of a federal search warrant and subpoena relating to hush money claims. Federal agents were reportedly searching for “Records pertinent to any charge of rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex dealings, harassment, or discrimination” concerning past or present WWE employees.
Preceding, Laurinaitis had issued a rebuttal through his lawyer, affirming himself to be a prey of McMahon. Laurinaitis brought counter-charges against McMahon, maintaining that the billionaire exercised undue control over him and made unwelcomed sexual advances with repercussions for defiance.
In response to the Department of Justice’s request, Grant agreed to defer her lawsuit against McMahon for half a year to facilitate a comprehensive federal examination of the charges.
According to Fightful Select’s report, WWE is not unduly worried about the situation. Nonetheless, they anticipate that federal authorities will intensify their investigation into Laurinaitis and McMahon.
The report discloses, “The WWE community isn’t too troubled regarding the organization personally. There’s an expectation for things to surface about Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis. In essence, that’s the crux of it. From the viewpoint of talent, there’s a sense of relief knowing those two are out of the picture. A few years back there was an illusion of safety but it’s now been internally reiterated that their association is terminated.”
In spite of the availability of many facts, the ongoing probe might need more time to reach a conclusion. WWE currently operates under the steering of Endeavor and is charting a lucrative course despite McMahon dealing with the potential fallout of the charges leveled against him.