(TW: sexual assault, rape)
Just five weeks ago, it was reported that the WWE board had completed its investigation into former CEO, Vince McMahon. At the time, it was unknown if the board would ever release its findings. Brandon Thurston reported that WWE spent $19.4 million on the investigation.
In a new article from the Wall Street Journal, Joe Palazzolo and Ted Mann report that McMahon is facing “legal demands from two women who allege he sexually assaulted them.”
Rita Chatterton is a former WWE referee who says McMahon raped her in a limousine in 1986. Her lawyer sent a demand letter to McMahon’s representatives for $11.75 million in damages on November 3. That same month, a lawyer for a spa manager said the disgraced former CEO assaulted his client in 2011. The assault occurred at a California spa and according to the WSJ, was not previously reported to the media.
The allegations against McMahon
In my previous report on the situation involving McMahon, I included the previous allegations from Chatterton. In 1992, she did two televised interviews detailing the incident. In order to receive a $500,000 WWF contract, McMahon told her she would need to satisfy him. When she declined, Chatterton says he raped her. After this occurred, WWF stopped booking her.
John Clune, Chatterton’s lawyer, said in the demand letter that the damages to his client from the incident “were hard to overstate.” The letter was reviewed by WSJ. The letter also says that Chatterton has “suffered years of ongoing depression, substance abuse, disordered eating, lost income, and overall a decreased quality of life.”
The letter also says that Chatterton has passed a polygraph test and that multiple people have corroborated her story, including former WWF wrestler, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. Valentine, whose real name is John Wisinski, says Chatterton told him about the rape in the 1980s. He didn’t believe her at the time because “she wasn’t attractive enough” for McMahon.
As previously reported, Leonard Inzitari, said that Chatterton told him what happened to her. Inzitari went to a wrestling school with her and said that she was “shaking and crying” as she told him. He says that he believes her.
The spa manager said that she was assaulted by McMahon at a five-star resort when WWE was in town. She reported the assault at the time to the resort. She also told her husband, who allegedly drove to the event with a baseball bat and tried to see McMahon. He was turned away. WSJ also reports that her lawyer, Michael Bessler, has been in touch with McDevitt since July.
Back in 2006, McMahon groped a tanning salon employee in Florida. While he wasn’t charged, there was a police report that said there was probable cause that the incident took place and there were witnesses. This is in addition to the four women he paid more than $19 million to.
Earlier this year, New York passed the Adult Survivors Act. The “law creates a one-time, one-year lookback window for adult sexual assault survivors who are outside the statute of limitations. That means that any adult survivor – no matter when they were assaulted and even if they are outside the statute of limitations – can file a civil case against their abuser or the institution that protected them, through November 24, 2023.”
California has a similar law where survivors of sexual abuse can “file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.” Beginning in January, survivors can begin filing lawsuits and have a one-year window.
A new WWE board probe into McMahon?
Although it was previously reported that the “Special Committee has disbanded”, WSJ revealed that a “related board probe seeks to assess the damage caused by Mr. McMahon’s secret pacts and to determine whether legal action against him by the WWE board is warranted. Spokesmen for WWE and the company’s independent board members declined to comment. Mr. McMahon declined to comment. Mr. (Jerry) McDevitt didn’t respond to requests for comment.”
“WWE has also declined to discuss the allegations against Mr. McMahon.”
Even with McMahon’s retirement, he is still WWE’s largest shareholder. After he retired, his daughter, Stephanie was named co-CEO along with Nick Khan. Vince’s son-in-law and Stephanie’s husband, Paul “Triple H” Levesque is the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, Head of WWE Creative, and Chief Content Officer.
McMahon has reportedly refused to pay settlements to the spa manager and Chatterton. WSJ also reports that the company’s auditor, Deloitte & Touche, LLP “that resolution of the claims, even if confidential, would possibly have to be disclosed by the company publicly.”
Vince McMahon wants to come back
There have been rumors for a few months that WWE was considering inducting McMahon into their Hall of Fame in 2023 and giving him a proper farewell. McMahon reportedly wants to make a comeback. WSJ said he believes he was given bad advice when told to step down and had he stayed, the allegations would’ve blown over.
The general consensus is that WWE higher ups do not want McMahon back and “are happy with the direction” of the company.
I should state, they wanted nothing to do with a Vince comeback. We'd not discussed him telling people that he planned to make one. "Done done" was the phrase I got often
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) December 13, 2022
Allowing McMahon to come back in any capacity would destroy any goodwill that WWE has built since his retirement. They have already allowed several wrestlers named in Speaking Out not only to continue to work there, but pushed them into big storylines and some have carried championships. WWE already doesn’t have a good reputation when it comes to sexual violence and bringing him back would ruin their reputation. It’s a terrible look to even consider honoring McMahon, let alone letting him come back to work in any capacity.
The co-CEOs and higher-ups must not buckle and keep him as far away as possible. Yes, he has done many things that have changed the wrestling business forever. He has also changed these women’s lives forever. That can’t be swept under the rug just because of his contributions to the business. The “Mr. McMahon” character is a caricature of the real man and that man is awful. Allowing him to come back would be a giant “F you” to his victims.
As always, stay tuned to Daily DDT for the latest.
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