Vince McMahon resigns from WWE (again) amidst abuse and assault allegations
McMahon is stepping down for the second time from his leadership positions at both WWE and UFC, amidst accusations of sexual abuse and assault
Vince McMahon, whose name has been synonymous with professional wrestling in America for decades at this point—and, more recently, with allegations of frankly horrific sexual abuse—has officially announced that he’s resigning from multiple positions associated with his role as head of the WWE tonight. Per Deadline, McMahon has resigned his position as executive chairman of both WWE and TKO, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which merged together in 2023.
This is, as it happens, McMahon’s second such resignation in almost as many years, and under very similar circumstances: He announced that he was leaving WWE due to a misconduct investigation in 2022, only to return to the company the following year. This time, though, he’s facing far more explicit accusations: McMahon has just become the subject of a lawsuit alleging that he engaged in sexual abuse and sex trafficking against former employee Janel Grant; in the suit, McMahon and former WWE exec John Laurinaitis are accused of multiple acts of rape and coercion against Grant, much of it described in stomach-turning detail.
In announcing his resignation, McMahon also issued a statement, denying the accusations against him:
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. 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