Wrestlers have been told to “lay low” as the company deals with the next steps of the Vince McMahon lawsuit.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal on January 25th, Vince McMahon was accused of sex trafficking by a former WWE employee, with multiple horrific counts of sexual assault and degradation. The allegation would come to light 2 days before the Royal Rumble event and just 2 days after the company secured their biggest ever deal in a partnership with Netflix.
With one of the biggest shows of the year approaching fast, the company have scheduled stars to promote the event for media appearances and interviews. With the scandal remaining at the forefront of fans’ minds, the promotion is anticipating the possibility of talent being asked about this and has provided instructions as a result.
As reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the promotion has not responded to questions when asked directly. Additionally, Superstars booked for media appearances have been ordered to keep their answers related to storylines only:
The WWE did not respond to questions regarding the suit. WWE talent was told to lay low and not talk about anything other than the Royal Rumble or storyline related things.
TKO Issues Statement Regarding Vince McMahon’s Lawsuit
Hours after the report came to light, TKO Holdings released a statement in response to the allegations, noting that McMahon does not control TKO or currently have control in the daily operations of the company:
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
Vince McMahon’s team would also make a public statement denying the allegations.
With the allegations taking place so close to a Premium Live Event, there has been no update on whether the scheduled media presser will still be going ahead after the event has concluded.