WWE Chairman Vince McMahon Denies Sex Trafficking Allegations, Vows To Defend Himself

The wrestling world was shaken up Thursday afternoon as news of a sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE came to the surface. The suit, filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, includes disturbing allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation, stating that, among other things, McMahon trafficked Grant to other men in the company.

A spokesperson for McMahon has since reached out to Wrestling Inc. with the following statement: "This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself."

While McMahon plans to fight back against these accusations, TKO Group Holdings — the entity existing in the wake of the merger between WWE and UFC — has put out a statement of their own, noting that McMahon, who is still listed as the Executive Chairman of the Board, does not oversee the daily operations of WWE. TKO claims to be addressing the matter internally, and say they take Grant's allegations very seriously. 

Former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis and former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar were also implicated in the lawsuit, with Laurinaitis being named as one of the figures that McMahon allegedly recruited to have sex with Grant, who McMahon supposedly also used as a pawn to help sign Lesnar to a new deal.