Vince McMahon speaking into a mic
WRESTLING NEWS
Memorable Scandals That Hurt WWE
By LIAM O’LOUGHLIN
Over the years, Vince McMahon has had several sexual misconduct allegations raised against him, beginning in the 1980s with former referee Rita Chatterton.
Vince's Misconducts
A "Wall Street Journal" investigation revealed that he had paid an estimated $19.6 million in unrecorded "hush money" payments to settle the claims between 2006 and 2022.
After his 2014 WWE exit, CM Punk targeted WWE doctor Chris Amann during an "Art of Wrestling" podcast. Later in 2015, Amann sued Punk for defamation.
CM Punk's Legal Battles
The trial was held three years later and the jury ruled in Punk's favor, but the court battle aired plenty of dirty laundry relating to Punk's tenure with WWE.
Owen Hart passed away untimely at the age of 34. He fell from 78 feet after a planned entrance of being harnessed down into the ring went tragically wrong.
Owen Hart's Death
Not only was WWE criticized for continuing the show, but Hart's family also sued them for the dangerous nature of the stunt and even detailed the mistakes that led to the accident.
In 1991, Dr. George Zahorian III, a former ringside doctor for WWE, claimed he had supplied anabolic steroids to WWE directly via Vince McMahon.
The Steroid Trial
Many high-profile wrestlers testified and denied taking steroids from McMahon. Ultimately, the drug distribution charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
During an infamous plane ride back to the U.S., a large portion of the WWE roster got involved in several dramas under the heavy influence of alcohol.
Plane Ride From Hell
From fights breaking out and vulgar comments shouted at flight staff to Ric Flair's sexual harassment of two female flight attendants, the plane ride was a complete disaster.