As Vince McMahon continues to face legal demands from multiple women who have alleged that he sexually assaulted them, the former WWE chairman continues to push behind the scenes for a potential return to the pro wrestling promotion he turned into a billion-dollar sports entertainment company.
According to the Wall Street Journal, McMahon has been served with a letter from former wrestling referee Rita Chatterton that asks for $11.75 million in damages over accusations that he raped her. Meanwhile, he was also sent an email from a lawyer representing a former spa manager who says that McMahon assaulted her, which was previously unreported.
McMahon stepped down as WWE chief executive and chairman in July while the WWE board investigated him for $12 million in settlements that he had paid. The board decided that those payments should have been recorded as WWE expenses because they benefited the company.
Stephanie McMahon, Vince’s daughter, and former WWE president Nick Khan succeeded Vince as co-chief executives. However, Vince remains WWE’s largest shareholder. Since he stepped down, WWE’s shares have risen almost 15%.
However, not only has McMahon told people that he refuses to pay settlements but he’s also told people that he’s planning on making a comeback to the company.
“The 77-year-old Mr. McMahon also has told people that he intends to make a comeback at WWE, according to the people familiar with his comments,” wrote the WSJ. “He has said that he received bad advice from people close to him to step down and that he now believes the allegations and investigations would have blown over had he stayed, these people said.”
That’s hard to imagine it could happen, though it does sound a lot like something Andrew Cuomo said after he stepped down as governor of New York over sexual assault allegations.
It seems very unlikely that anyone associated with WWE would look at the financial situation and think that they need Vince involved in the operations any further, but reality has never been a strong deterrent for very powerful and rich men.
[WSJ]
