Former WWE Staff Member Reveals Startling New Information in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against Vince McMahon
A former WWE staff member has disclosed alarming allegations against Vince McMahon, the co-founder of the organization, in a recent court filing related to her sex abuse lawsuit.
Janel Grant, who was employed by WWE from June 2019 until early 2022, asserts in an affidavit submitted to a Connecticut federal court that McMahon fabricated a position specifically for her, ostensibly to exert control over her.
Grant contends that the sexual abuse began even before her employment commenced and intensified throughout her time at WWE.
She describes the encounters as increasingly violent, resulting in both physical injuries and emotional trauma, which led her to a suicide attempt at one point.
In a rare move for victims of alleged sexual misconduct, Grant has chosen to publicly share her identity, with her attorney stating that she aims to ensure “her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized.”
Attempts to reach McMahon for comment have been made; he has previously denied all allegations against him.
In her affidavit, Grant alleges that in June 2021, she was raped on a table by McMahon and another WWE executive, John Laurinaitis, during work hours.
“They forcefully pushed and pulled me and shoved their hands in my dress and up between my legs,” Grant recounted in the affidavit. “The force caused stitches to pop on my dress, and I subsequently blacked out.”
She provided a detailed account of the sexual violence she claims to have endured.
“Throughout our entire ‘relationship,’ Vince subjected me to physically violent sexual interactions with himself and others, causing both physical and mental trauma,” she alleged.
Grant further stated, “Sex with Vince and others became so violent that I often cried and suffered physical side effects, including bleeding, swelling, bruising, and incontinence.”
In July 2021, she claims McMahon “mercilessly” beat her to “prepare” her for a sexual encounter with Brock Lesnar, as detailed in the 40-page affidavit.
The alleged beatings included McMahon pinning her down, dragging her around, ripping out her hair, slapping her, and assaulting her with his fists.
“I dealt with the physical, psychological, and emotional side effects of that beating for days afterwards,” Grant stated.
She also alleged that McMahon “continued to advertise” her as part of a strategy to persuade Lesnar to sign a new contract with WWE.
Among her allegations is a disturbing “bet” involving Lesnar where McMahon allegedly “brutalized” her with a sex toy.
Grant claims that WWE President Nick Khan and former COO Brad Blum were aware of McMahon’s conduct but chose to enable it rather than intervene.
Instead of protecting her, she alleges the company transferred her out of the legal department and placed her under Laurinaitis’s supervision in Talent Relations.
Additionally, she claims that former general counsel Brian Nurse was terminated after expressing concerns about McMahon’s behavior.
Efforts to obtain comments from WWE and its parent company TKO Holdings, as well as Khan, Blum, Lesnar, and Laurinaitis have been initiated.
McMahon resigned as CEO of WWE in 2022 and stepped down from his role at TKO in January 2024 following the filing of Grant’s lawsuit.
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE,” TKO Group stated previously. “While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
