WWE co-founder Vince McMahon is under federal investigation for sexual assault and sex trafficking, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The report comes a week after McMahon resigned as executive chairman of TKO Group, the company formed last year with the merger of WWE and UFC, following a bombshell lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant. Grant, who worked as an entry-level administrator, said McMahon pressured into a physical relationship, subjected her to emotional and physical abuse and forced her to have sex with other executives and wrestling personalities.
The Journal reported that prosecutors in New York have been in contact with women who accused McMahon of sexual misconduct, citing people familiar with the investigation.
The probe has included a search warrant federal agents executed last summer for McMahon’s phone and a subpoena seeking documents related to any allegation of “rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination” against current or former WWE employees, according to the Journal.
The grand jury subpoena, which was described to the outlet, shows that the probe, which began in 2022, when it was first revealed that McMahon had paid millions to several women who accused him of sexual misconduct. The subpoena also sought communications between McMahon and these women, including Grant, WSJ reported.
McMahon was forced out of his role as WWE chairman and CEO in 2022 following the allegations and prior to the creation of TKO Group. But he was able to return because the amount of stock he owned in WWE made him majority owner. He played a major role in last year’s merger, working with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel.
McMahon has denied Grant’s allegations and told the Journal the federal probe won’t find wrongdoing. WWE didn’t respond to Journal requests about the probe or about the individual women’s allegations or immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.