Pro Wrestling! (For Everything WWE, Impact, Indies, AEW, & Japan !) 2024

[JBatmanFan05]

This whole Vince ordeal has exposed the mental gymnastics the IWC engages in big time. According to the internet everyone employed by WWE 100% knew what Vince was doing. . .

WWE potentially going out of business would be catastrophic for wrestling as a whole so I don't know why there are so many people giddy over the idea. I definitely want any and everyone connected to Vince's sick crimes gone but to pray the company itself goes down is pathetic. Wrestling wouldn't recover from tthat. Fans wouldn't move onto other promotions they'd just stop watching wrestling altogether.

Eh, I think you may be making a strawman out of the internet/social media fans & attacking that mostly nonexistent strawman. I haven't seen such extreme claims, I doubt significant numbers of fans make such claims. WWE isn't going out of business over this no matter what anyone thinks so that point is moot. Over time (how long I don't know), more will probably come out, more names might be hurt, but WWE will go on. WWE is basically like the NFL of wrestling, for better or for worse. When TKO did the deal, a lot of this was likely baked in, expected or contingency planned for. A tried and true tested loyalty exists for wrestling fans. Vince is only a shareholder now with no other role in the public company and there is no Shane or Steph or Linda (for the grassroots to perhaps chase out of WWE because their last name just happens to be McMahon).

[BigLbo]

This whole Vince ordeal has exposed the mental gymnastics the IWC engages in big time. According to the internet everyone employed by WWE 100% knew what Vince was doing. They didn't use this logic a few years ago during the Speaking Out movement that rocked the independent scene. Did the Young Bucks know what Joey Ryan or David Starr were up to? Nope. Did Kenny Omega know what Chasyn Ryan was doing? Nah. Did Will Ospreay have a clue what all his British wrestling scene sex pest buddies were doing? Uh hey look over there! The logic goes Triple H must've known what his father-in-law was up to but nobody brings up Bryan Danielson perhaps knowing what his father-in-law Mr. Throat Cancer was doing.

There's a contigent of fans who naively think only WWE can be hurt by this as if there aren't tons of Vince guys in high profile positions outside the company. Danielson, Jericho, Moxley, Mark Henry, Christian Cage, Big Show, Edge and Ric Flair just to name a few all spent at least a decade in WWE and were all World champions there. It's been said you can't become top champion in WWE unless you're close to Vince so none of those guys are free of suspicion in all of this. Jericho straight up defended Vince from allegations in 2022 calling the hush money "smart" and that same year Danielson declined to comment on the accusations and downplayed it by saying you can love someone even if you disagree with some of their actions. He also wishes people saw Vince how he does.

WWE potentially going out of business would be catastrophic for wrestling as a whole so I don't know why there are so many people giddy over the idea. I definitely want any and everyone connected to Vince's sick crimes gone but to pray the company itself goes down is pathetic. Wrestling wouldn't recover from tthat. Fans wouldn't move onto other promotions they'd just stop watching wrestling altogether.

thanks for always calling out those iwc hypocrites true dick!! A LOT of that stuff doesn't really hold up but still you have a couple of valid points and the hypocrites must be held to account.

personally i'm not in the camp of "everyone who knew" should be ousted. for the good of the company i hope they get rid of all mcmahon family members including hhh.

[BigLbo]

This is why HHH has to really be reserved in what he says and how much he says. He's not in a typical situation that many think he can be more...open. Given his relationship to Vince and how TKO could be in a CLEANING HOUSE mood possibly , he's gonna be more guarded. Plus his lawyer and TKO may have told him what he was gonna say there.

xactly, and in the regard he failed. he should've either said less or spoke more wisely. instead he was dismissive, tone deaf, and worst of all, OBVIOUSLY dishonest. lying about reading the lawsuit right out the gate was horrible for him because how is anyone supposed to believe his comments going forward now?? such as when he says he & steph didn't know about vince and his activities??

[Immortal Weapon]

Janel Grant attorney said her office has been bombarded with people wanting to come forward about the company corruption and possibly other victims

https://x.com/wrestleops/status/1753...uq43-aLff7vIKw

[Immortal Weapon]

This whole Vince ordeal has exposed the mental gymnastics the IWC engages in big time. According to the internet everyone employed by WWE 100% knew what Vince was doing. They didn't use this logic a few years ago during the Speaking Out movement that rocked the independent scene. Did the Young Bucks know what Joey Ryan or David Starr were up to? Nope. Did Kenny Omega know what Chasyn Ryan was doing? Nah. Did Will Ospreay have a clue what all his British wrestling scene sex pest buddies were doing? Uh hey look over there! The logic goes Triple H must've known what his father-in-law was up to but nobody brings up Bryan Danielson perhaps knowing what his father-in-law Mr. Throat Cancer was doing.

There's a contigent of fans who naively think only WWE can be hurt by this as if there aren't tons of Vince guys in high profile positions outside the company. Danielson, Jericho, Moxley, Mark Henry, Christian Cage, Big Show, Edge and Ric Flair just to name a few all spent at least a decade in WWE and were all World champions there. It's been said you can't become top champion in WWE unless you're close to Vince so none of those guys are free of suspicion in all of this. Jericho straight up defended Vince from allegations in 2022 calling the hush money "smart" and that same year Danielson declined to comment on the accusations and downplayed it by saying you can love someone even if you disagree with some of their actions. He also wishes people saw Vince how he does.

WWE potentially going out of business would be catastrophic for wrestling as a whole so I don't know why there are so many people giddy over the idea. I definitely want any and everyone connected to Vince's sick crimes gone but to pray the company itself goes down is pathetic. Wrestling wouldn't recover from tthat. Fans wouldn't move onto other promotions they'd just stop watching wrestling altogether.

Will Osprey was implicated in speaking out. The accusation was he and his girlfriend Bea Priestly got a female wrestler blacklisted. I can't remember the reason for it ATM. Since he was a New Japan regular and Japan don't give a damn about western politics nothing came of it.

[wjowski]

This whole Vince ordeal has exposed the mental gymnastics the IWC engages in big time. According to the internet everyone employed by WWE 100% knew what Vince was doing. They didn't use this logic a few years ago during the Speaking Out movement that rocked the independent scene. Did the Young Bucks know what Joey Ryan or David Starr were up to? Nope. Did Kenny Omega know what Chasyn Ryan was doing? Nah. Did Will Ospreay have a clue what all his British wrestling scene sex pest buddies were doing? Uh hey look over there! The logic goes Triple H must've known what his father-in-law was up to but nobody brings up Bryan Danielson perhaps knowing what his father-in-law Mr. Throat Cancer was doing.

There's a contigent of fans who naively think only WWE can be hurt by this as if there aren't tons of Vince guys in high profile positions outside the company. Danielson, Jericho, Moxley, Mark Henry, Christian Cage, Big Show, Edge and Ric Flair just to name a few all spent at least a decade in WWE and were all World champions there. It's been said you can't become top champion in WWE unless you're close to Vince so none of those guys are free of suspicion in all of this. Jericho straight up defended Vince from allegations in 2022 calling the hush money "smart" and that same year Danielson declined to comment on the accusations and downplayed it by saying you can love someone even if you disagree with some of their actions. He also wishes people saw Vince how he does.

WWE potentially going out of business would be catastrophic for wrestling as a whole so I don't know why there are so many people giddy over the idea. I definitely want any and everyone connected to Vince's sick crimes gone but to pray the company itself goes down is pathetic. Wrestling wouldn't recover from tthat. Fans wouldn't move onto other promotions they'd just stop watching wrestling altogether.

If they're guilty let them burn.

[BeastieRunner]

WSJ News Exclusive | Federal Prosecutors Investigate Vince McMahon Sex-Trafficking Allegationshttps://www.wsj.com/business/federal...tions-460a6822

For those pay walled:

Federal authorities have been investigating sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations against WWE co-founder Vince McMahon, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Prosecutors in New York in recent months have been in contact with women who have accused McMahon of sexual misconduct, the people said.

The billionaire resigned last week from the wrestling empire he long ran after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing her and trafficking her to other men inside WWE.

McMahon has denied Grant’s allegations and said the federal probe won’t find wrongdoing. He referred to a statement from last week: “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”

WWE didn’t respond to requests about the probe or about the individual women’s allegations

Over the summer, federal agents executed a search warrant for McMahon’s phone and delivered a subpoena to him for documents related to any allegation of “rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination” against current or former WWE employees.

The grand jury subpoena, described to The Wall Street Journal, offers the first window into the investigation, which began in 2022. The Journal reported in 2022 that McMahon had made payouts to several women who accused him of sexual misconduct while he was CEO and that prosecutors were investigating the payouts. The subpoena also sought communications between McMahon and these women, including Grant.

The businessman and TV personality resigned as executive chairman of WWE parent TKO Group on Jan. 26, the day after Grant’s lawsuit was filed. Her complaint contained graphic depictions of sex acts and copies of explicit text messages.

Grant and at least four of the women named in the grand jury subpoena had entered into settlement agreements with McMahon over allegations of sexual misconduct. Prosecutors have interviewed some of the women, the people said.

Grant’s lawsuit said McMahon agreed in 2022 to pay her $3 million to keep silent about their relationship, which she said began after they met in 2019 at his luxury apartment building, where Grant also lived. Grant, who worked in the talent-relations and legal departments at WWE from 2019 to 2022, said in her lawsuit that McMahon stopped paying her after an initial $1 million wire transfer.

The other women named in the grand jury subpoena include a WWE contractor whom McMahon allegedly sent unsolicited nude photos and sexually harassed; a former WWE wrestler who said McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex; former WWE referee Rita Chatterton, who publicly accused McMahon of raping her; a spa manager who said McMahon assaulted her at a Southern California resort; and a former WWE employee who alleged the head of talent relations at the company at the time, John Laurinaitis, demoted her after she broke off an affair with him.

McMahon has long denied the rape allegations by Chatterton, first made publicly in televised interviews in the 1990s. He agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement in late 2022 without admitting wrongdoing. His lawyer said he agreed to the settlement to avoid the cost of litigation.

McMahon hasn’t addressed the allegations by the other women.

Laurinaitis also appeared in Grant’s lawsuit, which said McMahon directed her to visit Laurinaitis at his hotel rooms, where she had sex with Laurinaitis before the start of workdays. The suit also alleged that the two men took turns restraining and assaulting her inside WWE’s offices on one occasion in 2021.

Laurinaitis, a former wrestler known as Johnny Ace and a longtime WWE executive, left the company in 2022. Laurinaitis hasn’t publicly commented on his departure.

A lawyer for Laurinaitis, Edward Brennan, said, “We deny any and all allegations and will vigorously defend the charges against Mr. Laurinaitis in the appropriate setting.”

Brennan said Grant’s lawsuit doesn’t highlight any examples of Laurinaitis making sexual demands or exchanging items of value. “Count how many times in the complaint Vince exerts control over both the Plaintiff and Johnny,” he wrote in an email, referring to his client. “It’s a good complaint. It just doesn’t list all the victims, including Johnny.”

McMahon briefly left the WWE in 2022 during a board investigation and returned in early 2023. Soon after, he negotiated a sale of WWE to Endeavor Group , owner of the UFC mixed martial arts league. The deal created a new public company called TKO Group and until last week he served as its executive chairman.

TKO Group had warned investors about the risks associated with WWE’s longtime leader, who remains a major shareholder. In securities filings last year, TKO Group said McMahon’s presence on its board could result in negative publicity and “any further allegations and investigations may have an adverse financial and operational impact on our business performance.”

[BeastieRunner]

If they're guilty let them burn.

The annual roster cuts are going to look mighty different this year.

Clearing out 40 years of years of institutionalised decrepit behaviour will be a priority for TKO now.

With one stooge attempting the Nuremburg/superior orders defense, that means criminal charges are coming for at least Vince. Probably others.

Be prepared for your favorite(s) to be implicated.

And this isn't even the securities fraud involving the McMahons!

[BeastieRunner]

Vice, Slate, and WSJ are teaming up with investigations.

That's the un Holy Trinity of liberal, conservative, and libertarian investigative journalists.

When they team up, you know you're a bad person.

Torrie Wilson has joined Teri Runnels in the public outcry of the culture Vince was the leader of.

Tim Marchman (Vice) responded on Twitter:

We're actively investigating this, as other outlets are. I have no interest in sharing our reporting before it's ready, but obviously there is no reason to think this problem started and stopped with Vince McMahon

.

[Immortal Weapon]

Torrie Wilson has come forward about her feelings about the smut she engaged in during her run. She called it mortifying and it gave her PTSD

[BeastieRunner]

Updated timeline from WN (Slate referenced this yesterday in that podcast and a few other outlets have linked it as well, NBC being one of them).

https://wrestlenomics.com/2024/02/01...-resignations/

[BeastieRunner]

Torrie Wilson has come forward about her feelings about the smut she engaged in during her run. She called it mortifying and it gave her PTSD

It will be interesting to see who the contracted wrestlers are

We can infer one is Ashley because the grand jury subpoena said "living family" of a contractor.

[JBatmanFan05]

All this makes me wonder if the merger/TKO was just an elaborate last-ditch escape hatch or parachute for VKM, more than being a genuinely-planned Vince-desired merger. Vince's very begrudging way out while raking in the most he could before going down. I figure various sober-minded lawyers and other execs in and out of the WWE and family (Linda, etc) probably eventually got through to Vince that The House of Vince McMahon was sure to come down, so just decide now how much you want to make in the inevitable unstoppable fall. Told him he'd lose his reputation, his place in WWE, so money (which in Vince's mind represents his power, achievement) would be the only thing he could (somewhat) keep.

There's a storm coming, Mr. McMahon. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.

[BeastieRunner]

All this makes me wonder if the merger/TKO was just an elaborate last-ditch escape hatch or parachute for VKM, more than being a genuinely-planned Vince-desired merger. Vince's very begrudging way out while raking in the most he could before going down. I figure various sober-minded lawyers and other execs in and out of the WWE and family (Linda, etc) probably eventually got through to Vince that The House of Vince McMahon was sure to come down, so just decide now how much you want to make in the inevitable unstoppable fall. Told him he'd lose his reputation, his place in WWE, so money (which in Vince's mind represents his power, achievement) would be the only thing he could (somewhat) keep.

There's a storm coming, Mr. McMahon. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.

I think that's a reasonable idea EXCEPT I think it was more about power than money.

What was the first thing he did when he got back in the first time? Showed up and fucked with RAW because he could.

[JBatmanFan05]

I think that's a reasonable idea EXCEPT I think it was more about power than money.

Yeah, but someone would have told Vince (if Vince didn't already know) that something intangible and ever elusive like power was certain or likely soon to be gone. Vince grasped for sure to hold on to power, but really I figure that Vince knew the money was the only concrete thing he could be more sure about mostly retaining, so money was more the driving factor. A huge wealth transfer, a heist with which to fight off the coming storm.

Vince came from nothing, took the reigns to get all the money he didn't have growing up, and so it makes sense to my armchair mind that money was his fall back, his safe harbor.