*Trigger Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and rape*
Former WWE talent Ashley Massaro had unveiled what happened to her at a military base in Kuwait and that WWE has covered it up. The late Massaro, who tragically passed away in 2019, had an affidavit that was made public where she alleged WWE covered up that she was sexually assaulted while on a military base in 2007.
WWE had put out a statement at that time that no one including Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, Kevin Dunn, or any other management knew about the incident or asked the talent to keep it covered up.
According to the report by Vice:
In a sworn affidavit her lawyer released in 2019, after her death, former wrestler Ashley Massaro said that she was injected with a paralyzing drug and raped by someone representing himself as a U.S. Army doctor while on tour with WWE in Kuwait in 2006. Massaro also said that top executives at the company, including McMahon and Laurinaitis, told her not to talk about the incident and agreed to not talk about it themselves, in part to preserve the company’s relationship with the military.
“He told me not to let one bad experience ruin the good work they were doing,” Massaro said of McMahon in the affidavit.
VICE News can report for the first time that the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service opened an investigation into Massaro’s allegations in June 2019. That investigation was closed in January 2020, according to an NCIS spokesperson. Further information, they said, could not be immediately released, as it would need to be obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
“I’m not surprised by any of it,” London said of the recent claims against McMahon on a podcast released last week. He compared WWE to NXVIM, the cult led by now-convicted sex trafficker Keith Raniere.
Now, among the new lawsuit against McMahon and Laurinaitis on alleged sex trafficking from former employee Janel Grant – the lawyer for John Laurinaitis objected to the use of the term “cover-up,” but confirmed that Laurinaitis knew about the allegations from Massaro. And now said “most upper level management” was aware which is of course is contradictory to their prior claim.
“Any allegations that Mr. Laurinaitus helped to cover up an alleged rape allegation is an outright lie,” wrote Laurinaitis’ lawyer, Edward Brennan, in response to questions about Massaro’s allegations. “Johnny, like most upper level management at sometime became aware of the allegations and ensured all proper WWE protocols were followed, including privacy for the alleged victim. We object to the use of the term cover up as no such plan or plot ever took place to hide or assist in the alleged rape.”
A spokesperson for TKO, WWE’s parent company, declined to comment, and a lawyer said to represent McMahon did not respond to requests for comment. Neither McMahon nor Laurinaitis is now associated with WWE, with McMahon resigning as chairman of TKO the day after the sex trafficking suit was filed.
