June 20, 2022 Observer Newsletter: Vince McMahon under investigation by WWE Board of Directors
A Wall Street Journal story on 6/15 noted that the WWE Board of Directors was investigating accusations of payoffs made by Vince McMahon to multiple women that he and Talent Relations head John Laurinaitis had affairs with to keep them quiet.
The start of this investigation into the story began on 3/30 when board members were sent an email that alleged that McMahon had agreed to pay $3 million to a 41-year-old woman who worked as a paralegal, and later as an assistant to Laurinaitis.
The email was anonymous and stated to be from a friend of the woman. While the payoff itself is notable, it apparently came from McMahon’s personal funds and not from the company, which is a key distinction. But what could be the more dangerous revelation is that the article and the letter said that McMahon hired the woman at $100,000 per year in 2019, and then increased that figure to $200,000 after he began having a sexual relationship with her. If that was true, that is company funds and a gigantic impropriety. If her raise can be tied to her affair, Vince McMahon’s future could be in jeopardy.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.