Vince McMahon getting sued for alleged sexual assault and trafficking was the last straw for the higher-ups of TKO Group Holdings. McMahon was reportedly pressured into resignation after the bombshell lawsuit by Janel Grant went public.
Grant, a former WWE employee, filed the lawsuit in late January alleging that McMahon and former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis sexually assaulted her and trafficked her to a former WWE and UFC Champion believed to be Brock Lesnar.
Graphic details of what McMahon did to Grant were made public after WWE's historic deal with Netflix. That's when the TKO board decided enough was enough and went into damage control.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro made the call to McMahon to tell him that the best move was to resign from his position as executive chairman. Emanuel is TKO's CEO, while Shapiro is the company's President and COO.
Emanuel and Shapiro came to their senses when Slim Jim pulled out of its sponsorship of the Royal Rumble days before the event. TKO's main goal was to grow WWE's sponsorship and a main sponsor pulling out due to misconduct was bad for business.
Vince McMahon also reportedly did not oppose the suggestion made by Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro. McMahon's announcement of his resignation soon followed as WWE continued to distance itself from its former owner and chairman.
WWE looking to get rid of Vince McMahon from popular video game
Vince McMahon is set to appear in WWE 2K24, which will be released next month. However, it seems like WWE wants to remove McMahon from the popular video game and possibly limit the exposure of his history with his former company.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, it would be an almost impossible task to remove McMahon from the game. Meltzer also reported that the company is considering removing the former chairman from its history.
It's nearly impossible since McMahon was with WWE from 1969 until his resignation. He was even an on-screen character called Mr. McMahon, who was an important part of the growth of the company during the Attitude Era.
What do you think will be the outcome of Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis? Share your answers in the comments section below.