Vince McMahon allegedly had more “hush pact” agreements than originally known.
The Wall Street Journal published a report on July 8 revealing new details regarding misconduct allegations against WWE’s Vince McMahon. In June, The Journal revealed the WWE board was investigating McMahon for a million-dollar hush pact he had agreed to with a former employee, and now shares that the number of women and payout total was much higher than previously known.
Now, The Journal is reporting that over the past 16 years, McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million to four women with WWE ties to get them to “suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.” According to the new report, one of the agreements included a $7.5 million agreement with a former wrestler who “alleged that Mr. McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex and then demoted her and, ultimately, declined to renew her contract in 2005 after she resisted further sexual encounters.” The wrestler and her attorney went to McMahon in 2018 and negotiated the payout in exchange for her silence, according to those familiar with the matter.
Another agreement was reached in 2008 after a WWE performer received unsolicited nude photos of McMahon. The contractor presented the photos and allegations of sexual harassment to the company, and was said to have reached a payout of approximately $1 million. A third agreement in 2006 was also discovered, as a former manager was paid $1 million to stay quiet about her relationship with McMahon. It was noted that this performer worked for McMahon for 10 years before he initiated a sexual relationship with her.
These agreements are in addition to the reported $3 million hush pact discovered by The Journal in June, which was between McMahon and a paralegal he had an affair with. WWE is investigating this agreement, as well as the 2018 deal with the former wrestler.
In addition to the allegations against McMahon, the WWE board is also investigating a $1.5 million nondisclosure agreement reached in 2012 with an employee involving misconduct claims against John Laurinaitis, who was named in The Journal’s June report. Laurinaitis allegedly had a sexual relationship with the same paralegal as McMahon, and the board is looking into those allegations as well as the 2012 settlement. According to people familiar with the NDA, Laurinaitis was demoted around the same time as the $1.5 million deal with the employee, who claimed she was demoted after she broke off an affair with him.
Laurinaitis was promoted back to Head Of Talent Relations in 2021, but he has since been placed on administrative leave since The Journal published details about the investigation. WWE is cooperating with the board’s investigation; Laurinaitis and McMahon’s attorney have not responded to requests for comment. McMahon voluntarily stepped aside as the Chief Executive Officer and WWE Chairman on June 17, and his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, replaced him as acting Chairwoman. While he is no longer WWE Chairman, McMahon retained his creative duties in the company and has made two appearances on WWE TV since the original report broke.
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