Triple H dodges questions from Vince after WWE boss resigns amid sexual assault claims
TRIPLE H refused to answer questions about his father-in-law and shamed former WWE chairman Vince McMahon's alleged sex crimes.
Former wrestler Paul Leveque deflected repeated questions from the press about troubling allegations against McMahon, saying he wants to “focus on the positives.”
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They asked him if he had had any knowledge of McMahon's behavior before the lawsuit came to light, but he declined to answer.
“I choose to focus on the positive. Yes, there is also some negative, but I choose to focus on the positive [the positive],” he told reporters.
Leveque took over as creative head at WWE from the 78-year-old McMahon in 2022 – and is also Chief Content Officer.
His father-in-law then stepped down, amid a storm of other sexual assault allegations, and attempted to return to the company just months later.
While Triple H, his wife and McMahon's daughter Stephanie, and company president Nick Khan all ditched the move, he managed to find his way back.
But after a new wave of disturbing allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking, the… WWE co-founder has resigned again.
A bombshell lawsuit that took place just days ago saw him strongly deny allegations made by former WWE employee Janel Grant.
Janel Grant, 43, claims she was “the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking” during her time with the wrestling organization.
But the former WWE chairman still decided to step away from his role in parent company TKO Group Holdings – the day after her claims were made public.
Former employee Grant alleged in a lawsuit Thursday that McMahon promised her a job and promotions in exchange for sex.
She also accused him of sexual assault, human trafficking and physical abuse.
McMahon quashed the claims in a statement obtained by Deadline: “I stand by my previous statement that Ms. Grant's lawsuit is full of lies, obscene fabrications that never happened, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth.
“I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless allegations and look forward to clearing my name.
“Out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO Company and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all the employees and Superstars who have helped make WWE the world leader it is today, I have decided to resign step down from my executive chairmanship and the board of directors of TKO, effective immediately.”
WWE President Nick Khan announced McMahon's departure from the organization in an email to staff on Friday.
“I wanted to let you know that Vince McMahon has resigned as Executive Chairman of TKO and from the TKO Board of Directors,” Khan wrote.
“He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”
SHOCKING MOVEMENTS
Some of the disturbing allegations against McMahon include that he defecated on the alleged victim during a threesome and that he traded her to other men at WWE.
In the lawsuit, Grant said she first met the 78-year-old director through a manager in her building, where McMahon had a penthouse.
She started working at the WWE headquarters in Connecticut in June 2019.
She claims McMahon greeted her in his underwear at a meeting.
He then allegedly pressured her into sexual activity in exchange for a job and warned her to keep quiet, the complaint said.
The lawsuit also alleges that McMahon began sending Grant sexually explicit messages and making sexual demands after he created a position for her in the company's legal department.
Grant accused McMahon of sharing explicit photos and videos of her without her consent in March 2020.
McMahon allegedly locked Grant in his private locker room and forced himself on her over a massage table, she alleges in the lawsuit.
Other allegations include that he sexually assaulted her with sex toys he named after WWE wrestlers.
The lawsuit includes screenshots of Grant's alleged conversations with McMahon via text message, including a May 2020 message allegedly from the wrestling mogul that read, “I am the only one who owns you and decides who I want to fuck you with.”
Grant claimed that McMahon tried to steer her towards becoming a top WWE star in March 2022.
He texted her: “Part of the deal was f**king U,” the complaint alleges.
The WWE star in question was not named in the lawsuit.
Grant claims McMahon forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement in 2022 after his wife, Linda McMahon, found out about their relationship.
McMahon allegedly agreed to pay her $3 million to sign the document and keep quiet, but stopped making payments after the first $1 million payment, the lawsuit said.
The complaint accuses McMahon of subjecting her to “extreme cruelty and humiliation,” causing Grant to become “numbed to reality in order to survive the horrific encounters.”
Grant is seeking to void the agreement and unspecified monetary damages.
PREVIOUS PROBLEMS
McMahon stepped down as CEO and Chairman of the WWE in June 2022.
It followed a bombshell report from the Wall Street Journal accuses him of paying $12 million in hush payments to four women.
The WWE's internal investigation revealed that McMahon had made $14.6 million in payments to women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
McMahon has since reimbursed the company for the costs of the investigation.
The US Sun reached out to the WWE and McMahon's attorney for comment on the allegations.
McMahon and his accuser both lived in a building managed by Donald Trump's Trump Organization.
The residents who live there, formerly known as Trump Parc Stamford, voted to remove the former president's name from the building in 2021.
McMahon resigned just hours after close friend Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million in his own legal battle involving sexual assault allegations.
News of McMahon's departure broke as the WWE broadcast SmackDown live from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
MCMAHON WAIVES CLAIMS
Before he resigned, a spokesman for McMahon said the lawsuit was “full of lies, obscene fabricated examples that never happened, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
In a statement from WWE's parent company, TKO Group Holdings, a spokesperson said: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.
“While this matter predates our TKO management team's tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant's horrific allegations very seriously and are discussing this matter internally.”
Ann Callis, attorney for the plaintiff, appeared on the Law & Crime podcast, Crime Solving with Angenette Levyon Friday.
She shared a statement from the alleged victim, saying: “She hopes that those at the company, past and present, who are afraid to speak out about harm are a thing of the past.
“She wishes them all peace.”
Callis also said on the podcast that Grant “felt caged and trapped by Vince McMahon.”
“The escalation of the humiliating things that happened to her, it's important that this comes out,” Callis said.
“These are allegations that we hope are true.
'She wants her life back. She wants ownership of her story. She wants to help other victims.
“Her hope is to help other victims come forward.”
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