The WWE’s annual Royal Rumble isn’t until tonight but already the company has seen a major elimination, as Vince McMahon has officially resigned from his position at TKO following a lawsuit launched by a former employee over alleged battery and sex trafficking.

Vince McMahon bowing out as executive chairman and board of directors member stems from Janel Grant suing the sports entertainment icon over the aforementioned claims. More specifically, she says she was offered a job at WWE that soon enough put her in the position of sexual acts not just with McMahon but with other company employees, including former Head of Talent Relations John Laurenitis. Grant also alleges that she was used as a bargaining chip to lure a former talent back to the ring; while the person has only been described as “both a UFC and WWE talent”, that’s about all the  WWE Universe needed to narrow down who they beleive the unnamed Superstar is…A series of grotesque text messages supposedly sent by McMahon also quickly circulated the internet.

Vince McMahon issued the following statement regarding his resignation: “I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth. I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name. However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.”

Vince McMahon’s reputation has come into serious question as of late. Although behind-the-scenes stories have circled during much of his run in the business, the last couple of years have really put it all to the test. A 2022 investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and payoffs cost close to $20 million. McMahon retired around this time as well.

Netflix recently acquired streaming rights to Raw in a deal worth $5 billion.

This news of Vince McMahon’s (likely final) retirement will no doubt cast a shadow over this year’s Royal Rumble, an event he actually won in 1999. While the commentators will absolutely ignore it, it wouldn’t be surprising to catch a few signs in the crowd.

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