Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE, has been the subject of claims made by former MMA fighter Chael Sonnen, who alleges that McMahon engaged in sexual relationships with male WWE stars in exchange for advancing their on-screen careers.
Sonnen shared these allegations on the "FLAGRANT" podcast, asserting that McMahon's actions were well-known within the wrestling industry.
"I never met Vince, and I know 11 people that he slept with—eight of them women, all consenting adults, so which is the implication to [the others being men]," Sonnen stated. He explained that McMahon's influence extended to both male and female stars. "He would hold their careers over him, just like he would the women. It was the same thing. You get paid more, you get pushed more. This is not a secret in the industry."
Sonnen specifically mentioned WWE legend Shawn Michaels, suggesting that his career advancement might have been linked to such encounters. When asked about McMahon and Michaels, Sonnen vaguely replied, "or whatever it is that they [were doing]."
Sonnen also alleged that other WWE executives, including Pat Patterson, demanded sexual favours from wrestlers for career advancement. "There is a lot of homosexuals that Vince came across but there were also straight guys that just wanted a push in the business, where it, like, turned into prostitution," Sonnen claimed.
Sonnen pointed out that these practices were well-known within the industry and suggested that McMahon's children, Stephanie and Shane, were likely aware of these allegations.
These accusations come after McMahon's departure from WWE amidst multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ