More on WWE Investigating Vince McMahon Over Secret Affair & Settlement Payments

As noted before, WWE is currently investigating WWE Chairman Vince McMahon over a secret affair he had with a former WWE employee resulting in secret settlement payments that allegedly came from WWE funds. WWE’s Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis was also revealed to be involved in McMahon’s secret affair.

Fightful Select reported that WWE officials recently sent an internal memo to company staff making them aware of the situation regarding McMahon. Those spoken to stated that the affair between McMahon and the former WWE paralegal employee had been “suspected” by many within the company. Those same sources also stated that she had been given a substantial promotion around the time of WWE’s wave of cuts in April of 2021. This person reportedly had been promoted from Laurinaitis’ assistant to a director type position within the company.

In regards to Stephanie McMahon’s recent leave of absence, it was reported that this investigation was something that was not mentioned when they tried to gather more details regarding the reasons for McMahon’s leave. It was also reported that McMahon likely had been aware of this investigation prior to her leave due to her being on the company’s board of directors at the time. It was also reported that the current belief is that someone within the company had intentionally leaked the information regarding this on-going investigation.

In regards to Laurinaitis, many female talents spoken to stated that they were frustrated and displeased when they learned he had been hired back to the company and given his old Head of Talent Relations job due to their issues over his hiring practices and conduct towards female wrestlers. One female talent spoken to stated “I’d rather get all my shit sent to me in a trash bag when I get fired than have to deal with him, and neither are good options.” It was also reported that several people spoken to stated that they currently expected Laurinaitis to be fired as the “latest fall guy for Vince” over his misconduct and role in McMahon’s secret affair controversy.

Those spoken to stated that they currently believe that this is the biggest threat to McMahon’s power in WWE since the infamous steroid trial in 1994. One former WWE employee spoken to stated that they believe this investigation will cause a “domino effect” within the company but McMahon will fight hard to stay in power.

In regards to WWE’s policy over workplace relationships, Fightful’s Robert Defuce reported that WWE’s Code of Conduct policy as of January 2022 prohibits a WWE employee from granting “employment Quid Pro Quo for personal intimacy.”

In regards to McMahon’s status for this Friday’s SmackDown tapings, the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that his sources stated that WWE officials currently are expecting to run “business as usual” with McMahon and Laurinaitis being present backstage for the show.

PWTorch’s Tom Colohue reported that WWE President Nick Khan is currently next in line to take over the company should McMahon be replaced over this investigation.

In an interesting note, Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston reported that WWE could be facing a potential investigation by the SEC due to allegations of insider trading being committed. Thurston reported that around 2.1 million shares of WWE stock had been sold by someone prior to the release of the Wall Street Journal’s report over the company’s investigation into McMahon’s affair. This amount reportedly was around 1.5 million shares more than an average trading day for WWE stock. Thurston reported that insider trading is another thing that is expressly forbidden in WWE’s Code of Conduct for their employees.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that the recent reports and rumors of WWE Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Distribution Kevin Dunn being the person who committed alleged insider trading is not true. Johnson reported that the rumors claim that this person is from within WWE’s board of directors which is something that Dunn has not been a member of for the past several years.