Paul Roma Alleges Male Talent were Propositioned for Sexual Favors in WWE

NewsNation held a recent interview with former WWE and WCW wrestler Paul Roma. One of the topics discussed included Roma claiming that his former tag team partner Jim Powers and other male talent were propositioned for sexual favors during his time in the company. Roma also stated that this issue was less about then WWE owner Vince McMahon and more about other WWE officials in the company.

“It wasn’t so much Vince as it was the people that he had surrounding him. You’re talking about an industry where you have young, good-looking, well-built men in the ring. Half naked, three-quarters naked, actually. So, yeah I mean, it left a door open.

He had a lot of people around him. Vice Presidents and bookers that were very much into that and they put you in a really, really bad situation, especially once you started making some money, you kind of get comfortable with that and then you find out that your job’s on the line. Either do it or get fired. And I witnessed quite a few that walked away. The money wasn’t worth it for them to go that route, so to speak.”

On the topic of what type of “favors” talent were asked to do in order to maintain their jobs and status in WWE, Roma stated:

“They were asked to do things, sexual things with other men that they did not want to do.My former partner being one of them. I was actually in a cab ride in Washington, and we were coming back and the gentleman next to me kept saying ‘It’s not worth it, It’s not worth the Benjamins, it’s not worth the Benjamins’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ and he’s like, ‘It’s just not worth it.’

We got back to the hotel. The next day we were filming for our second TV taping and he was gone. He jumped on a flight and went back home and never showed up again to wrestle and he had an unfortunate accident and hit his head and passed away while he was asleep. He had a bleed on the brain.”

Roma also revealed that his former tag team partner Jim Powers had dealt with a similar situation during his time in the company.

“My former partner, one of my former partners when I was part of The Young Stallions, he was propositioned. He said he went to one of the agents and told them what had happened and I said, ‘Why would you do that? You just ratted on both of us.’ So, he kind of threw us both under the bus when we were just starting out.”

In response to a question to clarify if it was WWE executives who were the ones propositioning talent for sexual favors, Roma stated:

“Let’s leave it this way, that’s all it could be. If somebody is going to give you money, then it has to be that. There is nothing else. It’s not going to be one of the other boys that you’re wrestling with, they’re not going to offer you money.

Even my former partner, same thing, they offered him money, drugs. ‘Just lay on your back, you don’t have to do a thing.’ And he came running right to me when I came into TV and I said ‘Dude, what are you going to do?’ And he said, ‘Oh, I’ve already spoke to Arnold.’ And I said, ‘Well, why did you do that? You just killed our team. What do you think he’s going to do? He’s just going to go to the people that propositioned you.”

Roma also gave his thoughts about the recent sex trafficking and sexual abuse lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against McMahon.

“I really shouldn’t right now, but yes, I do know what it is and it is worse. 

Mario and I are really surprised, we spoke about it, and we’re surprised that no one has come forward but on the flip side, I think that they’re of an age now that they may be married and have kids and they don’t want to open Pandora’s box. And I can’t blame them.”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com