A new documentary focused on the rise and fall of Vince McMahon, the former chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), premiered on Netflix early Wednesday, eliciting mixed reactions from one of his accusers.
Titled “Mr. McMahon,” the six-part series includes interviews with McMahon and delves into various controversies within his extensive career. Notably, it features allegations of sex trafficking made by Janel Grant, a former WWE employee who filed a civil suit against McMahon in January, claiming he coerced her into a sexual relationship in exchange for employment.
Ann Callis, Grant’s attorney, stated, “I think she’s fearful, but that is her general state of mind. She’s been fearful since she’s been sex trafficked.”
Although Grant’s story is highlighted in the documentary, she chose not to participate and has not yet seen the series. Callis commented, “Not having any control over what is said about her does instill some fear… but she’s surviving.”
Regarding her absence from the series, Callis explained, “Janel thinks she needs to tell her story in her own way and at the right time for her. She’s not a WWE storyline. She wants to take ownership of her own story, and I think she deserves the dignity of that.”
In May, Grant agreed to suspend her civil case while a federal investigation led by the Southern District of New York is underway. Reports indicate that McMahon was served with a federal grand jury subpoena and that a search warrant was executed last year.
In response to the documentary, McMahon did not provide a comment but expressed in a prior statement that producers utilized “typical editing tricks” to promote a misleading narrative. He emphasized his hope that audiences would acknowledge that “there are two sides to every story.”
Grant’s lawsuit also contains allegations against WWE executive John Laurinaitis, who has denied the claims. His legal team stated they would “be vigorously defending these charges in court, not the media.”
Callis has revealed that her firm is probing into additional potential claims against McMahon and WWE, claiming, “If I could sum it up generally, it is a culture of corruption. There is a culture of victimization of women. We’ve heard from women and men that there wasn’t really a safety net there. It was Vince’s show.”
McMahon is widely recognized for co-founding the $8 billion WWE empire, which launched the careers of stars like Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who also appear in the docuseries.
Other allegations featured in the series include those brought by former WWE referee Rita Chatterton, who claimed she was sexually assaulted in 1986. In the documentary, McMahon stated, “Once you’re accused of rape, you’re a rapist. But it was consensual. And actually, had it been a rape, the statute of limitations had run out. So it’s all kind of crap like that that people are digging up and trying to find on you.”