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Vince McMahon is responsible for WWE’s “culture of corruption,” says former employee’s lawyer
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Vince McMahon is responsible for WWE’s “culture of corruption,” says former employee’s lawyer

A new documentary about the rise and fall of World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon hit Netflix early Wednesday, evoking mixed emotions from one of his accusers.

The six-part series “Mr. McMahon” features interviews with McMahon and touches on controversies that have plagued his decades-long career, including sex trafficking allegations by Janel Grant, a former WWE employee who accused McMahon in a civil lawsuit in January of forcing her into a sexual relationship in exchange for a job.

“I think she’s scared, but that’s her general state of mind,” said Ann Callis, Grant’s attorney. “She’s been scared ever since she was a victim of sex trafficking.”

TKO announcement Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon announces that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has joined the board of directors of TKO at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on January 23.Michelle Farsi / Zuffa LLC file

Callis said Grant, who did not appear in the documentary but whose story is told, has not yet seen the series.

“Not having control over what is said about her is somewhat frightening… but you know, she survives,” she said.

When asked why she is not on the show, Callis said, “Janel believes she needs to tell her story in her own way and at the right time. It’s not a WWE storyline. She wants to take ownership of her own story and I think she deserves the dignity she has to do that,” Callis said.

Grant agreed in May to stay her civil suit pending a federal investigation by the Southern District of New York. NBC News reported that WWE announced last year that investigators had served McMahon with a federal grand jury subpoena and executed a search warrant.

McMahon did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement before the documentary’s release, he said producers used “typical editing tricks” to “support a deceptive narrative.” He said he hoped viewers would “remember that there are two sides to every story.”

Grant’s lawsuit also claimed she was assaulted by WWE executive John Laurinaitis, who has denied that allegation. His lawyers said they would “vigorously defend these allegations in court, not to the media.”

Callis said her company is investigating other possible claims against McMahon and WWE.

“If I could sum it up broadly, it’s a culture of corruption,” Callis said. “There’s a culture of victimization of women. We heard from women and men that there was no real safety net there. It was Vince’s show.”

McMahon became a household name after co-founding the $8 billion corporate empire that paved the way for Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and other superstars.

They are also included in the documentary series.

The series also addresses other allegations, including the allegation that former WWE referee Rita Chatterton was sexually abused in 1986.

“If you’re accused of rape, you’re a rapist,” McMahon says in the docuseries. “But it was consensual. And technically, if it was rape, the statute of limitations had run out. So it’s the kind of crap that people dig up and try to find out about you.”

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