Randy Orton is one of the latest WWE talents to publicly comment on the lawsuit that was filed against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis last month.
In a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Orton was asked about the civil suit brought forward by former WWE staffer Janel Grant in January. The 67-page lawsuit includes graphic descriptions of alleged “physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking.”
Orton mentioned how Vince McMahon has given him opportunities in the past, but said how the allegations “hurts my heart.”
I’ve got to say this–I wouldn’t be where I am without Vince McMahon taking a chance on me a handful of times,” Orton told SI. “I would not be where I am today without Vince McMahon. But, f***, I’m reading this s***. What you’ve seen and read, I’ve seen and read. As far as commenting on that, it f****** hurts my heart. It hurts my heart.
A variety of different reactions have come from current and former WWE talents when commenting on the recent allegations surrounding McMahon.
Bret Hart recently told Abraham Josephine Reisman of Slate that his opinion of McMahon has changed over time: “Despite all of the issues I ever had with Vince, I know, deep down, I always respected him; but now, knowing what kind of a weirdo he became, I have absolutely zero respect for him.”
Two weeks ago, Seth Rollins told CBS Sports Radio called the allegations “a disgusting situation,” but distanced himself and other wrestlers from it: “There’s nothing we can say- We’re not going to do anything that’s going to impact any of that.”