A group of former WWE writers has come forward with allegations about a toxic work environment during their time with the company while Vince McMahon was in charge.
The former employees spoke to Kristie Lee Yandoli for an article published on Saturday by Rolling Stone.
Five of the six writers spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing “retribution from the WWE, their former colleagues, and rabid wrestling fans.”
Michael Leonardi went on the record to claim he was fired in 2016 after a confrontation with McMahon over a script change he made to avoid what he and others perceived as racially insensitive content.
In the interview, Leonardi described McMahon’s reaction: “He started just yelling at me. It was such an intense moment.”
A spokesperson for McMahon denied that the incident took place as described.
Leonardi’s account is part of a broader picture painted by the former writers, who worked on both Raw and SmackDown, spanning the years 2016 to 2022. They detailed a toxic work culture allegedly dominated by fear and intimidation.
One former writer described WWE as a “kingdom ruled by fear,” where verbal abuse was commonplace and staff were afraid to challenge McMahon or his inner circle.
Allegations in the article include that others in leadership positions spoke in highly disparaging ways and were described as “good old boys.”
One female writer described inappropriate behavior by an unnamed person in a position of authority:
They would pull me by my waist to come somewhere or move closer to them. I’m just super aware that it’s kind of close to my butt and most people don’t touch me by the waist ever. I thought, “This is strange.”
Enough female staff complained to HR that a Zoom meeting was held, it is alleged in the article. “They did it just to appease us, but they didn’t take it seriously at all,” said one of the women.
After the Zoom meeting, the writers who spoke with Rolling Stone said there was an in-person meeting of the entire writers’ room during which senior leadership told staff they were “acting like middle schoolers.” They were allegedly told not to go to HR if they had any future issues.
A spokesperson for Vince McMahon denied the accusations, dismissing the claims as exaggerated or unrepresentative of the broader experience within WWE’s creative teams. The statement read:
Scores of writers could share tales of what an enjoyable, creative, and freewheeling environment the WWE writers’ rooms were.
The statement added that the former writers “aren’t representative in any way of the consensus — or of the truth.”
Representatives for the WWE did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s requests for comment.
Opinion was divided among the former writers about changes for the better since McMahon’s ouster. Michael Leonardi said that he had heard of improvements in the workplace culture, going so far as to call Paul Levesque “a great leader.”
However, others remained skeptical, with one stating:
There are a lot of people complicit in continuing this culture. I am highly doubtful it’s changed, even with Triple H in charge. I just don’t think it really can.
None of the interviewees had direct knowledge of the sexual assault and trafficking allegations against McMahon by Janel Grant.
