Jim Ross chimes in.
This past January, The Wall Street Journal ran a story about now-former TKO and WWE executive Vince McMahon being accused of sex trafficking in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant.
Former company executive John Laurinaitis was accused of sexual abuse as well and in the Wall Street Journal’s reporting, it is noted that McMahon instructed Grant to create sexual content for Brock Lesnar as he was trying to re-sign him to a new deal with WWE.
The allegations were mentioned during episode #256 of Grilling J.R. and Jim Ross was asked what did he make of everything involving McMahon, Laurinaitis and Lesnar. Here’s what he had to say:
Lots of change afloat and personally, I’ll be glad when the winds have swept that change on through. I’m tired of it. It’s embarrassing in a lot of ways that it’s happened this way. It’s affected a lot of innocent people. That’s my take on it. I might be wrong but, it’s time to move on. It’s time to move on and cause some rest and peace for some people and it’s time to move on in my opinion, and I just never believed that Vince (McMahon) would allow his company to get this out of control and it has and I feel badly about that because I know how much the WWE meant to him. I’m sure it still does to some degree. So, anyway, it’s time. Let’s go. Let’s move on. Let’s rewind it and cast the hook in the water one more time and see if we can catch something more positive.
Well, it’ll affect it (Vince McMahon’s legacy in wrestling) to some degree but, it won’t be earth-shattering. It won’t be a big seismic, graphic change, because he’s still Vince McMahon and he’s still built this amazing company that many of us in different forms of pro wrestling are still celebrating, and still playing off of. I just think it’s time for all of us to move on and find happier days and build from there. But you’ll never be able to take away from what Vince built and how he’s helped a lot of people. I mean a lot of guys that are making a living in pro wrestling right now can look at it anyway they choose but if they’re being realistic, they look in the mirror and see Vince McMahon staring them right in the face because he was the catalyst that created a lot of this change and the incomes going up and all those things so, I just wish it was over. I just wish we were moved on and all these issues are settled and we have moved on to happier days, because I think that’s what the business and the world needs is happier days and still get that with the old WWE memories, at least I do. I’m very thankful I had the chance to work there. I’m even more thankful I have a chance to work for Tony Khan now at AEW. So, it’s all good man, it’s all good. We have to build on the positives and that’s what I’m trying to do at my stage of life and my health situation. It’s important for me to build on the positives and that’s what I’m trying to do.
Laurinaitis denied the allegations in the sex trafficking lawsuit. His lawyer told media outlets that Laurinaitis is a victim in the case. His lawyer would later share that most of WWE’s upper level management were aware that the late Ashley Massaro alleged she’d been sexually assaulted during WWE’s visit to a U.S. military base.
The Ashley Massaro allegations were further delved into on the newest episode of Pollock x Thurston.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit Grilling J.R. with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription.
