Adios, WWE and Wrestling

I was a casual wrestling fan for years but was not obsessed with it. There were periods when I would watch, followed by months of not caring. I occasionally enjoyed some of the characters and storylines, but recently, I found the stories were stale and uninteresting, not to mention repetitive.

I had read stories for years about the behind-the-scenes stupid and sometimes criminal behavior, but I always considered that an interesting sidenote to the action and the characters. That started to change when I heard about the Chris Benoit murder/suicide back in 2007. I started paying attention to the industry instead of the scripted televised action. Although there were stories about drug use and arrests, that wasn't any different from other public figures, so I became insensitive to the whole thing.

When Vince McMahon left WWE in 2022 because of payments of money to women in the company he sexually abused, I thought and hoped that that would be the end of the story. However, I felt that McMahon should have been criminally prosecuted. 

Abuse of power to demand sexual favors is immoral and illegal. Less than a year later, McMahon returned to the company, raising my concerns further. Why was he allowed back? A new megadeal was announced; I am sure he was instrumental in that, but that rehabilitation didn't last long.

Then, the disturbing bombshell exploded. It turned out that McMahon had not paid the legally mandated penalties and retribution to one of the victims he sexually assaulted. The victim signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The victim sued over the lack of payment and the invalidation of the NDA, and the paperwork revealed some tragic and sick details about McMahon's behavior.

The details are despicable, and most people have probably read them so I won't go into them. Suffice it to say that McMahon is a twisted, sick man, and he should be in jail. I remember the criminal case against the actor Danny Masterson; he was in prison for up to 30 years. What McMahon did is so much worse. He should also be in prison. I don't suggest reading the allegations if you are squeamish or easily offended, and I will leave it at that. McMahon resigned again; I suppose that is the least he could do, but the questions remain unanswered.

After McMahon paid hush money to former female employees, why was he allowed to return? Because WWE was a publicly traded company, his actions threatened the financial health of the company and the value that the shareholders were counting on. I'm no business major, but I don't understand the decision-making process that approved that action. I'm cynical when it comes to rich people, so I suspect that it was all about the money. A woman was abused and traumatized, but the people in charge didn't care about her if there was money involved. 

Because there was money involved, it doesn't surprise me that McMahon tried to avoid paying the settlement that he agreed to in the first place because that's what Republicans do. McMahon has donated to Republican candidates for years, and his wife served in the Trump administration. Even today, they continue raising money for republican candidates like Trump. I'm not surprised by this type of behavior from Republicans. 

Another question we need answered is how many WWE employees knew what was happening, and when did they know it? The allegations state that McMahon sent disgusting texts and videos to numerous people, inside and outside of WWE. These actions relate to the claims that the victim was trafficked as a sex object to other WWE employees. 

Why didn't anyone speak up? Was it the “locker room” mentality that ensured silence? I can't understand how anyone in the 21st century could see something so disgusting, humiliating, and degrading but still not speak up. Once again, a woman was being abused, yet no one who saw or read the vile messages said anything. I'm not impressed with the quality of the people in WWE who worked for McMahon. 

Of course, McMahon has denied everything about the new charges, just like he did with the charges from several years ago. If he is innocent, why did he require an NDA? That's another question screaming for an answer. NDA seems to be a way for guilty rich people to try to get away with illegal activities. 

This appears to be the culmination of a pattern of behavior; why didn't anyone speak out more forcefully? Anyone at WWE who even suspected this despicable behavior is guilty by association. McMahon has a history of sexual abuse and misconduct. Therefore, I find it hard to believe that no one else knew what was happening. 

Today, there was news that other victims may come forward with additional charges. This situation is far from over. McMahon deserves prison. And for all the Bubba out there who are so quick to blame the victim, put your beer down, get out of your broken recliner, waddle to the bathroom mirror, and ask yourself what you would feel if that were your daughter who was abused?