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 morning, and it's bringing up a whole range of emotions for 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.”

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, at the right time for her. It's not a WWE storyline. She wants to take ownership of her own story, and I think she deserves the dignity that she has to do that,” Callis said.

Grant agreed in May to stay her civil lawsuit pending a federal investigation by the Southern District of New York. NBC News previously reported that WWE announced in 2023 that investigators had served McMahon with a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury and executed a search warrant.

McMahon did not respond to a request for comment. But in a statement before the documentary's release, McMahon 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 denies the allegations. His lawyers have said they will “vigorously defend these allegations in court, not in 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 superstars like Hulk Hogan, John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

They are also included in the documentary series.

The series also addresses other allegations, including the sexual assault allegation against former WWE referee Rita Chatterton 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.”