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It turns out fans weren’t the only ones who felt Vince McMahon should have stayed away from TV amid the sexual misconduct allegations.
Fightful Select (via WrestlingInc) reported that several members of the WWE dressing room were unhappy with McMahon’s performance on SmackDown, with one wrestler describing the performance as “deaf and embarrassed.”
McMahon appeared at the opening night of SmackDown on Friday and addressed the crowd but did not discuss the allegations that led to his resignation as WWE chairman and CEO. The 76-year-old instead appeared in what appeared to be an act of defiance, ending his brief promo by throwing his mic out of the ring.
“I’m glad it didn’t take long so I didn’t have to sit through any cops — that’s what he was saying,” a former wrestler told Fightful. “But it shows that he has no responsibility, especially when something is directly his fault.”
The WWE Board of Directors is currently investigating McMahon and Director of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis for wrongdoing in connection with the hiring of a former paralegal.
The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Palazzolo and Ted Mann broke the news of a $3 million settlement McMahon reached with the woman after the two allegedly had an affair. According to the report, McMahon increased the woman’s salary from $100,000 to $200,000 when the affair began. He later assigned her to Laurinaitis’ desk as his assistant.
WWE has claimed the relationship was consensual.