Pro wrestling titan Vince McMahon resigned from the WWE parent company late Friday.
This comes a day after a former employee filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing him and another former manager of serious sexual misconduct, including offering to offer them to a wrestler for sex.
McMahon has resigned as chairman and CEO of WWE parent company TKO Group Holdings, according to a statement released Friday evening.
He denied any wrongdoing following the lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, who worked in the company's legal and talent management department (wrestlers or other on-screen characters).
The lawsuit includes allegations that McMahon, now 78, forced Grant into a sexual relationship so she could get and keep a job.
The lawsuit also alleges he shared pornographic photos and videos of her to other men, including other WWE employees.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who make allegations in sexual assault cases, but representatives for Grant said they wanted it made public.
His lawyer declined to comment Friday.
McMahon's statement said he was stepping down from the board out of respect for WWE and the TKO Group.
“I stand by my statement that Ms. Grant's prosecution is full of lies and fabricated indecent incidents that never occurred, and represents a vindictive distortion of the truth,” he said in a statement. I intend to vigorously defend myself against these unfounded allegations.
McMahon resigned as WWE CEO in 2022 following an investigation into allegations consistent with those in the lawsuit. This was filed on Thursday in the US District Court in Connecticut, where WWE is based.
McMahon has been the leader and one of the main faces of WWE for decades. When he purchased the then-WWF from his father in 1982, the matches were played in small venues and broadcast on local cable channels.
Several WWE galas now take place in baseball or football stadiums and the organization is also very popular abroad.
WWE merged with the company that operates the UFC last April, creating the $21.4 billion sports entertainment company TKO Group Holdings.
McMahon was the group's chief executive until Friday.
Regarding McMahon's resignation, TKO referred the media to his statement.
Mr. McMahon does not control TKO or oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE, TKO Group said earlier this week. Although this matter predates our TKO management team's tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant's horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.
Grant also names WWE and John Laurinaitis, a former professional wrestler who also served as WWE's head of talent relations, as defendants in the lawsuit.
WWE and Laurinaitis did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
According to the lawsuit, McMahon lived in the same building as Grant and offered to hire him to WWE in 2019 after his parents died.
She claims he eventually made it clear to her that one of the job requirements was to have physical relationships with him and then with Laurinaitis and others.
Over the next few years, McMahon gave her gifts, including a luxury car, the lawsuit says.
It is also alleged that McMahon offered sex with Grant as a benefit to a star wrestler, who is not named in the lawsuit, in 2021.
Grant is seeking unspecified damages and asking the court to void a $3 million nondisclosure agreement, of which she says she only received $1 million.
Ms. Grant hopes her trial will prevent more women from becoming victims, her lawyer Ann Callis said in a statement on Thursday.
The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon's depraved behavior. It is time for it to take responsibility for the misconduct of its leaders.