A brand new documentary concerning the rise and fall of World Wrestling Leisure’s Vince McMahon debuted on Netflix early Wednesday, and it is eliciting a wide range of feelings from certainly one of his accusers.
The six-part “Mr. McMahon” options interviews with McMahon and touches on controversies which have plagued his decadeslong profession. They embody accusations of intercourse trafficking by Janel Grant, a former WWE worker who accused McMahon in a civil go well with in January of forcing her right into a sexual relationship in alternate for a job.
“I believe she’s fearful, however that’s her normal mind-set,” mentioned Ann Callis, who’s Grant’s lawyer. “She’s been fearful since she’s been intercourse trafficked.”
Callis mentioned Grant, who didn’t take part within the documentary however whose story is featured, has but to look at the collection.
“Not having any management over what is claimed about her does instill some concern … however you understand, she’s surviving,” she mentioned.
As for why she’s not within the collection, “Janel thinks she wants to inform her story in her personal method and on the proper time for her. She’s not a WWE storyline. She desires to take possession of her personal story, and I believe she deserves the dignity of that,” Callis mentioned.
Grant agreed to pause her civil case in Could, pending a federal investigation by the Southern District of New York. NBC Information has reported that WWE disclosed final yr that investigators served McMahon with a federal grand jury subpoena and executed a search warrant.
McMahon didn’t reply to a request for remark. In an announcement forward of the documentary’s launch, he mentioned producers used “typical enhancing methods” to “assist a deception narrative.” He mentioned he hoped viewers would “keep in mind that there are two sides to each story.”
Grant’s lawsuit additionally alleged that she was assaulted by WWE govt John Laurinaitis, who has denied the accusation. His attorneys have mentioned they’d “be vigorously defending these costs in court docket, not the media.”
Callis mentioned her agency is investigating different potential claims towards McMahon and WWE.
“If I may sum it up usually, it’s a tradition of corruption,” Callis mentioned. “There’s a tradition of victimization of girls. We’ve heard from ladies and men that there wasn’t actually a security internet there. It was Vince’s present.”
McMahon grew to become a family identify after he co-founded the $8 billion enterprise empire that paved the way in which for Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and different superstars.
They’re additionally included within the docuseries.
The collection additionally addresses different allegations, together with accusations that former WWE referee Rita Chatterton was sexually assaulted in 1986.
“When you’re accused of rape, you’re a rapist,” McMahon says within the docuseries. “But it surely was consensual. And truly, had it been a rape, the statute of limitations had run out. So it’s all form of crap like that that persons are digging up and looking for on you.”