Legendary wrestler Vince McMahon resigned, the parent company of WWE announced on Friday, following severe claims of sexual misconduct made by a former employee.
A legal and talent department employee of TKO Group Holdings filed a lawsuit on Thursday, alleging that McMahon had forced her into a sexual relationship in order to obtain and keep her job, and that he had sent explicit films of her to other men, including other WWE employees.
McMahon denied the allegations when he made his resignation known, saying the lawsuit was a vindictive fabrication of facts that was full of lies.
“I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”
For many years, McMahon has been one of the most recognizable figures in professional wrestling. In 1982, he bought the World Wrestling Federation from his father and transformed it into the global sensation that is today known as WWE.
Last year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) united to form TKO Group Holdings, a $21.4 billion (€19.7 billion) sports entertainment enterprise.
McMahon served as the executive chairman of TKO until his resignation on Friday.
A TKO official said earlier in the week that McMahon does not monitor the day-to-day operations of WWE or run the company.
The statement said that TKO was handling the matter internally and was taking the “horrific allegations very seriously”.
