In the midst of mounting accusations against Vince McMahon and the WWE, VICE NEWS has obtained an unpublished statement from former wrestler Ashley Massaro, which was given prior to her death. In the statement, Massaro claims that McMahon targeted female wrestlers and ended her career after she rejected his sexual advances.
The statement was collected by lawyers representing Massaro and numerous other WWE wrestlers who were seeking compensation for traumatic brain injuries sustained during their time in the ring. These lawyers gathered statements from wrestlers throughout the organization to shed light on their experiences.
Although Massaro’s statement was initially included in the lawsuit, it was ultimately removed as it was not directly relevant to the case’s primary focus on concussions.
According to Erica Mirabella, one of the lawyers involved, the decision to exclude Massaro’s statement was made after discussions with Massaro herself. Mirabella stated that they agreed to remove it, and the affidavit was finalized, signed by Massaro, and submitted to the court.
Mirabella also commended Massaro for her thoroughness and attention to detail throughout the process. Massaro tragically passed away in 2019 from an apparent suicide.
In her statement, Massaro provides a detailed account of McMahon engaging in intimate activities with other female wrestlers in the locker room, persistently harassing her with late-night phone calls, and subsequently sabotaging her career through negative promotional material after she rejected his advances.
Massaro recalls feeling extremely uncomfortable during one incident when McMahon attempted to isolate her in his hotel room late at night. She sought guidance from Kevin Dunn, who advised her to inform McMahon that she was unwell and would see him on television the following day. Massaro followed Dunn’s advice.
Following this incident, McMahon took control of writing Massaro’s promotional scripts, which was not a standard practice for female wrestlers. Massaro believed that these scripts were specifically designed to ruin her career.
Massaro brought the first script McMahon wrote for her to Michael Hayes, the WWE employee responsible for Creative at the time. Hayes expressed shock and questioned the authorship of the script. Massaro revealed that it was McMahon who had written it. Hayes responded, “Well kid, these are the breaks,” implying that McMahon intended to end her career and tarnish her reputation.
McMahon was also accused of covering up an alleged rape that Massaro experienced at a Kuwait military base in a civil sex trafficking lawsuit. These allegations surfaced in June 2019 but the investigation was closed in January 2020. According to Massaro’s affidavit, Kevin Dunn, a prominent figure in WWE production, advised her not to let one negative experience overshadow the work they were doing, referring to her speaking out about her sexual assault. Dunn could not be reached for comment, and a lawyer allegedly representing McMahon did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the Source deadspin.com