COLUMN: WWE's toxic culture must be changed

The WWE is an entertainment program where wrestlers act out chaotic fight scenes driven by creative storytelling and electrifying personalities. It is not a secret that many superstars in the WWE play a character while performing. Many wrestlers, like Kane, play as the twisted heels of the sport, but in reality, they are some of the nicest people you will meet outside of the WWE.

Twenty years ago, many fans of the wrestling promotion thought that Vince McMahon, now former CEO of the WWE, was playing the character of a wealthy CEO who was a deceitful predator absorbed by narcissism. At the time, it was presented in a comedic light, but it turns out McMahon played that character so effortlessly because he behaves the same way in real life. 

There is a scene where McMahon tries to prove to Hulk Hogan that he can pass the lie detector test that keeps saying that Hogan is telling the truth. "Are you a sick, perverted, power-hungry freak?" Hogan asked McMahon. 

What was initially a comedic skit is now an admission of guilt, because McMahon has allegedly been partaking in acts so vile and unspeakable that the words "sick," "perverted," "power-hungry" and "freak" accurately describe him.

One week after the WWE signed a $5 billion deal with Netflix to air new WWE events, McMahon, who served as the executive chairman of WWE's parent company TKO, was accused of sexual assault and human trafficking.

Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit a few weeks ago. Many alleged texts between Grant and McMahon have leaked to every social media platform, and these messages are disturbing, disgusting and repulsive.

This string of crimes is not unforeseen. In 1992, a former WWE referee accused McMahon of sexual assault after he lured her into his private limousine. In 2006, he was accused of sexual assault by a tanning salon attendant. He was accused of sexually assaulting a spa resort manager in 2011. And these are just the cases that are known publicly.

What is truly disturbing about this situation is that the WWE is still covering up for its former CEO. Employees have not been allowed to speak out about the vile acts McMahon has been committing during his tenure with the WWE for fear of losing their jobs.

People outside the WWE fan base were shocked to see how such a prominent figure in the entertainment industry could be such a monster behind closed doors. Although McMahon has yet to receive a verdict, everyone should agree change is necessary.

There must be a cultural revolution within the WWE. Not only have officials within the company been enabling such horrific action toward their employees but other businesses affiliated with the WWE are also affected.

On Sept. 12, 2023, the WWE merged with the UFC to form the TKO Group Holdings, Inc. Many high-ranking officials from both companies joined to form the TKO board of directors, with McMahon, at the time, serving as the executive chairman. McMahon's antics and the accusations thrown his way have harmed the integrity of the TKO Group and jeopardized the high-profile deal Netflix signed with the WWE last month.

For more than four decades, the WWE has managed to survive despite the predatory and perverse actions of McMahon. For the sake of fans of both the WWE and the UFC, there needs to be a radical movement to rid the toxic culture brought by one of its founders.