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Vince McMahonhas denied that recent misconduct allegations made against him played any role in the WWE’s merger with the UFC on Monday.
During a sit-down interview withCNBC’s Scott Wapner, the 77-year-old former wrestling star was asked if the merger still would have happened if he hadn’t settled a lawsuit in January from a former referee who said McMahon had raped her in 1986.
“Absolutely,” McMahon said in response, denying that the scandal led to the merger. “Nothing has ever happened like this before, and again, I’m always looking at what’s best for our stockholders, what’s best for the company.”
McMahon said the merger is “the best thing that has happened in a long, long time” and called it “the best day of” his life. “It’s a great day,” he told CNBC.
Wapner asked McMahon if the scandal at least pushed him “towards this day faster” than he anticipated. “No, it didn’t really in and of itself, no, but it’s great that we can combine all of this news together at the same time,” McMahon replied.
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The former WWE CEO, who retired from the company in July amid the allegations before returning as an executive chairman in January, explained, “Things have to evolve, family business, it all has to evolve for all the right reasons and this is the right business decision thus far, it’s the right family decision.”
McMahon admitted to making mistakes “obviously both personally and professionally” throughout his 50-year career. “I’ve owned up to every single one of them and then moved on,” he told Wapner.
McMahon and the former referee had reached a settlement in January.
“Mr. McMahon denies and always has denied raping Ms. Chatterton,” he said. “And he settled the case solely to avoid the cost of litigation.”
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After stepping down as head of WWE, McMahon — the company’s controlling shareholder —returnedin January, citing “upcoming media rights negotiations” and “increased industry-wide demand for quality content and live events.”
“The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives,” he said in astatement. “My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder.”
source: people.com
