Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: Bruce Prichard, ronda rousey, Vince McMahon, wrestling

Ronda Rousey: Bruce Prichard is "Basically Vince McMahon's Avatar"

Former WWE champion Ronda Rousey said ousted TKO Chairman Vince McMahon "still has a hand" in WWE as long as Bruce Prichard is "still around."

Vince McMahon resigned from his position as Executive Chairman of WWE parent TKO and all roles in TKO and WWE Friday night, capping off a tumultuous week that began with Dwayne Johnson joining the TKO board and WWE signing a huge TV rights deal with Netflix, and ended with a lawsuit leveling accusations of sexual assault and sex trafficking against McMahon. In the wake of those allegations, and major sponsor Slim Jim temporarily dropping its sponsorship, McMahon was forced to resign, seemingly this time for good. But questions remain about the scandal and who else was involved or knew about it, with PWInsider reporting some sources inside the company believe Endeavor will clear out anyone close to McMahon to give the company a clean start.  Former WWE and UFC champion Ronda Rousey, who finished her latest run with WWE in April, was candid on Twitter about one current WWE executive she feels keeps a "hand in the business" at the company for McMahon: Bruce Pritchard. Rousey tweeted:

This marks the second time McMahon has been forced out of WWE amidst the same ongoing scandal. McMahon was forced to temporarily retire in 2022 after news broke that the company's board was investigating McMahon for hush money payments made to silence sexual misconduct claims. Those payments totaled millions of dollars to multiple accusers, including Grant and former WWE referee Rita Chatterton, who accused McMahon of sexual assault in the 1980s, amongst others. However, McMahon returned in 2023, using his power as controlling stockholder to reinstate himself and put the company up for sale. The eventual buyer was Endeavor, parent company of UFC, which merged the two companies to form TKO and made McMahon Executive Chairman of the Board. However, McMahon lost his position as controlling stockholder in the deal.

In the wake of his resignation Friday Night, Vince McMahon issued the following statement:

I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant's lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth. I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.

However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.

Appearing on the Law and Crime podcast, Ann Callis, attorney for Janel Grant, issued the following statement on Grant's behalf in response to McMahon's resignation:

She hopes any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges and that fresh air fills the headquarters, and she hopes those at the company, past and present, who fear speaking out about harm is a thing of the past. She wishes everyone peace.

Ronda Rousey's comment is a good indicator that fans should not expect The Baddest Woman in the Planet to appear in tonight's WWE Royal Rumble event. Another former UFC star who is rumored by PWInsider to not appear at the event is Brock Lesnar, who the Wall Street Journal identified as an unnamed person in the lawsuit.

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