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JOHN LAURINAITIS' ATTORNEY STATES WWE MANAGEMENT WAS AWARE OF ASHLEY MASSARO RAPE ALLEGATIONS, DENIES COVER UP

An attorney for John Laurinaitis acknowledged to a Vice News reporter that WWE upper management was aware of allegations made by the late Ashley Massaro that she was allegedly sexually assaulted while overseas on a United States military base for a WWE Tribute to the Troops tour in 2006.  The Vice article noted:

“Any allegations that Mr. Laurinaitus helped to cover up an alleged rape allegation is an outright lie,” wrote Laurinaitis’ lawyer, Edward Brennan, in response to questions about Massaro’s allegations. “Johnny, like most upper level management at sometime became aware of the allegations and ensured all proper WWE protocols were followed, including privacy for the alleged victim. We object to the use of the term cover up as no such plan or plot ever took place to hide or assist in the alleged rape.”  

The allegations first became public during the now-dismissed lawsuit filed by dozens of former WWE talents in relation to CTE.  That class action lawsuit that was filed by dozens of pro wrestlers, some of whom were contracted to WWE and some of whom simply worked as underneath talent without a contract, alleging that WWE was directly responsible for their current health issues as well as challenging that professional wrestlers are classified as independent contractor, as opposed to employees.  The lawsuit was dismissed in 2019, as well as attempted to resurrect it and the attorney involved Konstantine Kyros, was later sanctioned by the court.

At the time, Massaro, a former WWE Diva Search winner, alleged that during her time with WWE, she suffered numerous concussions and injuries that went untreated, leading to her having symptoms that are consistent with CTE.  In the lawsuit, Massaro made allegations that she was sexually assaulted during a trip overseas for a 2006 "Tribute to the Troops" event in Kuwait and that the company, upon learning of the assault, met with Massaro "to apologize for their negligence, but [they] persuaded her that it would be best not to report it to appropriate authorities.’’ 

WWE, in responding to that allegation in the lawsuit, referred to it as a "baseless and inflammatory allegation."  As noted, in 2019, the lawsuit was later dismissed with Massaro's claims being tossed out of the case for not being relevant to the core crux of the case, which were allegations that the company did not properly educate talents on the dangers of neurological damage from performing as professional wrestlers. 

Massaro passed away in May 2019, with it being reported at the time in New York media that she took her own life.  In the wake of her passing, Konstantine Kyros, who represented Massaro in the CTE lawsuit published a 15 page affidavit made by Massaro regarding her treatment while under contract to WWE.  In the affidavit, Massaro alleged that she was sexually assaulted while touring military bases for WWE in Kuwait and was asked not to report the assault by members of WWE management.  

WWE's response at the time, dated 5/22/19, reads as follows:

WWE is saddened by the death of Ashley Massaro, and we reiterate our condolences to her family. However, we regret that her attorney Konstantine Kyros, who filed multiple cases against WWE, lost all of them, and was sanctioned multiple times by the Court for repeated misconduct and false allegations, is using Ashley’s death to further his malicious campaign against WWE by releasing an affidavit that she submitted to the Court and later apologized to WWE for being involved with, so we wish to make certain things crystal clear.

At no time was Vince McMahon or the management of WWE ever informed by Ashley Massaro or anybody else that she had been sexually assaulted, drugged, raped or sodomized by a military doctor with a nurse standing guard while on a goodwill tour in 2007 to U.S. military bases in Kuwait. In fact, if she ever articulated such a claim to WWE, we would have reported it immediately to the Base Commander.

At no time was there ever a meeting with Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, John Laurinaitis or other company executives in which she told them of such a claim and was instructed to keep it quiet.

The claims by Laurinaitis' attorney would obviously challenge that statement.

In May of 2003, Amazon's Audible released an exclusive podcast today titled Ashley vs WWE: The Story of Wrestler Ashley Massaro covering her claims with interviews including her ex-boyfriend former WWE Paul London and others.  Promotional material for the podcast notes, "Professional wrestler Ashley Massaro died by suicide in 2019. Ashley vs WWE follows events leading up to her death and examines allegations of abuse while she was wrestling for WWE. As journalist Isobel Thompson delves into Ashley's story, she investigates whether her allegations are just the tip of the iceberg. This story takes Isobel from the UK, to Ashley’s home of Long Island, and into the world of WWE wrestling in the early 2000s - where the power, influence and misogyny of the real world played out through the characters in the ring."

At the time of her passing, Massaro had been training to return to the ring with Long Island's New York Wrestling Connection.  The promotion and school has named a section of their NYWC Sportatorium after Massaro in her honor.

Massaro was only 39 years old when she passed.

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If you are feeling suicidal, please ask for help.  In the United States, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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PWInsider.com would like to make those working in the professional wrestling industry aware of Behind the Scenes, a charity organization specifically launched to help those in the entertainment industry who deal with and live the the pressures of “the show must go on” 24/7 mentality that comes with working in the performing arts genre.

Their mental health initiative page notes:

"Many people have become increasingly concerned about the rising number of suicides and the prevalence of alcohol/substance misuse within the entertainment industry. By its very nature our industry can impact your physical and emotional health due to long hours, pressure to push your body, and high workplace stress. In response, Behind the Scenes and other individuals and organizations have come together to create this initiative."

There are mental health services available for those in both the United States and Canada, including peer to peer chats, suicide prevention resources, mental health first aid training, assistance with finding a therapist and an Anonymous Online Self-Assessment Tool.  All of these services are free.

You can find the Behind the Scenes' website at this link.

A special thanks to Ethan Gilson for all his help.

 

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