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NEW ALLEGATIONS OF VINCE MCMAHON SEXUAL HARASSMENT REVEALED FROM PREVIOUSLY UNDISCLOSED STATEMENT BY LATE ASHLEY MASSARO

Vice.com reported today that attorneys who represented the late Ashley Massaro recorded allegations of sexual harassment towards Massaro from former WWE Head Vince McMahon as part of the process of drafting her affidavit in the since-dismissed WWE CTE lawsuit.  The statement, which was eventually removed from the final affidavit, reads:

"During my time with the WWE, I had observed Vince McMahon making-out with other divas in the locker room, but he never paid attention to me, and I assumed I was not his type. This changed after my Playboy cover was released. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to fly on the company jet and stay at the same hotels as the executives for a period of time so that I could get home faster to spend more time with my daughter. On one of these occasions, Vince was attempting to get me alone with him in his hotel room late at night and I felt extraordinarily uncomfortable. He began calling the hotel room phone and my cell phone nonstop. I called Kevin Dunn to explain the situation and he said I should tell Vince I was not feeling well and would see him on TV the next day, so I did. Immediately after that night, Vince started writing my promos for me. Vince does not write promos for female wrestlers—that is the job of the creative department—and he certainly wouldn’t have, under any normal circumstances, written a promo for me. But he did, and the promos were written with the clear intention of ruining my career. I brought the first script Vince wrote for me to the WWE employee in charge of Creative at the time, Michael Hayes, and he said, ‘you’re not saying this, who the [expletive] wrote this?’ and I told him that Vince did. He said, ‘Well kid, these are the breaks,’ meaning that Vince wanted to end my career and destroy my reputation on my way out. He is known for this type of behavior and also did this to [REDACTED] upon her departure from WWE. In addition, after that night, each time I walk by him he would make vulgar sexual comments that were clearly designed to make me uncomfortable."

The decision to not include this in Massaro's signed affidavit was, according to the article, a decision made to focus on Massaro's sexual assault allegation and the physical injury aspects of the lawsuit.

Vice noted, "A spokesperson for TKO, WWE’s parent company, declined to comment when provided a detailed accounting of the allegations in the statement and questions raised by it, aside from confirming that a top backstage employee named in the statement, Michael Hayes, currently works for WWE and clarifying the nature of his job. A lawyer said to represent McMahon did not respond to a request for comment."

At the time of her passing, Massaro (who is believed to have taken her own life), was only 39 years old.

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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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