Graphic by Liam Hinck
At the end of WWE’s SummerSlam, an emotional John Cena took in the crowd during one of his final premium live events. That beautiful moment commemorating Cena’s retirement tour was then soured by the return of WWE superstar, as well as an alleged coconspirator and sex trafficker, Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar was officially named in an amended federal lawsuit by former WWE employee Janel Grant. She initially filed the lawsuit in January 2024, accusing WWE cofounder Vince McMahon and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis of sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, negligence and sexual assault. The backlash from the lawsuit resulted in McMahon’s retirement as executive chairman in 2024.
According to the suit, Grant alleged that McMahon forced her to make pornographic content for Lesnar personally, implying her job was on the line. Lesnar was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit and was not personally being sued by Grant herself.
The question on both my and other female WWE fans’ minds: Why is Lesnar here?
WWE has had significant financial success in the past couple of years. Their flagship show, Monday Night Raw, premiered on Netflix after a $5 billion deal. They also finalized another five-year, multi-billion-dollar deal in which ESPN acquired the exclusive U.S. streaming rights to all premium live events.
So, given all this success, why do they need Lesnar? They clearly don’t need him for ticket sales, and all his presence shows is WWE’s lack of awareness and caring for Grant and women in general.
This isn’t the first time WWE has been ignorant of a woman’s allegation against company personnel. In 2024, former WWE referee Rita Chatterton accused McMahon of rape. While McMahon was never officially charged with the crime, how many more times will these allegations be ignored?
Recently, WWE has experienced an increase in popularity regarding its female talent. Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque enthusiastically said on the Netflix docuseries “WWE: Unreal,” “There’s f***ing five women that are great for every guy.”
This wasn’t always the case for women wrestlers. They had to fight to lose the “divas” moniker and to not only be there for “bra and panties” matches, whose sole purpose was to pander to the male gaze. The WWE fans, 40% of them being female, were frustrated with how women wrestlers were portrayed.
In 2015, the hashtag #GiveDivasaChance trended on Twitter, and fans started to show more interest in the women’s matches. Eventually, progress began within the company. It started with longer matches, then storylines began to receive more attention, and the focus shifted to their athletic ability. WWE even called it the “Women’s Revolution.” In the other flagship show, NXT, women are regularly main eventing. The NXT women’s wrestlers have been quoted on the show saying, “The NXT women’s roster is the best in the world.”
It’s understood that WWE lives for the shock value and wants to cater to fans in some way, like when stars return at the Royal Rumble or when an unsuspecting babyface turns heel after a loss at WrestleMania. Fan favorite AJ Lee, 10 years removed from her last appearance, made an electric return to the canvas to the surprise of over 120 million fans across social media. Whereas Lesnar’s return only garnered 75 million views. Shock value shouldn’t matter more than women’s safety.
Lesnar’s return doesn’t make sense from a business standpoint. It alienates WWE women fans, and it brings negative publicity. It’s almost as if WWE executives aren’t thinking about the repercussions of their actions.
WWE has said nothing, refusing to acknowledge the allegations against Lesnar. McMahon continues to deny any involvement in the alleged crime. There has been no form of damage control. It comes off as a “this is what it is” attitude.
I remember feeling vindicated when the WWE dropped the title of “Divas” and renamed the “Divas Championship” to the “Women’s Championship” in 2016. It felt like the women were getting the respect they deserved.
But now, after ignoring McMahon and Lesnar’s allegations, the WWE keeps taking one step forward, then three steps back. It’s tiresome and frustrating as a fan. Women in the sports world aren’t taken as seriously as men, especially when it comes to fan bases.
This is very par for the course by them, but WWE should know better by now.
Comments are closed.