Shown in the blockquote below are all of the paragraphs from former WWE employee Janel Grant’s Jan. 25 complaint that mention any of the four anonymized “WWE Corporate Officers”. The officers were identified, and confirmed by Grant’s attorney, in a report on Monday by Tim Marchman, John Pollock, and me for Front Office Sports. The executives’ names are added in brackets to make clear who’s who.
- WWE Corporate Officer No. 1: Nick Khan (current WWE President, current TKO Board member)
- WWE Corporate Officer No. 2: Brad Blum (current WWE Chief Operating Officer)
- WWE Corporate Officer No. 3: Stephanie McMahon (former WWE executive and former WWE Board member)
- WWE Corporate Officer No. 4: Brian Nurse (former WWE SVP, General Counsel & Secretary)
The full text of Grant’s complaint, which contains graphic allegations of sexual assault against Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, is here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ctd.157647/gov.uscourts.ctd.157647.1.0_1.pdf
38. At all times relevant, “WWE Corporate Officer No. 2” [Brad Blum] was a high-ranking employee at WWE who made hiring decisions, conducted prospective employee interviews, and maintained significant control over personnel decisions. WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] worked in these capacities during Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE. This individual [Blum] is referred to herein as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 2.”
39. At all times relevant, “WWE Corporate Officer No. 1” [Nick Khan] was a high-ranking employee and Board member at WWE during Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE. WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] continued to work in high-ranking positions in connection with the September 12, 2023, merger. This individual [Khan] is referred to herein as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 1.”
40. At all times relevant, “WWE Corporate Officer No. 3” [Stephanie McMahon] was a high-ranking employee and/or Board member during Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE. This individual [Stephanie McMahon] is referred to herein as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 3.”
41. At all times relevant, “WWE Corporate Officer No. 4” [Brian Nurse] was a high-ranking employee at WWE who worked with legal affairs at the company. WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] held that position from the time of Ms. Grant’s initial employment with WWE until sometime in 2020. This individual [Nurse] is referred to herein as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 4.”
58. [Vince] McMahon advised her [Janel Grant] that his office would reach out to her to set up a meeting with a trusted official, WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum], at WWE headquarters. After asking if her cell was the best number to reach her, McMahon shared his personal phone number with Ms. Grant, walked her to his door, and again hugged her while whispering, “So good.”
59. On March 31, 2019, the day before Ms. Grant was scheduled to meet with WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum], McMahon unexpectedly invited Ms. Grant to come back to his condo for pointers for her meeting with WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum]. When she arrived, McMahon gave a huge embrace and suggested they sit on the couch. It quickly became clear that McMahon had no intention of giving her pointers for an interview except for a single direction: if the topic comes up during her meeting, Ms. Grant could state they “met through a mutual friend.”
62. On April 1, 2019, Ms. Grant met with WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] at WWE Headquarters for a short time. WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] hardly asked any questions, saying that WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] was figuring out where Ms. Grant would be placed and then promised to be in touch again after WrestleMania.
63. Later that day, Ms. Grant texted McMahon and enthusiastically described her meeting with WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum]. She also commented on a dinosaur skull that she saw on McMahon’s office wall, prompting his response, “btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U” followed by “Seriously Janel wherever U land in WWE U will be a credit to the organization.”
80. The next day, Human Resources Employee No. 2 called Ms. Grant to inform her that the WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse], would contact her at 4:00pm to discuss a legal role.
81. After her call with WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse], Ms. Grant sent McMahon a “thumbs up” text message to indicate the call went well. Around 7:00pm, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] unexpectedly called her a second time and formally offered her a job, saying “Welcome to WWE.”
82. On May 11, 2019, McMahon invited Ms. Grant to his condo again and asked her to lay in bed with him before informing her that he had ordered WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] to offer her the job, even though a job description had not been firmed up beyond a high-level summary.
101. Based on her hiring alone, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] was on notice that there was something different about Ms. Grant; namely, her connection to McMahon. As Ms. Grant feared (and had expressed to McMahon), she was unhappy that a spotlight was unnecessarily put on her before she ever set foot in the office. Ms. Grant immediately noticed that WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] was warm with other colleagues but cold towards her.
102. Beginning in July 2019, after Ms. Grant raised an issue related to XFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy with McMahon, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse]’s behavior shifted from cold to actively hostile. If Ms. Grant walked into a room while WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] was laughing with colleagues, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse]’s expression immediately became blank and WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] would walk away. If WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] and Ms. Grant walked towards each other in a hallway, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] stopped and changed directions.
104. Notwithstanding the issues detailed above, Ms. Grant took her employment seriously. In contrast, McMahon continued a pattern of sending sexually charged messages throughout the work week. Certain her employment depended on her continued appeasement of and obedience to McMahon—and believing she needed McMahon’s protection from the suspicious WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] and others—Ms. Grant felt no choice but to respond in kind.
123. On February 3, 2020, McMahon sent a message to Ms. Grant advising he had been informed by WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] that there were a lot of rumors circulating about McMahon and Ms. Grant.
161. In March 2021, WWE had still not hired a replacement after WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse]’s termination in November 2020. On March 9, 2021, McMahon informed Ms. Grant, still an entry-level coordinator, that top executives in the Company knew about their relationship and that her presence in the legal department was effectively delaying the Company’s efforts to hire a new replacement for this high ranking official, reinforcing the fact that many within the Company were well aware of the circumstances detailed herein.
165. On March 10, 2021, WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] informed Grant that day that she would officially be moved to Talent Relations and would quickly begin reporting to [John] Laurinaitis, although details about her role, including a title and salary, were still being firmed up. In essence, Ms. Grant again found herself in a completely undefined role, except for the understanding that she remain a sexual slave to be used and trafficked by McMahon within the WWE.
174. In an April 2021 meeting between Ms. Grant and WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum], WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] acknowledged that the jump initially proposed to Vice President was too big and could put a target on Ms. Grant’s back. Nevertheless, WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] presented Ms. Grant with paperwork detailing a base salary increase to $200,000 as Director of Operations.
205. McMahon instructed Ms. Grant that she should not go back to the office and immediately lessen her involvement on open work items. Ms. Grant expressed concerns about both her name being mentioned in the media and the loss of control over her image, especially as McMahon had shared content of her for close to two years, and the ramifications for her career. McMahon suggested that he would attempt to help keep Ms. Grant’s reputation intact, and that he or WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] would personally help Ms. Grant to find another job.
209. On January 14, 2022, McMahon sent Ms. Grant a to-do list for purposes of effectuating the NDA, such as retaining counsel, and also included an offer for one-on-one career coaching. McMahon suggested the list had been drafted by WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum].
214. The “negotiations” of the NDA were brief – lasting only eight days. Ms. Grant reminded McMahon that the NDA ought to address people who knew about their relationship, including, but not limited to: WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan], WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum], John Laurinaitis, and McMahon’s personal assistants. Ms. Grant and her attorney sought to incorporate the list of individuals who had knowledge of the relationship into a Schedule A in the NDA. Ms. Grant’s requested revisions were flatly rejected by McMahon and WWE, who reverted to their original draft rather than incorporate any of her proposed changes – with the exception that, as of the date of execution, Ms. Grant would not speak of the relationship.
227. On March 2, 2022, while Ms. Grant was away on a trip to Florida, McMahon called Ms. Grant to advised that it would probably be the last time she would hear from him and, if she needed anything, to contact WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] or WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum]. Over the course of an approximately half hour call, McMahon lamented both his inability to focus on the upcoming WrestleMania and how his personal life had blown up over the past few weeks. Towards the end of their conversation, McMahon and Ms. Grant agreed to resume contact after WrestleMania. He also instructed Ms. Grant to continue having sexual relations with other men, including WWE Superstar [Brock Lesnar, according to The Wall Street Journal], in the meantime.
242. For instance, in or around March 2021, Ms. Grant introduced herself to WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] when they passed one another in the hallway. WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] responded by telling Ms. Grant that WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] knew exactly who she was.
243. WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] maintained an office suite on the executive 4th floor of WWE’s company headquarters at 1241 East Main Street. Meanwhile, Ms. Grant’s cubicle in the company’s legal department was in a different building (1266 East Main) and across the street from WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan]’s office. Ms. Grant had no physical presence at 1241 East Main Street until the beginning of February 2021, when she began to report to an attorney who kept an office in both buildings.
244. Given that WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] a very high-ranking WWE officer and Ms. Grant was an entry-level coordinator in the legal department, it is unusual that WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] would know who Ms. Grant was at all at that point, except WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] knew of Ms. Grant at least in part by hearing about the ongoing exploitation of Ms. Grant by McMahon.
245. Following Ms. Grant’s messages to McMahon on March 9, 2021, McMahon summoned Ms. Grant to his condo that evening for a conversation during which McMahon confirmed that WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan], indeed, knew exactly who she was, as McMahon had met privately with WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] and WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] and advised these individuals of McMahon’s connection to Ms. Grant.
246. McMahon continued this conversation by detailing to Ms. Grant that they had expressed concern but were ultimately supportive. McMahon also advised Ms. Grant that one or both of WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] and/or WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] inquired whether Ms. Grant could be trusted, and that McMahon offered assurances that Ms. Grant would not do something to hurt the WWE.
247. Knowledge on the part of WWE is further illustrated by the multiple meetings Ms. Grant had about initial hiring and subsequent position changes, including a number of such meetings with WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] and a voice memo McMahon sent Ms. Grant the following morning, on March 10, mentioning the names of both WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] and WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] in connection with the new role. It’s unusual for the Executive Chairman and CEO to name-drop two of the company’s highest-ranking officers in connection with a coordinator’s first job promotion—especially as there are Human Resources partners assigned to each department.
248. WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] was a high-ranking legal department employee at WWE until around November 2020. Upon information and belief, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] was terminated or asked to resign from WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse]’s post at WWE. McMahon expressed to Ms. Grant that WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse], while still employed at WWE, knew or highly suspected that a sexual relationship existed between McMahon and Ms. Grant. Upon information and belief, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse] articulated WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse]’s knowledge and/or suspicion to at least one other executive.
250. Notably, Ms. Grant inquired with both WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] and WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] about whether it was appropriate for her to attend these meetings.
251. Additionally, WWE Corporate Officer No. 3 [Stephanie McMahon], another high-ranking WWE official and member of the WWE Board of Directors at the time of Ms. Grant’s employment with WWE, motioned for Ms. Grant to sit in a chair near WWE Corporate Officer No. 3 [Stephanie McMahon] at the Boardroom Table during one of the meetings. Upon information and belief, WWE Corporate Officer No. 3 [Stephanie McMahon] knew of other instances of [Vince] McMahon engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct.
304. Upon information and belief, other WWE employees benefited financially in helping to assist, support and facilitate the commercial sex acts of [Vince] McMahon in that WWE’s culture revolved around trust relationships, increased status with McMahon and prioritizing the protection of the company. For instance, both WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 [Khan] and WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 [Blum] continued to assist in maintaining a position at WWE, as well as advancement opportunities, for Ms. Grant after being told of McMahon’s relations with her. Upon further information and belief, other employees were forced to resign or were let go if they knew of McMahon’s exploits and failed to assist, support and/or facilitate them, such as former WWE employee, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 [Nurse].
What WWE has said, in comments to Front Office Sports:
“WWE takes Ms. Grant’s allegations very seriously and has no tolerance for any physical abuse or unwanted physical contact.
“Neither Nick Khan nor Brad Blum, prior to the lawsuit being filed on January 25, 2024, were aware of any allegation by Ms. Grant that she was the victim of abuse or unwanted physical contact; nor does the complaint allege that either had knowledge of such.”
A WWE spokesperson denied the conversation referenced in paragraphs 245 and 246 ever happened — the conversation McMahon allegedly told Grant about, in which he says he assured Khan and Blum that Grant could be trusted, and that Khan and Blum were purportedly supportive after expressing concern.
WWE declined to comment to Front Office Sports on the terms on which Nurse left the company.
Brandon Thurston has written about wrestling business since 2015. He operates and owns Wrestlenomics.