WWE have revealed that they have uncovered further personal payments made by Vince McMahon, increasing the total monies paid to a staggering $19.6 million.
On July 25th WWE announced that it would be reissuing company financial statements for 2019, 2020, and 2021, as well as Q1 of 2022.
The move came after the company uncovered payments worth $14.6 million made by Vince McMahon which should have been declared as business expenses. McMahon had announced his retirement from WWE just days earlier, as allegations of sexual misconduct and hush money payments engulfed the now former WWE Chairman.
In a new SEC filing on Tuesday August 9th, WWE have now confirmed the discovery of two further payments of totalling $5 million. The payments were made in 2007 and 2009, although WWE has not disclosed what the payments were for.
The company had originally been scheduled to reissue their financial statements on August 9th but the latest discoveries made this impossible.
McMahon remains under investigation regarding allegations that he paid a former employee $3 million in “hush money” after the pair had an affair. More allegations have since been made public, including claims that McMahon paid four women more than $12 million across 16 years as part of similar agreements.
Meanwhile on August 8th it was reported that long-time McMahon employee and associate John Laurinaitis had been fired.
John Laurinatis is being investigated by WWE’s Board of Directors in regard to a “$1.5 million nondisclosure agreement reached in 2012 with an employee.” Laurinaitis stepped down from his role as Head of Talent Relations at around the same time that the deal with the employee was reached. It is alleged that Laurinaitis demoted the woman after she ended their affair.