Janel Grant’s Attorneys Hold Press Call Ahead Of ‘Mr. McMahon’ Netflix Docuseries

Janel Grant’s attorneys Ann Callis (Holland Trial Lawyers), Charles Munn (Nelson Mullins On Background only) and spokesperson Kendra Barkoff Lamy of SKDK held a virtual press conference today ahead of next week’s highly anticipated Mr. McMahon docuseries on Netflix. McMahon’s sex-trafficking allegations forced the Chairman to step down for a second—and presumably final time as the embattled executive was forced out from his post by WWE’s parent company TKO.

McMahon’s ouster shook WWE to its core, leading to an industry wide shift that actually benefited the promotion in the long run through the leadership of Paul Levesque and Nick Khan in what is now known as the Paul Levesque Era.

Many key figures in the wrestling business have been cautious, if not evasive, when asked about McMahon’s allegations. Former WWE Superstar Mandy Rose (now known as Mandy Sacs) recently commented on the McMahon allegations and whether or not she planned on watching the docuseries, which does not include participation from Ms. Grant:

“I do plan on watching that. Yes, for sure,” said Mandy Sacs in a recent interview. “I know a few of my friends actually have messaged me it thinking that I know things and all these, you know what I mean? I'm like, oh, I know. I'm excited to see it. But I am excited to see that because, excited and a little nervous, not going to lie. They're saying that they really are putting everything out there, so it's going to be interesting and it's kind of wild. I don't know, especially with everything the past few years.”

“I don't like to speak on things that I don't know the truth,” Mandy continued. “And I know there's a lot of things going on, on social media. Whatever I can say myself though, however like, I never had a bad experience with Vince. Vince was a great boss for me when I worked for him. And I think what he did for WWE alone is amazing, right? I mean, you can't forget about that. But obviously the allegations and all these things are really terrible. So it's hard to say, but for me, yeah, that documentary should be really interesting.”

Mr. McMahon premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

WWE Survivor Press Call On Behalf Of Janel Grant

The press call starts with Kendra Lamy giving a brief overview, then introducing Ann Callis, Janel Grant’s attorney.

“It takes immense strengths to speak out against Goliaths,” said Callis while discussing the alleged “extreme cruelty” and “violence on a daily basis,” which Callis says led to Grant’s post-traumatic stress disorder. Callis said she hoped Netflix’s Docuseries does Grant’s story justice.

Callis discussed bringing “more firepower” to Ms. Grant’s case through Grant’s hiring of SKDK. Callis and Lamy then opened it up for questions:

Brandon Thurston from Wrestlenomics asked if Ms. Callis anticipates any other victims coming forward. Ms. Callis said she was receiving an influx of calls, but she has not spoken to any current victims of Vince McMahon’s alleged sexual abuse at WWE. Callis also discussed how McMahon demonstrated a “clear pattern of sexual misconduct.”

Brian Zilem of PWTorch asked if Ms. Grant and her team had seen the documentary ahead of time. Ann Callis said they had not seen the documentary, but Ms. Grant will get her day in court. Callis said Grant has the right to tell her own story on her own time.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic inquired if Ms. Grant was asked to be in the documentary. Ms. Callis did not directly answer the question, but reiterated that Grant deserves the opportunity to tell her own story.

Steven Muelhausen of Sports Illustrated asked if Janel Grant didn’t participate in the docuseries because they were concerned with how it would be edited. Callis once again reiterated that Janel deserves to tell her own story.

Jordan Mendoza of USA Today asked if Janel or anybody on her team had heard from WWE. Callis responded by saying there was some initial outreach after the lawsuit was filed but they had not heard anything since then.

Paul Schott of Hearst Connecticut Media asked for an update on McMahon’s ongoing federal investigation. Callis said she had no awareness or comment on exactly what the federal government was doing at this time, but they would like the charges to be brought expeditiously.

Lee Cole of Wrestling with the Devil asked Ms. Callis to detail Ms. Grant’s abuse, and more specifically why she continued to work with WWE in spite of the alleged abuse. Callis said Ms. Grant had no choice and was coerced and bullied on a daily basis by Mr. McMahon.

A representative of Simon and Schuster asked if Ms. Callis is worried if the Netflix docuseries would “whitewash” the actions of WWE employees implicated in the McMahon allegations. Ms. Callis said she hopes Netflix does tells Ms. Grant’s story in a fair manner, but Janel needs to tell her story in her own way at the right time.

Chloe Melas of NBC News brought up the recent indictment of Sean “Diddy” Combs and asked if Ms. Grant’s team has heard if anybody has testified against McMahon. Callis said the only thing she knows is that there is an ongoing federal criminal investigation of Mr. McMahon and she’s hopeful that an indictment is imminent.

B.J. Bethel of SEScoops.com asked what Grant’s team would like to see happen with the ongoing investigation and civil case. Callis said there’s no frustration on her end with the ongoing investigations and she wants it to be “right, not fast.”

Callis wrapped by telling Mike Rowe of The Wrap that Grant is not a WWE storyline, but she is a victim who deserves justice. Kendra Lamy followed up by saying Ms. Grant is a victim of emotional trauma.

The press call ended around 11:30 am PST.