Wednesday 29 June 2022 09:06 PM Wrestler says WWE CEO Vince McMahon raped a female referee in his limo in 1986 trends now
A wrestler is corroborating an old allegation that WWE CEO Vince McMahon raped a female referee in his limo in 1986, amid new allegations that he also paid women hush money to keep misconduct claims secret.
McMahon is the embattled titan of the wrestling industry; he has been in charge of WWE for decades, inheriting the company from his father and making it into the multi-billion dollar machine that it is today.
Earlier this month, he stepped down from his role as CEO after being accused of paying female employees hush money. One allegation is that he gave a paralegal $3million after their affair ended.
In the wake of the allegations, an older, more serious claim has resurfaced.
In 1992, Rita Chatterton, now 64, the first female referee in the WWE, came forward to accuse McMahon of raping her in his limo in 1986.
Now, her allegation has been corroborated by former wrestler Leonard Inzitari, who says he saw Chatterton after the alleged attack.
WWE wrestling is investigating Vince McMahon over claims he paid women hush money after they accused him of misconduct, including a 41-year-old paralegal who says he gave her $3million after they had an affair
Vince McMahon with Rita Chatterton, the first female WWE referee, the year before she claims he raped her, on his TV show
In 1992, Rita Chatterton, now 64, the first female referee in the WWE, came forward to accuse McMahon of raping her in his limo in 1986. She appeared on Gerald Rivera's TV show
'I remember it like it was yesterday. She was a wreck. She was shaking. She was crying,' Inzitari, who went by the wrestling alias Mario Mancini, told Intelligencer.
He said he had kept it a secret for decades in fear of being marginalized by McMahon and his family, who control the industry.
'He’s dug himself such a deep hole that I’m just tired of it. I can’t do it anymore,' he said of his decision to speak out now.
Inzitari said Chatterton told him through sobs how McMahon 'took his penis out', forced her to perform oral sex on him, then forced himself 'inside' of her.
He recalled telling her: 'You just keep your mouth shut, because it’s Vince McMahon. What are you gonna do, stooge on Vince McMahon? You’re gonna be blackballed from the wrestling business!'
Chatterton did not make her claim public for several years.
It wasn't until she appeared on Geraldo Rivera’s TV show in 1992 that she made the allegation. He has not yet addressed it.
McMahon gave her first major refereeing job in 1975, then, she claims, offered her a contract of $500,000 a year to referee on-screen.
'At the time, I knew that’s a huge amount
