Tag: Ashley Massaro

Unreleased Ashley Massaro Statement Accuses Vince McMahon Of Preying On WWE Wrestlers

Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro was one of more than 50 wrestlers to join a 2016 neurological injury lawsuit against WWE, in which Massaro claimed that she had sustained several concussions during her tenure in the company. Massaro also cited allegations of sexual assault stemming from a WWE tour of Kuwait, as well as abuse from former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. WWE has since denied any knowledge of Massaro’s accusations.

Prior to her untimely death in 2019, Massaro provided a series of statements to lawyers that were later translated into a sworn affidavit. On Friday, VICE News released one of Massaro’s previously unpublished statements, with Massaro accusing McMahon of preying on female WWE wrestlers. Massaro also said that she was punished for rejecting McMahon’s advances.

Following the release of her Playboy cover, Massaro claimed that McMahon attempted to “get [her] alone with him in his hotel room,” repeatedly calling her hotel room phone and her cell phone. In response, Massaro contacted former WWE production chief Kevin Dunn, who instructed her to tell McMahon that she was not feeling well. In the days following, Massaro said that McMahon began personally writing promos scripts for her “with the clear intention of ruining [her] career.”

“I brought the first script Vince wrote for me to the WWE employee in charge of Creative at the time, Michael Hayes, and he said, ‘you’re not saying this, who the [expletive] wrote this?’ and I told him that Vince did,” Massaro stated. “He said, ‘Well kid, these are the breaks,’ meaning that Vince wanted to end my career and destroy my reputation on my way out. He is known for this type of behavior and also did this to [REDACTED] upon her departure from WWE. In addition, after that night, each time I walk by him he would make vulgar sexual comments that were clearly designed to make me uncomfortable.”

Massaro isn’t the only former WWE employee to levy sexual allegations against McMahon in recent years. Last month, Janel Grant filed a 67-page lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and former WWE executive John Laurinitis outlining sex trafficking, sexual assault, and a myriad of other abuses. McMahon has denied these respective allegations. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Issues Statement On Ashley Massaro Allegations

WWE has issued a statement in response to allegations made by lawyer Konstantine Kyros, who has represented several former WWE Superstars in concussion lawsuits against the company, including the late Ashley Massaro. Kyros has published an affidavit by Massaro that includes her allegations on how she was treated while with the company. Massaro alleged that she was sexually assaulted while visiting troops with WWE in Kuwait back in 2006.

Massaro alleged that she was drugged and raped by a man posing as a US Army doctor while in Kuwait on a tour of a US military base. She said she was examined by a WWE doctor after returning from the trip, and that the doctor reported the incident to WWE officials. Massaro alleged that WWE officials called her into a meeting, to apologize, and to persuade “her that it would be best not to report it to appropriate authorities.” You can read all of her claims in the full affidavit via PDF by clicking here.

WWE’s statement to the media in response to the allegations reads:

WWE is saddened by the death of Ashley Massaro, and we reiterate our condolences to her family. However, we regret that her attorney Konstantine Kyros, who filed multiple cases against WWE, lost all of them, and was sanctioned multiple times by the Court for repeated misconduct and false allegations, is using Ashley’s death to further his malicious campaign against WWE by releasing an affidavit that she submitted to the Court and later apologized to WWE for being involved with, so we wish to make certain things crystal clear.At no time was Vince McMahon or the management of WWE ever informed by Ashley Massaro or anybody else that she had been sexually assaulted, drugged, raped or sodomized by a military doctor with a nurse standing guard while on a goodwill tour in 2007 to U.S. military bases in Kuwait. In fact, if she ever articulated such a claim to WWE, we would have reported it immediately to the Base Commander.

At no time was there ever a meeting with Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, John Laurinaitis or other company executives in which she told them of such a claim and was instructed to keep it quiet.

WWE recently revealed that Massaro e-mailed them back in October, a month after the lawsuit was dismissed, to apologize for joining the lawsuit. Below is WWE’s full statement with excerpts from Massaro’s e-mail:

Long after Ashley Massaro filed an affidavit, which WWE only learned of the contents after she passed away, Ashley sent an email to WWE on Oct. 20, 2018 – approximately one month after the Court dismissed all claims against WWE and sanctioned the lawyer who brought the suit against WWE, Konstantine Kyros, for repeated misconduct including pursuing false allegations. Below are a number of excerpts from her letter to WWE:”I love WWE, you all were my family the whole time I was there…”

“The lawsuit got out of control very fast-I had been roped in by the lawyer representing the others…”

“I apologize that I was part of this class action suit and knew it was a bad idea but was convinced by the lawyer and I want to acknowledge that I should’ve contacted you guys before agreeing to be involved-i was basically poached. But I accept my part of the responsibility and just want to formerly apologize and express my regret.”

“You all changed my life and I couldn’t be more grateful…”

“Can you express my sincerest regret to Vince, Stephanie, Hunter and Kevin Dunn.”

Massaro passed away last Thursday at the age of 39 after an apparent suicide by hanging. She would have turned 40 this coming weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ashley Massaro Reportedly Passed Away In Apparent Suicide By Hanging, CM Punk Offers Advise On Depression & Suicide

Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro was found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to multiple sources who have spoke with TMZ Sports.

As we’ve noted, the 2005 Divas Search winner passed away last Thursday at the age of 39. She was found unconscious at her home in Smithtown, NY shortly after 5am ET after she failed to show up for work at a local radio station. She was taken to a local hospital by first responders and later pronounced dead. She would have turned 40 on May 26 and leaves behind one daughter. Local authorities have classified Massaro’s death as non-criminal and foul play was not suspected.

TMZ also noted that Massaro is being laid to rest in Suffolk County, NY.

The New York Post reports that Massaro’s lawyer told them that her brain may be donated to Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is a professor at the University of California at Davis known as “The Concussion Doctor.” Omalu researches CTE, a condition associated with multiple head injuries and concussions, and has previously released findings related to CTE in pro football players.

CTE can only be confirmed after death. Lawyer Konstantine Kryos, who has represented Massaro and other former WWE Superstars in lawsuits against the company, told The Post that he’s asked Massaro’s mother and daughter about donating her brain.

“They were a little upset about it,” Kryos said, adding that there’s a little time to make the decision. He claimed, “It was Ashley’s wishes to donate her brain.”

CM Punk called into the WMGM radio show in Atlantic City, NJ on Friday and said he heard that Massaro had taken her life. This was before the manner of death has been publicly disclosed, but there was already speculation due to social media comments from several people close to Massaro, including Michelle McCool. Punk begged listeners to get help if they are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, as Massaro had.

“Tremendously sad way to go,” Punk said. He continued, “thoughts obviously go out to her family, especially her daughter. It’s May. It’s Mental Health Month … if you’re depressed and things aren’t going your way, there’s no reason to feel alone. Just reach out to somebody. Text a friend. Call somebody. There’s hotlines. There’s ways you can get help.”

As noted, WWE honored Massaro with a tribute graphic before Sunday’s WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view hit the air. They also issued a statement on her passing last week, saying, “We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro. She performed in WWE from 2005-2008 and was beloved by her fellow Superstars and fans around the world. WWE offers its condolences to Ashley’s family and friends.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WWE Star Ashley Massaro’s Brain May Be Donated to Science After Her Sudden Death

Days after Ashley Massaro, a former WWE star and Survivor contestant, died suddenly at 39 in New York, her legal team alleges that she may have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma.

Massaro, who died in an apparent suicide, had long suffered from depression — and had alleged that injuries she sustained during her wrestling career exacerbated her condition.

In 2016, Massaro and 60 other former pro wrestlers sued the WWE, claiming that they had suffered neurological injuries in the ring. After a federal judge dismissed the case, the plaintiffs filed an appeal, which is still ongoing.

PEOPLE has obtained an affidavit that Massaro filed as part of the case. In the document, Massaro claimed that she had sustained multiple concussions during her 4-year stint with the WWE. She alleged that the WWE did not treat her injuries correctly.

A spokesperson for the WWE did not return PEOPLE’s call for comment.

In a statement after Massaro’s death, the WWE shared condolences to her family and friends, saying they were “saddened to learn of [her] tragic death.”

An attorney for Massaro told the New York Post that Massaro’s brain may be donated to Dr. Bennet Omalu, a prominent doctor who researches brain injuries.

“It was Ashley’s wishes to donate her brain,” her lawyer, Konstantine Kyros, told the paper, adding that her family was “a little upset” about the idea of donating the organ.

CTE cannot be diagnosed in living subjects; it is only found during autopsies. Several former NFL players, including Aaron Hernandez and Junior Seau, were diagnosed with the disease after committing suicide.

Last Wednesday, a day before her death, Massaro tweeted that she had just responded to “a ton of fanmail so you guys should be receiving them soon! Love ya punx.”

Authorities were called to the wrestler’s home in Suffolk County on the following day. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she died on Thursday morning. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death, police told PEOPLE.

No funeral or memorial arrangements have been announced.

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2017, Massaro said, “I’ve been really fortunate to do a lot of different things. I’ve had a lot of adventures that most people don’t get an opportunity to do, and I’m really thankful for that.”

Sources: PEOPLE and MSN