Key Takeaways
- John Cena stood by longtime mentor Vince McMahon, saying he has “no guilt nor shame” about their friendship and that “it’s OK to love somebody when they’re not perfect.”
- Cena framed his support as an extension of his loyalty to WWE, where he remains a brand ambassador after more than two decades as one of its biggest stars.
- McMahon denies Janel Grant’s allegations of sexual assault, coercion, and trafficking, while their case with WWE moved into confidential private arbitration in June.
John Cena isn’t distancing himself from Vince McMahon.
More than two years after McMahon resigned from TKO Group Holdings amid Janel Grant’s lawsuit accusing the former WWE boss of sexual assault and trafficking, Cena is standing firmly behind the man he credits as a mentor, saying he feels neither embarrassed nor conflicted about maintaining a relationship with McMahon.
“I have no guilt nor shame about my friendship and my relationship with Vince McMahon,” Cena said to The Guardian. “It’s OK to love somebody when they’re not perfect.”
Grant, a former WWE employee, sued McMahon, WWE and former head of talent relations John Laurinaitis in 2024, accusing them of sexual assault, coercion and trafficking during her employment with the company. McMahon has repeatedly denied Grant’s allegations.
Cena, however, has made loyalty to WWE a defining part of his public identity. After more than two decades as one of the company’s marquee performers, he still works with WWE as a brand ambassador and described his wrestling career as an act of “service.”
He also acknowledged the company’s enormous role in building the John Cena character—and even its ownership interest in his name. “You can’t fake that,” Cena said of his commitment to WWE. “If you’re in the business of bullsh*t, somebody’s going to see through it.”
That loyalty now extends to McMahon during what Cena called “the storm.”
Grant’s case has continued to develop since McMahon’s January 2024 resignation. In an affidavit filed earlier this year, she expanded on allegations that McMahon subjected her to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and attempted to arrange sexual encounters between her and Brock Lesnar.
Grant also alleged that WWE president Nick Khan offered to use his industry connections to help her find another job as McMahon became concerned details of their relationship could become public.
“I felt used, leveraged, humiliated, shamed, dehumanized, intimidated, and exploited for the business and the sexual gratification of these men,” Grant said in the filing.
Laurinaitis has since reached a settlement with Grant and agreed to cooperate with her legal team. Grant, McMahon and WWE agreed in June to move the dispute out of federal court and finalized an agreement to proceed in confidential private arbitration in July.
McMahon’s departure also followed years of scrutiny over his conduct. A WWE board investigation launched in 2022 examined millions of dollars in previously undisclosed payments to women, prompting McMahon’s initial retirement as CEO.
He returned in 2023 as WWE pursued the deal that ultimately merged the company with UFC under TKO but resigned as TKO executive chairman one day after Grant filed her lawsuit.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available. The RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673), text HOPE to 64673, or visit RAINN.org to chat with a trained support specialist.
