Janel Grant, Vince McMahon & WWE Move Toward Private Arbitration | Pollock & Thurston
Pollock and Thurston discuss major legal developments including Janelle Grant's case moving to confidential arbitration, a WWE shareholder lawsuit settlement in principle, and newly revealed anonymous emails sent to the WWE board in 2022 that preceded the Wall Street Journal's investigative report on alleged misconduct.
Summary
Brandon Thurston and John Pollock analyze significant legal progress in multiple WWE-related cases. The most immediate development is Janelle Grant's decision to move her lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE into private arbitration, marking a shift from her previous two-year push for a public trial. The parties filed a joint motion to adjourn a June 16th hearing, indicating they are in active discussions about arbitration terms. Thurston notes this is progress for McMahon but not a settlement—no money has changed hands, and litigation will continue in private rather than public court.
The hosts examine newly published emails sent to the WWE board in March and April 2022 by someone using the alias "D Rosen 77." These three emails, sent from a ProtonMail account, contained specific allegations about Vince McMahon's relationship with a WWE employee, mentions of her salary progression, and references to millions paid in legal settlements and an NDA. Janelle Grant has distanced herself from these emails, claiming she doesn't know who sent them and denying key details like claims of homelessness or Percocet addiction. The emails arrived days before WrestleMania and set the stage for WWE's internal investigation.
Thurston and Pollock discuss the broader question of how the Wall Street Journal obtained these emails and published their investigative report in June 2022. Depositions from Michelle McKenna and Frank Riddick show board members speculating the source was Nick Khan, though the hosts note multiple sources were likely involved. They emphasize that this represents a complex chain of events—from the anonymous emails to board investigation to media exposure—that ultimately led to McMahon's ouster and the company's sale to TKO.
On the shareholder lawsuit front, a minute order from June 7th confirms the parties have reached a settlement in principle. The trial is canceled, with settlement details to be presented for approval later. Plaintiffs were seeking $466 million as a floor, and the hosts speculate this could be one of WWE's largest payouts ever. The settlement likely won't include Vince McMahon, who had approximately 28 million shares, or other defendants. Insurance coverage implications remain unclear.
The transcript also covers several other legal matters: a lawsuit attempting to block UFC's Freedom 250 event at the White House over federal park land usage; Ryan Nemeth's ongoing arbitration dispute with AEW over venue location (California vs. Florida) and whether he should be classified as an employee; Bushiroad's sale of New Japan Pro Wrestling to TV Asahi and Cyber Agent for $22.6 million, implying a full company valuation of $32 million; and reports that Conor McGregor sought a therapeutic use exemption to use performance-enhancing drugs following his 2021 leg fracture, which was denied by USADA.
About this episode
<p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/iamjohnpollock.bsky.social" rel="nofollow"><strong>John Pollock</strong></a><span> and </span><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/brandonthurston.bsky.social" rel="nofollow"><strong>Brandon Thurston</strong></a><span> discuss the move by Janel Grant, Vince McMahon & WWE to move their case toward private arbitration and what it means.</span></p><p><strong>VIDEO VERSION: </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqttCcluHww" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqttCcluHww</strong></a></p><p><span>Plus: Grant comments on the anonymous emails to the WWE board in 2022, depositions by key WWE execs, and WSJ’s reporting. The WWE shareholder settles before the trial & all the latest news. </span></p><p><span>Topics this week include:</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/11/janel-grant-vince-mcmahon-and-wwe-jointly-ask-court-to-move-sex-trafficking-lawsuit-out-of-public-and-into-arbitration/" rel="nofollow">Janel Grant, Vince McMahon & WWE jointly seek arbitration </a></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/10/janel-grant-disputes-anonymous-emails-that-triggered-2022-wwe-board-investigation-denies-involvement-in-sending-them/" rel="nofollow">Grant posts about 2022 emails to the Board of Directors</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/janelgrant.ct/" rel="nofollow">Depositions by Nick Khan, Frank Riddick & Michelle McKenna</a><span> </span></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/07/parties-reach-settlement-agreement-in-principle-in-wwe-shareholder-lawsuit/" rel="nofollow">WWE shareholder lawsuit reaches a settlement agreement</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/08/new-lawsuit-attempts-to-block-ufc-freedom-250-from-happening-on-white-house-south-lawn/" rel="nofollow">Lawsuit aims to stop UFC Freedom 250 at the White House</a><span> </span></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/10/aew-accuses-ryan-nemeth-of-misrepresenting-and-misleading-conduct-seek-to-move-arbitration-process-to-florida/" rel="nofollow">AEW v. Ryan Nemeth</a><span> </span></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/11/details-on-bushiroads-sale-of-new-japan-pro-wrestling/" rel="nofollow">Details on Bushiroad’s sale of New Japan Pro Wrestling</a><span> </span></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/06/11/report-conor-mcgregor-took-banned-peds-while-recovering-from-leg-injury/" rel="nofollow">Conor McGregor accused of using PEDs, per The New York Times</a><span> </span></li></ul><p><br /></p><p><em>Music courtesy: </em><a href="https://soundcloud.com/IAmBenTramer" rel="nofollow"><em>“Panic Beat” by Ben Tramer</em></a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>POST Wrestling</strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://postwrestling.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://postwrestling.com/subscribe</strong></a></p><p><strong>Patreon: </strong><a href="http://postwrestlingcafe.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>http://postwrestlingcafe.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Forum: </strong><a href="https://forum.postwrestling.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://forum.postwrestling.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Discord: </strong><a href="https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhR" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhR</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Twitter</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Facebook</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.instagram.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong>: @POSTwrestling</strong></p><p><strong>Bluesky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.com</strong></a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Wrestlenomics</strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://wrestlenomics.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://wrestlenomics.com/podcast/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Patreon: </strong><a href="https://patreon.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://patreon.com/wrestlenomics</strong></a></p><p><strong>Substack: </strong><a href="https://wrestlenomics.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://wrestlenomics.substack.com/</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Twitter</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Facebook</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.instagram.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong>: @Wrestlenomics</strong></p><p><strong>Bluesky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlenomics.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlenomics.com</strong></a></p><p><br /></p><br /><br />Advertising Inquiries: <a href="https://redcircle.com/brands">https://redcircle.com/brands</a><br /><br />Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href="https://redcircle.com/privacy">https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>
Key Insights
- Janelle Grant shifted her position after two and a half years of pursuing a public trial, now agreeing to move the case to confidential arbitration, though the hosts acknowledge uncertainty about her motivation for this change.
- The joint motion to arbitrate serves as a significant win for Vince McMahon and WWE, who had been pushing for this outcome since the start of the lawsuit, citing the arbitration clause in Grant's NDA.
- The three anonymous emails sent to WWE's board contained specific details including the employee's name, salary information ($100,000 to $200,000), and references to multimillion-dollar NDA settlements that were not publicly available information.
- WWE board members Nick Kahn and Frank Riddick initially dismissed the first anonymous email as coming from a crazed wrestling fan despite the specific details it contained, failing to treat it with appropriate urgency.
- Michelle McKenna, an independent board member who joined in September 2022 after the Wall Street Journal report, speculated that Nick Khan was the source that tipped off the journal, though she acknowledged having no factual basis for this theory.
- The hosts argue that the Wall Street Journal almost certainly had multiple sources throughout the summer of 2022 rather than relying on a single source, making source-guessing by board members largely speculative.
- The WWE shareholder lawsuit settlement in principle means no trial will occur, with financial details and settlement amounts to be disclosed later through shareholder communications and regulatory filings.
- Vince McMahon, who held 28 million shares at the time, will not receive any settlement money despite being a defendant, as the settlement applies only to the public float of shares.
- The $22.6 million sale price of New Japan Pro Wrestling (implying $32 million full valuation) appears significantly undervalued compared to WWE's $9 billion sale, raising questions about whether competitive bidding occurred.
- Ryan Nemeth's attempt to move his AEW arbitration to California—where he could be classified as an employee rather than an independent contractor—was countered by AEW seeking Florida arbitration per their contract terms.
- The arbitrator in the Nemeth case, Jams, appears to be favoring Nemeth's position by offering him multiple California location options despite AEW's contractual preference for Florida arbitration.
- Dr. Neil Eltrache's claim that Conor McGregor needed a therapeutic use exemption for PEDs to heal a broken bone was contradicted by ten sports doctors and trauma surgeons consulted by the New York Times who had no examples of this ever being done.
Topics
Transcript
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