Chael Sonnen, the former MMA fighter and self-appointed truth-teller, has dropped bombshells that would make even the WWE’s most outrageous storylines seem tame. Sonnen claims Vince McMahon, the ex-WWE chairman known for his larger-than-life persona, allegedly swapped screen time for bedtime with male WWE stars.
Sonnen spilled the tea during a recent appearance on the “FLAGRANT” podcast, elaborating on what he described as an “open secret” in the wrestling world. He had previously hinted at these claims on “The Jim Rome Show.”
“I never met Vince, and I know 11 people that he slept with – eight of them women, all consenting adults, so which is the implication to [the others being men],” Sonnen said, not mincing his words. “I was talking trash but I wasn’t joking on ‘The Jim Rome Show.’ Anyway, I mean, when Vince got me-too’d out of the business I did think it was a surprise. But as good as he is, I would not completely count that he couldn’t come back. But when the men start coming out, it will be a different story.”
Sonnen didn’t stop there. He alleged that McMahon played power games with the careers of those who didn’t play along, hinting at wrestling legend Shawn Michaels.
“He would hold their careers over him, just like he would the women. It was the same thing. You get paid more, you get pushed more. This is not a secret in the industry. Like, I’m not talking trash. This was very well known. But, I mean, Shawn Michaels, like guys that you would know there was … [when asked if McMahon and Michaels slept together, he replied] or whatever it is that they [were doing].”
Sonnen further suggested that the alleged quid pro quo extended beyond McMahon, involving other WWE executives who supposedly demanded sexual favors in exchange for career boosts.
“There is a lot of homosexuals that Vince came across but there were also straight guys that just wanted a push in the business, where it, like, turned into prostitution. That was very well known … And not just Vince, Pat Patterson, and some other executives [did too],” he claimed. “Everybody would know, ‘[McMahon would think] This girl turned me down, she’s pulled off TV,'” said Sonnen.
Pat Patterson and other WWE executives have faced accusations of sexually harassing underage ring boys in the past. Sonnen suggested that McMahon’s children, Stephanie and Shane, were well aware of these allegations and that such revelations are old news within the inner circles.
Adding another layer to this scandalous saga, Sonnen recalled an anecdote involving the late Scott Hall, who recounted McMahon’s disclosure about his first homosexual experience. “Vince spoke about this [his homosexual experience] a number of times and people have always thought that he was joking. He was never trying to joke. He was just telling the story,” Sonnen stated.
Hall had mentioned that McMahon once shared this personal story with him, a claim corroborated by Kevin Nash, who was present during the conversation.