WWE Respond To Ashley Massaro Abuse Allegations

The 39-year-old's posthumous affidavit brought several shocking revelations.

Ashley Massaro Tribute
WWE

Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro passed away at 39 years old on 16 May, prompting a huge, sympathetic outpouring throughout the wrestling business. It was an awful story, and those that followed it have sparked a major controversy.

Massaro's lawyer, Konstantine Kyros, published an affidavit by the late wrestler. It included a number of shocking allegations, with the most notable being that she was sexually assaulted touring Kuwait with WWE in 2006, and, after being drugged and raped, was told by company officials that "it would be best not to report it to the appropriate authorities."

Though it's a harrowing read, the full affidavit can be read here.

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WWE have now released the following statement response:-

"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."

Kyros has also published Massaro's first email to him, in which she stated her belief that WWE had "caused major problems, life-altering problems," and that she "wished more than anything that [she] never worked for them."

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Ashley's allegations first came to light in November 2016, when she made them while under oath. A lack of information saw the case drift away from public consciousness, though it should be noted that WWE claim she wrote to them in October 2018, apologising for her part in said class action lawsuit.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.