Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell believes two major WWE names won't return to the Stamford-based promotion following the recent lawsuit against Vince McMahon.
McMahon was forced to step down from all his roles in WWE and TKO Group after a new lawsuit landed on his desk. Janel Grant, a former employee in the Stamford-based company, accused Vince McMahon, John Lauranitis, and some higher-ups of sexual misconduct.
On the latest episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the veteran discussed the possible return of Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon in their father's absence. The former WWE manager believes that neither the Billion Dollar Princess nor Shane O'Mac will ever return to the company.
"I don't think he [Shane McMahon] will comeback. And let me change my opinion of Stephanie [McMahon]. I don't think she'll go back either, because she knew about it, right?" said Mantell.
Mantell explained the logic behind his belief, stating that if both Stephanie and Shane had any knowledge of their father's wrongdoings, TKO wouldn't have a place for them.
"Shane knew about it. And Endeavour has said, and I don't know if it applies to them or even Triple H. But if anybody had knowledge of what was going on, there's not a place for them at TKO. And that's what you do when you have a cancer, you cut it out, but if you leave little cancers laying around, there's going to be a big cancer later on, maybe that's the reasoning," Mantell added. [From 02:00 to 02:54]
Check out the video below:
Vince McMahon reportedly facing a federal investigation
The 78-year-old apparently is now facing bigger problems than he ever imagined after the lawsuit by Janel Grant. A recent report suggests that the feds are digging deep into sexual assault and trafficking claims against Vince McMahon.
The Wall Street Journal reported that New York prosecutors are speaking to additional women accusing Vince McMahon of misconduct, adding another layer to the simmering case.
WSJ report reads:
"The other women named in the grand jury subpoena include a WWE contractor whom McMahon allegedly sent unsolicited nude photos and sexually harassed; a former WWE wrestler who said McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex; former WWE referee Rita Chatterton, who publicly accused McMahon of raping her; a spa manager who said McMahon assaulted her at a Southern California resort; and a former WWE employee who alleged the head of talent relations at the company at the time, John Laurinaitis, demoted her after she broke off an affair with him."
The Road to WrestleMania 40 has begun, and during the Royal Rumble post-show conference, Triple H stated that the company is looking at the product's positives and steering away from the negative limelight following the allegations.
However, fans will be excited to see Stephanie McMahon return and step up to fill Vince McMahon's shoes and make the WWE product better than ever.
Do you think Stephanie or Shane McMahon will return to WWE in Vince McMahon's absence? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use the quotes from this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and add an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcript.
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