WWE's first female ref claims Vince McMahon raped her
"As far as I know, I’m the first to come out with the whole issue of what a scumbag he is.”
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The first female referee in the WWE is claiming she was raped by the wrestling promotion’s pooh-bah Vince McMahon in the 1980s.
The bombshell accusation is just the latest in a series of woes for the embattled former chairman.
In a blockbuster story in New York magazine, Rita Chatterton — who became a licensed ref in 1984 — outlined what led up to the alleged encounter.
She previously told Geraldo Rivera that McMahon forced himself on her in a limousine. Chatterton’s charges were backed up by former wrestler Leonard Inzitari (stage name Mario Mancini).
“He promised me half-a-million dollars a year,” she told the magazine of her 1985 debut.
McMahon allegedly said he was “impressed” with her work in the squared circle but offered a warning.
“Keep yourself clean,” he said, according to Chatterton. “I don’t wanna see you messing around with any of the wrestlers. You keep it professional.”
She said he promised her superstardom with magazine covers and full-time work, encouraging her to quit her job as a Frito-Lay driver.
But when she attempted a follow-up talk with him in July 1986, he allegedly raped her. While Chatterton would not go into specifics, her pal Inzitari did.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Inzitari told New York. “She was a wreck. She was shaking. She was crying.”
The former wrestler said that Chatterton told him that when she was in a limo, he allegedly “took his penis out.”
“He kinda forced my head down there, and I made it known I wasn’t interested in doing that,” Inzitari said Chatterton told him. “Then, (McMahon) pulled me on top of him.”
McMahon found himself in the midst of scandal earlier this month when he was accused of a multimillion-dollar payout to a WWE employee with whom he allegedly had an affair.
He has since stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE and the company is investigating the alleged payout.
“I’m sure others will come forward. Because we’re not the only two. There’s not a doubt in my mind about that,” Chatterton told New York.
“As far as wrestling goes, I guess I’m the first in a lot of things … As far as I know, I’m the first to come out with the whole issue of what a scumbag he is.”
@HunterTOSun
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