During his appearance on Banfield on [News Nation] former WWE and WCW superstar Paul Roma claims that men were also the victims of sexual harassment on a regular basis in the WWE and that there is an incident that is much worse than what is alleged to have happened to Janel Grant.
“You heard it on a regular basis, for the most part. Then, you wouldn’t hear it for a while. Then, it would come full circle. It wasn’t so much Vince (McMahon) as it was the people he had surrounding him. You are talking about an industry where you have young, good-looking, well-built men in the ring, half-naked, three-quarters naked. It left the door open. You have people around him; Vice Presidents, bookers, that were very much into that. That put you in a really bad situation especially once you start making some money. You kind of get comfortable with that. Then, you find out that your job is on the line. Either do it or get fired. I witnessed quite a few that walked away. Money wasn’t worth it for them to go that route,” said Roma.
Roma worked for the WWE from 1984 to 1991 primarily as a tag team talent with such partners as Jim Powers in The Young Stallions and Hercules in Power and Glory. Before those teams he worked with off and on with others always in a tag team capacity.
Roma claims Powers spoke to him about being propositioned.
“They were asked to do things. Sexual things with other men that they did not want to do. My former partner being one of them,” he said. “My former partner, one of my former partners, when I was part of the Young Stallions, he was propositioned. He said he went to one of the agents and told him what had happened. I said, ‘Why would you do that? You just ratted on both of us.’ He kind of threw us both under the bus, just starting out.”
Roma stated that Powers had been offered money and drugs in exchange for sexual favours.
He also said that there is a situation that was worse than what is happening now.
“I am surprised that no one has come forward but on the flip side they’re of an age now that they’re maybe married, have kids and they don’t want to open Pandora’s Box. I can’t blame them,” he said.
