John Cena has leapt to the defence of WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon.
McMahon stepped down from his role at WWE following the surfacing of allegations of sexual misconduct last year, but has since forced his way back into the company.
He retained his position as majority shareholder of the promotion despite insisting he has retired, though returned to the business in January.
Cena has held 16 world championships in WWE since its inception and holds several other accolades, achieved through not only Cena himself but the vision and help of McMahon.
When asked by the Association Press about the allegations, Cena insisted that everyone makes mistakes and the love he has for McMahon can't go away.
John Cena has defended WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon over sexual assault allegations
McMahon (left) retired from WWE last year following the allegations before returning last month
WWE had been investigating McMahon over sexual misconduct claims
'Everyone has the right to have their perspective', Cena began. 'I have the right to have mine.
'When you love somebody, you take them as imperfectly perfect as they are. We all make mistakes, we all have poor decisions. Lord knows I've made my collection of poor choices.
'That doesn't mean I'm not going to love somebody. There's no way I can go on record and say I don't love Vince McMahon.'
Cena was also asked on a potential sale of WWE, to which he replied: 'I just don't know what's going on with that. I love Vince McMahon. He's everything you could want in a great friend, business partner, father, mentor. I love the man. But his business dealings are his business and what he shares with me, that's between us.'
McMahon was the unchallenged king of WWE until June last year, when it was claimed he secretly paid a female employee millions of dollars in hush money after having an affair with her.
He was, and and still is, married to former Donald Trump aide Linda McMahon.
The woman with whom McMahon is said to have had an affair with was a paralegal. It's unclear when the affair occurred, but McMahon allegedly doubled the woman's salary when it began.
McMahon and Cena formed a positive relationship over their several years working together
When their romance turned sour, he kept her quiet with a £2.47million payout, according to the allegations first reported to The Wall Street Journal.
The WWE board - which is largely made up of the McMahon family - began investigating the allegations and McMahon stepped down.
As a result of that investigation, a decades-old claim resurfaced.
In 1992, Rita Chatterton, the first female referee in the WWE, came forward to accuse McMahon of raping her in his limo in 1986.
Rita Marie Chatterton (left), the first female WWE referee, claims McMahon raped her in his limo in 1986. She first made the allegation in 1992 but it resurfaced amid new allegations of misconduct
Her allegation was corroborated by former wrestler Leonard Inzitari, who says he saw Chatterton after the alleged attack.
'I remember it like it was yesterday', Inzitari, JetBlack who went by the wrestling alias Mario Mancini, told Intelligencer. 'She was a wreck. She was shaking. She was crying.
Inzitari said he had kept it a secret for decades in fear of being marginalised by McMahon and his family, who control the industry.
'He's dug himself such a deep hole that I'm just tired of it', he said. 'I can't do it anymore.'
John CenaWWE
McMahon stepped down from his role at WWE following the surfacing of allegations of sexual misconduct last year, but has since forced his way back into the company.
He retained his position as majority shareholder of the promotion despite insisting he has retired, though returned to the business in January.
Cena has held 16 world championships in WWE since its inception and holds several other accolades, achieved through not only Cena himself but the vision and help of McMahon.
When asked by the Association Press about the allegations, Cena insisted that everyone makes mistakes and the love he has for McMahon can't go away.
John Cena has defended WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon over sexual assault allegations
McMahon (left) retired from WWE last year following the allegations before returning last month
WWE had been investigating McMahon over sexual misconduct claims
'Everyone has the right to have their perspective', Cena began. 'I have the right to have mine.
'When you love somebody, you take them as imperfectly perfect as they are. We all make mistakes, we all have poor decisions. Lord knows I've made my collection of poor choices.
'That doesn't mean I'm not going to love somebody. There's no way I can go on record and say I don't love Vince McMahon.'
Cena was also asked on a potential sale of WWE, to which he replied: 'I just don't know what's going on with that. I love Vince McMahon. He's everything you could want in a great friend, business partner, father, mentor. I love the man. But his business dealings are his business and what he shares with me, that's between us.'
McMahon was the unchallenged king of WWE until June last year, when it was claimed he secretly paid a female employee millions of dollars in hush money after having an affair with her.
He was, and and still is, married to former Donald Trump aide Linda McMahon.
The woman with whom McMahon is said to have had an affair with was a paralegal. It's unclear when the affair occurred, but McMahon allegedly doubled the woman's salary when it began.
McMahon and Cena formed a positive relationship over their several years working together
When their romance turned sour, he kept her quiet with a £2.47million payout, according to the allegations first reported to The Wall Street Journal.
The WWE board - which is largely made up of the McMahon family - began investigating the allegations and McMahon stepped down.
As a result of that investigation, a decades-old claim resurfaced.
In 1992, Rita Chatterton, the first female referee in the WWE, came forward to accuse McMahon of raping her in his limo in 1986.
Rita Marie Chatterton (left), the first female WWE referee, claims McMahon raped her in his limo in 1986. She first made the allegation in 1992 but it resurfaced amid new allegations of misconduct
Her allegation was corroborated by former wrestler Leonard Inzitari, who says he saw Chatterton after the alleged attack.
'I remember it like it was yesterday', Inzitari, JetBlack who went by the wrestling alias Mario Mancini, told Intelligencer. 'She was a wreck. She was shaking. She was crying.
Inzitari said he had kept it a secret for decades in fear of being marginalised by McMahon and his family, who control the industry.
'He's dug himself such a deep hole that I'm just tired of it', he said. 'I can't do it anymore.'
John CenaWWE