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Vince McMahon Netflix doc: What we learned about the longtime WWE promoter

Posted on by angelo
Vince McMahon Netflix doc: What we learned about the longtime WWE promoter

Vince McMahon, longtime CEO and chairman of WWE, is the greatest promoter in the history of professional wrestling. He has also been accused of sexual misconduct on several occasions.

The “Mr. McMahon,” premiering on Netflix Wednesday covers it all in six episodes chronicling McMahon’s rise in professional wrestling through his exile from the industry amid his legal troubles.

“Mr. McMahon” is the character he has played on television for years, but some say that character is really what McMahon, 79, is: a power-hungry boss who will do whatever it takes to stay at the top.

In more than six hours of footage and interviews with McMahon (who canceled his final interviews after a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant came to light during filming), his family, former and current WWE wrestlers, reviews and more, “Mr. McMahon” delves into the life of perhaps wrestling’s most polarizing figure.

AthleticsChris Vannini and Jason Jones watched the entire documentary series. Here’s what they thought.

What did you learn or discover after watching?

Vannini: If you only know McMahon by chance, you will learn a lot. The documentary series touches on just about every known scandal surrounding McMahon, going back decades. It wasn’t just about the famous steroid trial of the 1990s or the Chris Benoit double murder/suicide. This included the Ring Boy scandal, which I didn’t know much about until a few years ago. It addressed the harassment accusations against WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, who died in 2020. It included Rita Chatterton’s rape accusation against McMahon, all of the publicly known details surrounding Grant’s current trial and the federal investigation, and much more. (In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, Grant accused McMahon and others of sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and neglect. In May, Grant agreed to stay his trial after the department of Justice asked him to do so pending a federal investigation).

You also see McMahon become introspective on camera for the first time. His interviews are by far the most interesting part, for better and for worse. Until this documentary series, almost everything known about McMahon’s childhood came from a single 2001 Playboy interview in which he talked about growing up in an abusive home. It was fascinating to watch McMahon describe this situation and see how it seems to lay the foundation for everything that happens in the future, from business to family to relationships and more. Longtime professional wrestling manager and promoter Paul Heyman describes McMahon as someone who tried his whole life to gather enough power to always be in control.

And that’s what happened. Until he isn’t.

If you’re a die-hard wrestling fan, you might not learn much more than that. Apparently half of the docuseries is basic WWE history, covering topics like Hulkamania, the Montreal Screwjob, the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, and other stories that have been told thousands of times. But it’s also for a casual audience.

Jones: I was a kid during most of WWE’s rise to fame, and some of the early scandals didn’t stick with me at the time. WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas’ frankness in discussing not only Patterson, but the treatment of women in general, was surprising, but it was a necessary part of the docuseries.

McMahon was thoughtful in his interviews in a way I’ve never seen before. But what interested me most were the father-son relationships explored, starting with McMahon talking about his own father.

Shane McMahon’s relationship with his father was fascinating. We hear Shane discuss wanting Vince’s approval and how that was similar to how Vince sought the same validation from his father. As a fan, I always wondered why Shane took so many risks in the ring. Since he was part of the McMahon family, it never seemed rational that he was ready to be thrown out of the cages. But it was all about impressing Dad. Shane wanted to buy the UFC and run it to prove to his father that he should be next to run the company. Vince refused and even said that if Shane wanted to buy the UFC, he should have used his own money.

We know that Shane still didn’t end up running the family business, but it was intriguing how Shane didn’t want his sister, Stephanie, to date wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque while Vince supported him. Levesque is now WWE’s chief content officer, overseeing talent relations, weekly television products and more. Hearing Shane explain why he left the company was new. Heyman tells a great story about an argument between Vince and Shane before the younger McMahon left as well.

For all of Vince’s bravado, his feelings seemed truly hurt by Hulk Hogan leaving for WCW. Hogan said he was forced to testify against McMahon in 1994, but his departure for a rival company stung McMahon.

What was the most surprising part?

Vannini: I was really touched by just about everything about Shane McMahon. You can say that his relationship with his sons is intentionally much stronger than his relationship with Vince and the relationship Vince had with his own father. There is a scene shown in the WrestleMania 32 docuseries, where Shane hugs his sons after his match and Vince watches. Vince and Shane then hug, and Shane says it’s one of the few times he’s gotten a real hug from his dad. The impact of the father-son relationship and how the son deals with what he’s given is a theme throughout the series. It seemed like Shane wanted to break the cycle of bad father-son relationships within the family.

It was also interesting to see how in-depth they delved into the succession plan – or lack thereof: why Shane left the company, the feelings upon his return, and why Vince didn’t pass it on to him. Atlas says Shane was too nice to be the boss. Maybe he was right. Or maybe that idea was the whole problem.

Jones: Benoit’s name hasn’t been heard on WWE television in over 17 years. I didn’t expect Benoit to be mentioned by name, let alone hear Vince and other talents talk about him. WWE did everything they could to remove him from WWE media. You can still find his matches online, but not much else.

What was the most disappointing aspect?

Vannini: I would have liked to see more reactions from wrestling stars to the most recent accusations against McMahon.

Nearly all of the interviews were conducted before Grant’s trial was announced in January. The interviews about the alleged secret payments and lawsuits come from the journalists involved, which is certainly a good thing. But it feels like everyone said nice things about McMahon and held back their worst thoughts because they were still worried about the power he wielded. Now that he no longer holds this power, how do these people really feel?

The series also places pretty much all of the accusations in Grant’s trial on McMahon. He is the focus of the series, but he is only one of the people accused in the trial. John Laurinaitis, another former WWE executive, and the company itself are also defendants in the case. McMahon may have left WWE, but the story will last for a while.

Jones: Nothing has really been said about Chyna (Joanie Lauer). This is who Lévesque was dating when he began working on-screen with Stephanie McMahon, which led to their real-life relationship and marriage. The series is about women in the world of wrestling and how they changed the industry, and that doesn’t happen without Chyna, who died of a drug overdose in 2016.

On the show, many people view the elder McMahon as a father figure. I wanted to know more about it, beyond his actual children. Longtime WWE employee Bruce Prichard has opened up about how McMahon made sure his wife received the best cancer treatment and credits her for still being alive after being given just four years to live more than 20 years ago.

Mark Calaway (aka Undertaker) clearly worships McMahon. In the days leading up to the documentary series’ premiere, wrestling legend Mick Foley said he didn’t want to let the accusations interfere with the fond memories working for Vince created for many until all facts are known. It’s clear that McMahon has had a positive impact on a lot of people. I just wanted to know more about how and why to understand this loyalty.

Would you recommend?

Vannini: Certainly. It seems pretty clear that when McMahon agreed to do this, he thought it would be his memoir, in which he could tell his stories his way and control the narrative like he always has with wrestling. But this series does not whitewash its history. It gives you all the commercial success with all the personal conduct, and the two will forever be linked in McMahon’s legacy.

Jones: Absolutely. Even without much discussion of the ongoing trial against Grant, there is much to learn. The McMahon family dynamic alone is worth watching. I wonder what might have happened if there had been one last showdown with McMahon. With the litigation ongoing, this may be the last time we hear from McMahon outside of court proceedings.

(Vince McMahon Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)