- Vince McMahon is the co-founder of WWE Wrestling, and was the CEO and chairman before he stepped down in 2022, due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
- Netflix released the six-part documentary, “Mr. McMahon”, on September 25.
- McMahon took part in the documentary, and reportedly set out to buy it from Netflix due to how he was represented.
When you discuss the modern sports-entertainment business, also known as wrestling, you have to start with Vince McMahon. He took the business over from his father, Vincent, and even renamed it from World Wide Wrestling Federation, to simply World Wrestling Federation. Wrestling is massive, to the point where there are WWE betting odds for major events now.
However, McMahon has had his share of legal issuesand allegations against him. Those have come to light, and will be portrayed in the Netflix documentary, “Mr. McMahon”, named after the villainous character he played.
Front Office Sports reports that McMahon tried to purchase the documentary from Netflix before it was released on September 25, due to the way he was characterized.
McMahon Hopes Viewers “Will Keep an Open Mind” at His Portrayal
“Mr. McMahon” is a six-part series, in which all six episodes were released on Netflix on September 25. The series was executive produced by Bill Simmons, among others. Simmons founded The Ringer, formerly of Grantland and ESPN. Simmons is a long-time wrestling fan. He was also a co-founder of ESPN’s highly acclaimed “30 For 30” document series.
Simmons also did a documentary on Andre the Giant for HBO, which was also co-produced by WWE (formerly WWF) in April 2018.
However, the FOS report reveals that McMahon tried to buy the documentary from Netflix after seeing an early version. He didn’t agree with the way he was portrayed, claimed that there was a “deceptive narrative”. McMahon also wanted people to “keep an open mind”, claiming it took “the predictable path of conflating the Mr. McMahon character with my true self, Vince”.
The Mr. McMahon character was one of WWE’s greatest villains, going against anyone who questioned his authority. The character was also very aggressive with women, which looks even worse in the face of the allegations levied against McMahon. He had to step down from his role as WWE CEO and chairman in June 2022 as McMahon is still under investigation for allegedly paying hush money to women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
McMahon was also the chairman for the TKO Group, which was the merger between WWE and the UFC. However, he had to step down again after more allegations surfaced against him.
WWE-Netflix Relationship Off to Rocky Start, Raw to Start Airing in 2025
The relationship between WWE and Netflix isn’t off to a good start. Besides this documentary, Netflix has agreed to start airing Raw, WWE’s Monday night show, in 2025. Another FOS report states that Netflix paid $5 billion to air Raw for the next 10 years. This continues Netflix’s mandate to air more live sports, as they broadcasted the Joey Chestnut vs. Kobayashi hot-dog eating contest on September 2. Netflix will also air the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match on November 15. Netflix will also air NFL football games on Christmas Day.
But the relationship has definitely gotten off to a rocky start with this documentary, in which McMahon claims to have no regrets about participating in. McMahon, above all, is a businessman, and this documentary is going to stream big numbers. People were already clamoring for it, the morning it was released.
Even though he is technically not a part of WWE anymore, the shadow of Vince McMahon will live on over the company, long after he is gone.
