Vince McMahon Issues Statement About Netflix Documentary “Mr. McMahon”
Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wants viewers to “keep an open mind” when watching the Netflix documentary about his life.
The six-part Netflix docuseries about the life of former WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon will premiere this Wednesday, September 25th.
It’s a highly anticipated documentary that Vince McMahon approved of and worked on when the project started in 2020. However, since then the life of McMahon has been a tumultuous one to say the least.
In July 2022, McMahon retired from WWE due in part to the revelation that he paid tens of millions of dollars in “hush money payments” to multiple women over his 40-year run in WWE. By early 2023, McMahon had unretired and was trying to run WWE again. In April 2023, he was a big part of the sale that led to Endeavor buying WWE in an announcement that was made the day after WrestleMania 39.
There was yet another bombshell in January 2024 when Vince McMahon quit his role as TKO Executive Chairman in the wake of sickening allegations made in a new lawsuit filed by a former WWE employee named Janel Grant. In the lawsuit, Grant has accused McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking in the suit which also contains horrifying text messages that were made public as part of the lawsuit.
Vince McMahon has said he will vigorously fight the lawsuit filed by Grant. However, Vince is no longer a part of WWE in any way since his TKO Group bosses made him quit and relinquish his shares as well.
On Twitter/X, just two days before the “Mr. McMahon” documentary premieres, McMahon issued this statement about how he doesn’t regret taking part in the documentary about his life, but he does not appear to be happy about what the finished product might look like.
“I don’t regret participating in this Netflix documentary. The producers had an opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I built, which were equally filled with excitement, drama, fun, and a fair amount of controversy and life lessons. Unfortunately, based on an early partial cut I’ve seen, this doc falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the “Mr. McMahon” character with my true self, Vince. The title and promos alone make that evident.
A lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused. The producers use typical editing tricks with out of context footage and dated soundbites etc. to distort the viewers’ perception and support a deceptive narrative.
In an attempt to further their misleading account, the producers use a lawsuit based on an affair I ended as evidence that I am, in fact, “Mr. McMahon”.
I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story.”
Netflix Documentary Will Cover Lawsuit Allegations Against Vince McMahon
While the six-part documentary about 79-year-old Vince McMahon will focus on his 40-year run as the man running World Wrestling Entertainment, it will also address the sexual harassment/trafficking lawsuit against him. However, the legal team representing Janel Grant claims that they were not interviewed even though Netflix did reach out to them.
The synopsis of the “Mr. McMahon” documentary is below.
“Mr. McMahon chronicles the rise and fall of Vince McMahon, controversial businessman and co-founder of WWE. From his transformation of the WWE from a small, regional business into a global entertainment powerhouse to the explosive sexual misconduct allegations that led to his eventual resignation, this six-episode series offers a deep dive into McMahon’s life and his enduring franchise.”
“Culled from over 200 hours of interviews with McMahon himself (prior to his resignation), his family members, business associates and some of the most iconic names in wrestling history, as well as the journalists who uncovered McMahon’s allegations – filmmaker Chris Smith (Tiger King) and executive producer Bill Simmons (30 for 30) present an unflinching, no-holds-barred look at one of the most enigmatic figures in sports entertainment.”
Some of the people interviewed for the documentary include Steve Austin, Eric Bischoff, John Cena, Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Hulk Hogan, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Bruce Prichard, and The Rock, as well as McMahon himself. The interviews with McMahon were conducted before his first resignation.
As noted above, there were 200 hours of interviews with McMahon himself as part of the project.
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) September 23, 2024