I feel like the questions being asked in the Netflix documentary Mr. McMahon are already known to most wrestling fans. The “blurring of the lines” between his on-screen Mr. McMahon character and the real-life dirtbag Vince McMahon that the docuseries ponders, has already been examined and digested by people like me. We understand that the Mr. McMahon character, created during WWE’s infamous “Attitude Era”, was just a heightened expression of who Vince was and still is. A vile human being who hoarded money and relished hurting those weaker than himself.
“When it comes to Vince, a lot of that is a character,” says Paul “Triple H” Levesque, a multi-time WWE Champion, Vince’s son-in-law, and the current chief creative officer of the company. “He is going to show you what he wants you to see.”
Vince McMahon is a complicated figure for pro wrestling die-hards, though. He is, unquestionably, the most important person ever in the history of wrestling, or sports entertainment as he would come to brand it. Wrestling is only as popular now because of his cutthroat tactics in the ’80s and ’90s, but also his innovations and willingness to push the envelope. But he’s also a piece of trash who physically, sexually, and emotionally abused his female WWE superstars, leading to the allegations that forced him to resign from the company that has been in his family for generations.
I always say that there’s a reason Donald Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame, and it’s because he and Vince are two peas in a pod in their attitude toward life and people, especially women. You wouldn’t leave your daughter in a room with either man.
The six-episode is directed by Tiger King filmmaker Chris Smith, joined by ex-ESPN analyst Bill Simmons. Interviews were conducted with the likes of HHH, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, and Vince himself who was initially supporting the project.
Mr. McMahon hits Netflix on September 25th.
