‘Mr. McMahon’ review: Documentary delivers unvarnished look at rise, fall of former WWE chairman Vince McMahon

Crafted through more than 100 hours of interviews involving the biggest names in sports entertainment conducted over the better part of four years, “Mr. McMahon” bucks a trend by succeeding where so many professional wrestling documentaries fail: It tells nearly the entire story. Whether the tale is revelatory, however, depends on the viewer’s familiarity with the subject matter.

The six-part Netflix docuseries, helmed by filmmaker Chris Smith and executive producer Bill Simmons, covers the immensely successful yet constantly tumultuous tenure of Vince McMahon as the steward of WWE. McMahon’s creative genius, business mastery and forward thinking led the company to soaring heights in the 1980s, late 1990s and early 2000s — all amid controversies, lawsuits and scandals so salacious that he was ultimately forced to resign in disgrace in early 2024 after more than 40 years leading his business.

Paul Heyman, himself an industry legend and active performer in WWE, perhaps described this best in the opening of “Family Business,” the series’ fifth episode: “The Shakespearean tragedy of this tale is that the great success that has been enjoyed by Vincent Kennedy McMahon was driven by the over-compensatory behavior rebelling against the first miserable 12 years of his life. And escaping that abuse has been his life pursuit in creating an atmosphere in which he is untouchable and invulnerable to outside forces and in control of his own destiny.”

Attempting to lay bare the complete story of McMahon, who had never previously sat at this length to discuss his life and career, was no doubt an arduous task — one immensely difficult to achieve in six hours. Those who have long followed McMahon and WWE will find the film light on revelations.

Indeed, the filmmakers behind “Mr. McMahon” did not seek to build an exposé by conducting their own, fresh investigations. There is even rare separation of fact from fiction given the nature of wrestling, the parties involved and the way McMahon has insulated himself over parts of five decades.

Rather, the goal was to craft a comprehensive portrait of the most important figure, and most villainous character, in the history of the wrestling business. To that end, it succeeds.

There will certainly be other detractors, including WWE executive director Bruce Pritchard, who voices displeasure over the documentary’s depiction of his former boss in its final episode. Pritchard suggests that some of McMahons more admirable qualities, such as his generosity, are not given just due in the series. There are certainly far fewer amusing anecdotes than have been featured on prior documentaries involving his former boss. 

However, while the series is not bashful about digging into McMahon’s most notable, public and lewd offenses, it does leave many of his myriad wrongdoings — particularly alleged shady business dealings and numerous delinquencies while growing WWE into the behemoth it is today — on the cutting room floor. In that way, the omissions are somewhat balanced while profiling a man depicted as a groundbreaking entrepreneur, wide-reaching father figure, complicated entertainer and immoral bigwig who used his power and authority to maintain his empire.

“I wish I could tell you the real stories. Holy shit,” McMahon confides in “Junior,” the first episode. “… I’ll give you enough that it’s semi-interesting. I don’t want anybody to really know me.”

McMahon often, but not always, gets the last word when confronted with the blackest marks on his resume. His statements frequently ring hollow, though, against others’ viewpoints and the documentarians’ deftly laid out facts.

It was unsurprising Monday when McMahon released a scathing review of the documentary in which he willingly participated. He clearly operated under the assumption that he would puppet master “Mr. McMahon” as he has so many businesses, projects and people in his life.

While the vast majority of interviews were conducted in 2021-22 before the unveiling of multiple scandals that have since forced McMahon out of WWE, they are cleverly interwoven with more recent conversations to paint an accurate picture of his ruthlessness, voraciousness and contradiction. 

McMahon’s family (wife Linda, daughter Stephanie, son Shane, son-in-law Paul Levesque) and superstar performers (The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena) each get their say alongside reporters who held his feet to the fire, TV executives who put his product on the air and creative forces who helped steer the WWE ship through turbulent waters.

Wrestling fans are conditioned to receive piecemeal coverage of their chosen brand of entertainment along with the major players who star in front of the camera and behind the scenes. As such, expectations for a series in which McMahon allowed himself and his family to be interviewed so extensively — while opening doors to his company and its superstars — was met with understandable skepticism.

Those looking for a takedown of McMahon will be disappointed. Those naturally expecting “Mr. McMahon” to ignore the avalanche of malfeasances surrounding his life and career might be satisfied.

McMahon embraces his narcissism, megalomania and immorality like badges of honor, tenets of his immense success. As Heyman states, the only honest, monogamous relationship McMahon has truly seen through was one with his company.

He is given just due for his shrewd, savvy and cunning business acumen turning WWE from a regional wrestling promotion into a global entertainment juggernaut, yet along the way, the most indecent and controversial of his misdeeds are laid bare for the viewer to judge.

Covered are lawsuits filed by John Stossel and Richard Belzer, allegations of sexual assault from former referee Rita Chatterton, allegations of sexual harassment from former employees, the steroid scandal that sent McMahon to trial in 1994, the hotel room death of Jimmy Snuka’s girlfriend, the in-arena death of Owen Hart and Chris Benoit’s murder-suicide. The final 20 minutes of the series are spent on explosive revelations made in 2023-24 that delayed the completion of the film.

McMahon is presently under federal investigation over allegations of paying $14.6 million to four woman as a means of covering up sexual misconduct dating back to 2006. Janel Grant’s filed lawsuit alleging sexual abuse and sex trafficking led to his now-permanent resignation from WWE and TKO Group.

McMahon refused to sit for a final conversation on those latter subjects, and he frequently claims to not remember specifics about lawsuits, such as one filed by Rena Lesnar (Sable) that was ultimately settled. However, extensive interviews conducted with the outsized personality offer gobs of material for armchair psychologists. In the sixth episode, “The Finish,” McMahon states his brain consists of multiple computers operating simultaneously, including one that was providing him with lewd thoughts as his interview unfolded.

While he disassociates the character “Mr. McMahon” from the man he sees in the mirror — asked about similarities between the two, he states, “None whatsoever,” suggesting the perception is far from reality — time and again he is repudiated, sometimes by himself. Moments after making that assertion, even, he seems content to accept the perception as reality.

Contradiction is found throughout the series as McMahon’s perspective of his life and business are easily countered by opposing viewpoints and television footage. During the fifth episode, “Attitude,” he states the myriad ways in which his product did not cross boundaries of good taste during the promotion’s hottest period, the Attitude Era. A supercut dismissing each of those claims proves otherwise.

Indeed it this desire for control — of his family, of his company, of his narrative — that drove McMahon, who grew up having none of it, to the highest highs and the lowest lows. Even in the series’ closing episode, McMahon admits to never truly considering a succession plan as doing so would have created a reality in which he might lose whatever power he could retain until his final breath.

Those unfamiliar with the intimate details about McMahon’s personal and business life will receive a thorough education. Die-hard wrestling fans will be familiar with nearly all of the stories and controversies, though there are still enough nuggets of information and revelations to make “Mr. McMahon” a more-than-worthwhile watch.

“Mr. McMahon” premieres Wednesday, Sept. 25 on Netflix.