After the retirement of former WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon rocked the pro-wrestling landscape, many believed the controversial corporate suit would fade from relevancy. However after the release of Netflix’s docu-series on McMahon, he’s been brought back into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Mr. McMahon is the six-episode documentary that follows the life of Vincent McMahon, famous for his creation of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). McMahon worked for the company in every era of its existence and under every name the company has been through since its humble beginnings as a member of the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA). McMahon first started working under his father Vince Sr. As early as 1969, and quickly came to own the company in subsequent years, holding a vice-grip over ownership of the WWE until 2022. Two years after his departure, Netflix released the Mr. McMahon series, documenting his full life and time as owner of the WWE along with pros and cons of such a controversial legacy.
The series utilizes many of Wrestling’s most prominent names such as Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and John Cena to help build an understanding of McMahon as a boss. Along with this, it also features many prominent members of McMahon’s own family such as his son, Shane, and daughter, Stephanie, as well as the man himself to help build an understanding of McMahon’s background as a father and to piece his often overlooked tragic background together in a way a mainstream audience has never seen.
Recounting the events of McMahon’s life in sequential order throughout all six episodes, Mr. McMahon paints the man in an almost sympathetic light. McMahon was present throughout the early episodes in many interview segments, and recounted his experiences of physical abuse at the hands of his stepfather and biological mother, as well as the sense of abandonment felt from not meeting his biological father until around the age of 12.
As the story progresses however, the audience comes to see how McMahon himself becomes an abuser himself, with it becoming increasingly clear Vincent himself has no clue, or does not care to acknowledge the severity of his actions. Still recounting McMahon’s life, the documentary uses McMahon noticeably less. While the shadiness of McMahon’s tactics and constant run-ins with the law are well documented, the series puts it all very simply, while including much depth all in one place. McMahon’s former employees discuss his multiple court outings regarding steroid abuse amongst his talent, likelihood of sexual misconduct, and his erratic and irrational behavior behind the scenes.
Production for the project stalled following McMahon’s WWE departure, and an episode was added to cover his scandal possibly involving sex-trafficking and sexual misconduct, a situation unfolding in U.S. courts and still currently ongoing. With the full result of the documentary finally released to the public, and his ruling still yet to be confirmed, McMahon’s legacy is almost certainly in jeopardy.
