This article contains mentions of sexual assault

Vince McMahon is officially retired from WWE, but he leaves behind a complicated legacy that’s explored thoroughly in Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries. It isn’t hyperbolic to say that the sports entertainment mogul is the most powerful figure in the history of professional wrestling. His vision turned WWE into a global juggernaut and made mainstream stars out of Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, Dave Bautista and many others. He’s also famous for letting Donald Trump punch him on WWE television, highlighting his propensity for generating widespread publicity. However, McMahon’s life and career have been synonymous with scandals, some of which have followed him into retirement.

“Mr. McMahon” chronicles the ups and downs of the titular subject’s career, though most viewers will probably come out of it with a negative opinion of the ousted former WWE chairman, as he blurs the lines between the real person and his ruthless on-screen character while discussing some pretty harrowing accusations. In the opening episode, McMahon says that he won’t tell the real stories about his controversies, but he’ll provide enough information to make it compelling television. Then again, going into detail about the scandals would probably spell more trouble for the corporate giant.

McMahon’s scandals range from federal investigations to allegations of sex trafficking by former employees, and that’s barely scratching the surface of the controversies surrounding him. With that in mind, let’s look at the Netflix documentary and examine how it confirms what everyone thought about Vince McMahon all along.

Vince McMahon’s controversies have been the subject of entire books, including Abraham Josephine Riesman’s “Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America.” However, “Mr. McMahon” does a good job at covering the main ones over its six episodes. Some of the lighter scandals explored include the time McMahon instructed wrestler David Schultz to blast talk show host John Stossel on television, as the latter wanted to expose the wrestling business as fake. This led to Schultz getting physical with the interviewer, resulting in a lawsuit.

The documentary also covers WWE’s very high-profile steroid scandal of the early 1990s, which saw McMahon grapple with the federal government in the courtroom. The case argued that McMahon illegally supplied his wrestlers with anabolic steroids so they could achieve their larger-than-life muscular looks, but it was never proven, and the former WWE chairman walked free. Other wrestling-related controversies covered in the doc include Owen Hart falling to his death at WWE Over the Edge 1999, and McMahon’s unpopular decision to go on with the show afterward.

Elsewhere, the docuseries examines some of the more depraved allegations against McMahon. Several employees have accused him of sexual assault and harassment throughout the years, including former referee WWE Rita Chatterton, who claimed McMahon raped her in 1986. In 1992, McMahon was accused of turning a blind eye to misconduct toward underage ring boys in his own promotion, and he’s currently embroiled in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, who’s suing him for sex trafficking, abuse, and exploitation. The most recent scandal led to McMahon’s eventual retirement; otherwise, he’d probably still be working with the company and attracting more controversy.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Vince McMahon’s life has been shrouded in controversy for decades, so any documentary that chronicles his ups and downs is going to polarize viewers. As previously mentioned, the series explores some challenging topics pertaining to his life and career, and while McMahon denies the myriad of accusations against him, many viewers will undoubtedly come out of it with a negative opinion of WWE’s former boss. On the flipside, there are others who’ll argue that the series only focuses on the dark side of his life story and fails to take his more positive traits into account.

“Mr. McMahon” has also attracted some criticism, as its main subject feels the series is deceptive and presents him in an unflattering light. Ahead of its release, reports claimed that McMahon tried to buy it from Netflix so he could prevent the documentary from seeing the light of day. Ultimately, that never happened, but McMahon has since publicly commented on the film — and he hopes viewers go into it with an open mind and don’t take everything they’re told as gospel.

Vince McMahon isn’t happy about the documentary. In a statement released to X (formerly known as Twitter), he explained that he has no regrets about being interviewed for the Netflix series, but he has some issues with the way he’s depicted throughout.

“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.”

McMahon added that the documentary’s creators left out information and edited the series to mislead viewers. The sports entertainment pioneer said that it doesn’t tell his side of the story the way in which he intended, noting that it misrepresents him. WWE has yet to comment on “Mr. McMahon.” The sports entertainment promotion reportedly wasn’t involved in the making of the series, even though Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Bruce Prichard, the McMahon family, and other key figures associated with WWE appear as talking heads. 

Vince McMahon is unhappy with the Netflix documentary for obvious reasons. He feels that the docuseries has distorted his side of the story, and he’s publicly disowned it as a result. While it’s true that the series will turn people against its subject, others are losing it because they don’t think he’s the evil supervillain his reputation suggests.

Many wrestlers and personalities who’ve worked with McMahon have fond memories of him. Wrestling legends such as Mick Foley and Rikishi have discussed their positive relationships with the ex-WWE boss, stating that they’ll reserve judgment about his scandals until they’ve seen the documentary and he’s had his day in court. Meanwhile, Jeff Jarrett hopes viewers go into the series with an open mind, as he believes there are multiple sides to every story. “Mr. McMahon” even features a scene where Bruce Prichard — one of the former WWE owner’s closest confidants — criticizes the filmmakers for not highlighting the sports entertainment mogul’s generous and warm side.

That said, the documentary has led to McMahon being condemned. Ann Callis, the attorney of Janel Grant, clapped back at his aforementioned statement about the doc being misleading, accusing him of being guilty of criminal behavior. Now that the documentary is available on Netflix, it’s highly likely that McMahon will remain a polarizing figure whose scandals are debated for years to come.

For more content of this ilk, check out the 30 best documentaries on Netflix.