Steroids. Hush money. Sexual misconduct. And that’s just what happened OUTSIDE the ring.
The WWE’s boss created a $6 billion-dollar empire…until his own board of directors bodyslammed him out of power. Meet the real-life supervillain who makes his on-screen character look tame.
“Mr. McMahon” is like “Last Dance” meets “The Wrestler” (ya know — the Mickey Rourke movie).
Trailer for “Mr. McMahon”
Watch “Mr. McMahon”
You can watch “Mr. McMahon” on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/81048394. It’s a Netflix original so I don’t expect it streaming anywhere else.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 71/100 (Users); 69/100 (Critics)
Release Date: September 25, 2024 (on Netflix)
My Review of “Mr. McMahon”
The Setup (Dynamic Duo of Chris Smith and Bill Simmons)
“Mr. McMahon” is a six-part, 240-minute documentary series directed by Chris Smith with Bill Simmons Exec Producing.
I love Chris Smith’s docs. He directed “American Movie” (which I rank 96/100!) , “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives” (90/100), “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” (90/100), “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond”; and 100 Foot Wave.
Chris also Exec Produced “Tiger King” (95/100). That one got me through the pandemic!
Smith spent four years making this doc, interviewing McMahon for over 100 hours.
And Bill Simmons? I’ve never seen him mail it in for any content he’s behind.
He nails “McMahon” on whatever Exec Producer stuff he did.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Vince McMahon agrees to a doc on Netflix about himself in which he’ll surely get blasted and scores a $5 bil. deal with Netflix.
- Vince McMahon was the first cadet in Fishburne Military School history to be court-martialed since its founding in 1879. The charges were eventually dropped. Also at Fishburne, McMahon stole the commandant’s Buick and gave the commandant’s dog a laxative, causing it to “do its business all over the commandant’s apartment.” The source for both those is McMahon’s bio page from Waynesboro Heritage Museum.
- The first WrestleMania in 1985 was a massive gamble that paid off spectacularly. It broadcast on closed-circuit TV in major U.S. cities and 24 foreign countries, establishing the annual event as wrestling’s Super Bowl.
- A lawsuit alleges McMahon forced a former employee into sexual relationships with other WWE staffers, including John Laurinaitis. The suit claims McMahon told her, “I’m the only one who owns you and controls who I want to (expletive) you.”
- Another lawsuit claims McMahon allowed the “open, rampant abuse” of “ring boys” as young as 12 by announcer Melvin Phillips Jr. during the 1980s and 1990s.
- Despite participating in over 100 hours of interviews for the documentary, McMahon released a scathing review of the final product, clearly unhappy with how he was portrayed.
More Highlights from the Doc
- In 1976, a young Vince McMahon orchestrated a groundbreaking “War of the Worlds” match between boxing legend Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki. It captured global attention and showcased McMahon’s early promotional genius.
- McMahon’s vision extended beyond wrestling. He founded the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) and later created the XFL, a professional football league that folded after one season, resulting in a loss of over $30 million.
- In 2001, McMahon acquired his former rival WCW for just $4.2 million. This included WCW’s entire video library—a priceless archive of wrestling history—for the bargain price of $1.7 million.
- When Kane was forced to remove his mask after losing a match in 2003, McMahon and Glenn Jacobs were the only WWE employees who were completely behind the decision.
- After Owen Hart’s tragic death at the “Over the Edge” pay-per-view in 1999, McMahon reportedly promised Hart’s widow not to air footage of the funeral on television but went ahead and did so anyway.
- “Keep Your Enemies Close”r” – He hires back Hulk Hogan after Hogan and others left him for the WCW; he even hired Eric Bischoff (the head of WCW who constantly made fun of him — it was just good business). “it’s just biz”, Vince says.
- Sex Brain? — Vince says he has 3 brains and one is dedicated to sex. Sounds right to me!
Cameos
- The Undertaker
- Steve Austin
- The Rock
- John Cena
- Bruce Pritchard (WWE executive director)
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Bruce Pritchard expresses disappointment that McMahon’s more admirable qualities, like his generosity, aren’t given enough attention. For instance, McMahon paid for his wife’s cancer.
- The final 20 minutes focus on explosive revelations from 2023-2024, which delayed the film’s completion.
Wrap Up
“Mr. McMahon” offers a raw look at the complex legacy of Vince McMahon, balancing his business genius with his many controversies.
I did say “genius”. He’s PT Barnum-level in pulling off the big show.
The doc lets you judge for yourself the man who shaped modern wrestling entertainment.
I will likely rank this in the top 20 of my “Best Sports Scandals” documentaries when I get to it. It’ll also make the top 10 best wrestling docs list I’ll publish (eventually).
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc