Vince McMahon's Netflix series: What does it reveal?

A new Netflix documentary claims to “lift the curtain” on former WWE boss Vince McMahon – but does it succeed?

The six-part series “Mr. McMahon” – named after the alter ego character he played on screen in the mid-90s – covers his life, his decades-long career and the various scandals that dogged him.

It contains interviews with the 79-year-old himself as well as with family members, former wrestlers and business partners.

However, whether it tells us anything new about the real Vince McMahon is debatable.

He withdrew from filming after a former employee accused him of sex trafficking, and some critics said the Series struggles with this missing element.

Others said it was still quite a “honest portrait” and comprehensive, depending on how much you already know.

But does it bring us closer to the truth?

McMahon submitted his own review early.

He called the series “misleading” and accused its creators of “taking the predictable path of confusing the character 'Mr. McMahon' with the real me, Vince.”

The billionaire and businessman resigned from WWE parent company Earlier this year, when former employee Janel Grant filed a sex trafficking lawsuit against him,

He is denied her allegations as “lies” and a “vindictive distortion of the truth”.

The documentary does not reveal much about this case, but it does address previous allegations.

Rita Chatterton, WWE's first female referee, accused McMahon of rape, but on the show he insists that “it never happened” and that it was “consensual.”

He withdrew his defamation suit against her and last year Reports say, paid her millions of dollars in compensation.

He also called the US government – ​​which prosecuted him for illegal steroid trafficking – the “biggest tyrant”.

McMahon was found not guilty in this case.

The WWE has often been criticized in the past for its portrayal of women, especially during the so-called Attitude Era between 1997 and 2002.

The matches became far less family-friendly: female wrestlers were often seen bleeding, and female stars competed in “bra and panties” matches that ended with an opponent's costume being ripped off.

Former WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus says roles for women are “overly sexual” and recalls once being forced to get on her knees and bark like a dog before taking off her clothes.

“Women were not considered wrestlers…” she says.

“A feast for the eyes, that’s what they were back then,” she says on the show.

Anthony White – aka Tony Atlas – agrees that the segments have not aged well.

“In today’s society, we would be considered the worst people on earth,” he says in the documentary.

“We abused women excessively. They were like toys to us.”

McMahon's daughter Stephanie, who often appeared in storylines written by her father – which she describes as “a little strange” – says “those were different times in our business.”

Current Chief Content Officer and McMahon’s son-in-law Paul “Triple H” Levesque wonders how they “ever [got] away with that stuff”.

In the documentary, McMahon says the trend “more or less followed what was going on in the entertainment business,” and some of the highest-rated segments featured women.

Vince McMahon has earned a reputation as a ruthless guy and the documentary sheds light on some of the events that contributed to this image.

One of them is an infamous conspiracy – or in wrestling jargon, a “screwjob” – involving legendary wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

During tensions surrounding his move to rival World Championship Wrestling (WCW), McMahon worked with others behind Hart's back to change the planned outcome of a 1997 match.

The Canadian eventually lost his championship title to Shawn Michaels in front of his home crowd in Montreal.

McMahon describes a similar 1985 racket involving former women's tennis champion Wendi Richter as “show business… nothing personal.”

“And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for the business.”

In the documentary, McMahon says he wanted Bret Hart to do the “right thing” for the company.

“To this day, I don’t regret any of it.”

McMahon recounts details from his own childhood, including being abused by his stepfather and meeting his real father for the first time at age 12.

“I know that if you are abused as a child, psychologically you tend to abuse yourself,” he says, adding, “That's just an excuse.”

His own role as a father is a theme that comes up again and again in the documentary, and he admits that he was “hard” on his own children, Shane and Stephanie.

Cast members also describe him as a father figure.

McMahon himself says: “I still haven’t quite figured out who I am.”

“Characters are the lifeblood of WWE,” he tells the documentary filmmakers – but does he play one of those characters himself?

We never quite figure it out.

“Sometimes in our business the lines between reality, between fact and fiction, become blurred,” he says.

Critics say this is a helpful get-out-of-jail card and shift the blame onto his alter ego, Mr McMahon – a corrupt boss who abuses his power.

“Which is the character and which am I? I guess it's maybe a mix and I would suggest that maybe one of them is a little bit over the top,” says McMahon.

“I'm not quite sure which one.”

But when asked what character traits he has in common with the character, he answers: “None at all.”

Many of those around him also seem unsure.

His son Shane says: “Mr. McMahon is an extension of Vince McMahon, but to a completely exaggerated extent.”

This view is shared by former champion Stone Cold Steve Austin, who says the character is “pretty close to Vince the human” but “highly exaggerated.”

Others, such as Shawn Michaels, say there is not much difference between the two, and WWE executive Bruce Prichard says McMahon's rants in the ring were similar to those he delivered in the boardroom.

The opinion of former superstar Hulk Hogan is much clearer.

“Exactly the same person, not that far-fetched,” he says.

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