'Mister. McMahon's review: The documentary provides an unvarnished look at the rise and fall of former WWE chairman Vince McMahon

“Mr. Based on more than 100 hours of interviews with the biggest names in sports entertainment conducted over a period of more than four years, McMahon bucks a trend by succeeding where so many professional wrestling documentaries fail: It tells almost the whole story. However, whether the story is insightful depends on the viewer's familiarity with the subject matter.

The six-part Netflix documentary, directed by filmmaker Chris Smith and executive producer Bill Simmons, covers Vince McMahon's highly successful but always turbulent tenure as administrator of the WWE. McMahon's creative genius, entrepreneurial mastery and forward-thinking propelled the company to soaring heights in the 1980s, late 1990s and early 2000s – all amid controversies, lawsuits and scandals so powerful that he eventually left in early 2024 He had to resign in disgrace after more than 30 years. He ran his company for 40 years.

Paul Heyman, himself an industry legend and active WWE performer, perhaps described it best in the opening of “Family Business,” the show's fifth episode: “The Shakespearean tragedy of this story is the great success that Vincent had.” Kennedy McMahon was driven by his overcompensatory behavior as he rebelled during the first miserable 12 years of his life. “To escape this abuse was his goal in life, to create an atmosphere in which he was untouchable and invulnerable to outside forces and in control of his own destiny.”

Trying to reveal the full story of McMahon, who had never before sat down for so long to discuss his life and career, was undoubtedly an arduous task – one extremely difficult to accomplish in six hours. Those who have been following McMahon and WWE for a long time will find that the film highlights the revelations.

In fact, the filmmakers behind “Mr. McMahon” did not attempt to create a revelation by conducting their own new investigation. Given the nature of wrestling, the parties involved, and the way McMahon has isolated himself over parts of five decades, there is even a rare separation between fact and fiction.

Rather, the goal was to create a comprehensive portrait of the most important figure and villainous character in the history of the wrestling business. This succeeds.

There will certainly be other critics, including WWE general manager Bruce Pritchard, who expressed his displeasure with the portrayal of his former boss in the documentary's final episode. Pritchard points out that some of McMahon's more admirable qualities, such as his generosity, are not adequately showcased in the series. There are certainly far fewer amusing anecdotes than in previous documentaries about his former boss.

Although the series is unashamed to delve into McMahon's most notable, public and lewd transgressions, many of his countless transgressions – particularly alleged shady dealings and numerous crimes while building the WWE into the behemoth it is today – remain on the ground cutting room. In this way, the omissions are somewhat balanced while portraying a man who is portrayed as a pioneering entrepreneur, a far-reaching father, a complicated entertainer, and an immoral bigwig who used his power and authority to maintain his empire.

“I wish I could tell you the real stories. Holy shit,” McMahon admits in “Junior,” the first episode. “…I'll give you enough to make it halfway interesting. I don’t want anyone to really know me.”

McMahon often, but not always, has the last word when faced with the worst stains on his resume. However, compared to the viewpoints of others and the deftly presented facts of the documentary filmmakers, his statements often ring hollow.

Unsurprisingly, McMahon on Monday released a scathing review of the documentary, which he willingly participated in. He obviously assumed he was “Mr. McMahon” would become a puppet master because he has so many companies, projects and people in his life.

While the vast majority of interviews in 2021-22 were conducted before the revelation of several 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, gluttony and inconsistency.

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 have their say, along with reporters who held his feet to the fire. TV executives who got his product on the air and creative forces who helped steer the WWE ship through turbulent waters.

Wrestling fans are conditioned to receive fragmented coverage of their chosen entertainment brand in addition to the main actors who star in front of the camera and behind the scenes. So expectations of a series in which McMahon allowed himself and his family to be interviewed in such detail – while opening the doors to his company and its superstars – were met with understandable skepticism.

Those hoping for McMahon's elimination will be disappointed. Those who inherently expect “Mr. McMahon” ignores the avalanche of misconduct surrounding his life and career could be satisfied.

McMahon embraces his narcissism, his megalomania and his immorality like badges of honor, tenets of his immense success. As Heyman notes, the only honest, monogamous relationship McMahon really lasted was with his company.

He gets all the credit for his shrewd, shrewd and shrewd business acumen that transformed WWE from a regional wrestling promotion into a global entertainment giant, but along the way the most unsavory and controversial of his misdeeds are laid bare for the viewer to judge.

It covers lawsuits from John Stossel and Richard Belzer, allegations of sexual assault by former referee Rita Chatterton, allegations of sexual harassment by former employees, the steroid scandal that brought McMahon to court in 1994, the hotel room death of Jimmy Snuka's girlfriend, and 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 from 2023-24 that delayed the film's completion.

McMahon is currently under federal investigation on allegations that he paid $14.6 million to four women to cover up sexual misconduct dating back to 2006. Janel Grant filed suit for sexual abuse and sex trafficking led to his now permanent Resignation from WWE and TKO Group.

McMahon refused to sit in for a final discussion on these latter topics, and he frequently claims that he cannot recall details of lawsuits, such as the one filed by Rena Lesnar (Sable), which was ultimately settled. However, extensive interviews conducted with the outsized personality provide plenty of material for armchair psychologists. In the sixth episode, “The Finish”, McMahon states that his brain is made up of multiple computers working simultaneously, including one that gave him lewd thoughts during the course of his interview.

While playing the character “Mr. McMahon” distances himself from the man he sees in the mirror – when asked about the similarities between the two, he replies, “None at all”, suggesting that the perception is far from reality – he is repeatedly rejected, sometimes alone. Even moments after making this claim, he seems content to accept the perception as reality.

Contradictions arise throughout the series, as McMahon's view of his life and business can easily be counteracted by opposing viewpoints and television footage. In the fifth episode, “Attitude,” he explains the countless ways his product didn't push the boundaries of good taste during the hottest period in advertising, the Attitude Era. A supercut that dismisses each of these claims proves the opposite.

In fact, it was this desire for control—over his family, his business, his history—that drove McMahon, who grew up with it, to the highest heights and to the lowest depths. Even in the final episode of the series, McMahon admits that he never really thought about a succession plan, as it would have led to a reality in which he could lose whatever power he was able to retain until his final breath.

Those unfamiliar with the intimate details of McMahon's personal and business life receive a thorough education. Die-hard wrestling fans will be familiar with almost all of the stories and controversies, although there is still enough information and revelations to make “Mr. McMahon” to make it an experience that is more than worth seeing.

“Mr. McMahon” premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, September 25th.