Ahead of Mr McMahon’s Netflix release, Vince McMahon slammed the “misleading” documentary series – but his warning didn’t have the desired effect.
The new documentary, produced by Tiger King’s Bill Simmons and Chris Smith, will chronicle the rise and fall of McMahon, co-founder and former head of WWE.
According to Smith, the initial goal of the Netflix docuseries was to dig beneath the main character’s notorious personality, but “over the four years of production, the story evolved in some really shocking ways, culminating in some extremely harrowing allegations.”
Specifically, he was accused of sexual misconduct, including trafficking and assault, which led to his resignation from the company.
Vince McMahon slams Netflix’s ‘misleading’ documentary series
The series will premiere on Netflix this week (Wednesday, September 25). McMahon released a statement on social media, lashing out at the streaming service and the show’s producers.
“I have no regrets about being part of this Netflix documentary. The producers had the opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I’ve built that was equally filled with excitement, drama, fun, and a healthy dose of controversy and life lessons,” he wrote.
“Unfortunately, from a partial version I’ve seen, this documentary is disappointing and takes the predictable path of confusing the Mr. McMahon character with my real self, Vince. The title and promos alone make that clear.”
McMahon believes that “much has been distorted or omitted entirely in an attempt to intentionally confuse viewers,” and he accused the producers of using “typical editing tricks with out-of-context footage and dated sound bites to distort viewers’ perceptions and support a misleading narrative.”
“To support their misleading story, the producers are using a lawsuit based on an affair I ended as proof that I am in fact ‘Mr. McMahon.’ I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story.”
WWE Fans Are Even More Curious About Mr. McMahon Now
The statement made its way to Reddit, where many in the wrestling community had the same response: If McMahon doesn’t like it, it must be worth watching.
“In a way, Vince not being a fan and making this statement is probably the best promotion for the show,” one user said. commentedand many people agree.
“Ok I’m really interested now that Vince is publicly disowning him,” wrote another, and a third added: “Seriously the rumors that this is absolutely brutal for Vince have to be true.”
Here’s what’s interesting: Starting in January 2025, Netflix will be home to WWE’s weekly Raw show. When Mr. McMahon was announced, viewers expressed concern about a potential conflict of interest; would the platform really want to damage the reputation of an entertainment empire at the very moment it acquired it?
However, McMahon’s statement suggests that Netflix has not sugar-coated its story or the allegations against it.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to be this bad. It’s on Netflix, Simmons produces it (Ringer has a partnership with WWE) and the trailer was full of people talking good about Vince (Rock, Prichard, etc.),” one user pointed out.
“But now that Vince has released a statement? That changed my mind. They just have more than what they usually cover in things like Dark Side [of the Ring].”
Before Mr. McMahon disappears, you should check out our list of the most shocking Netflix documentaries, as well as the scariest documentaries available on YouTube.