- McMahon posted on X just two days before Netflix documentary series airs
- The former WWE chairman reportedly tried to buy the documentary off Netflix
- A portion of the documentary is expected to focus on the sexual abuse and human trafficking allegations currently facing McMahon
Only a day before the Netflix documentary about his ascent to power in WWE and subsequent abuses of that power is released, Vince McMahon is trying to get ahead of the likely deluge of negative publicity that is about to head his way.
Mr. McMahon is a six-part series, the majority of which was filmed before 2022’s sexual abuse allegations came to light.
In the intervening two years since McMahon initially ‘retired’ from his role as WWE chairman, he returned to the company, helped facilitate its sale to Endeavour as part of a multi-billion dollar merger with UFC in 2023 and was then instructed by new owner Ari Emanuel to step away from WWE entirely after a lawsuit was made public by former employee Janel Grant, with whom McMahon had been having an affair, after she made allegations of sexual abuse, rape and human trafficking against the former WWE CEO.
Directed by Sundance Grand Jury prize winning Chris Smith and produced by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons (formerly ESPN), the miniseries focuses a spotlight on the litany of sexual abuse allegations made against McMahon over the years, not just the most recent scandals that have engulfed the 79-year-old billionaire.
In response to this, a statement was posted to McMahon’s rarely used X account, branding the cut of the documentary that he had seen as “misleading” and “deceptive”.
The statement reads, “I don’t regret participating in this Netflix documentary. 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,” he said. “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.
“A lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused. The producers use typical editing tricks with out of context footage and dated soundbites etc. to distort the viewers’ perception and support a deceptive narrative. In an attempt to further their misleading account, the producers use a lawsuit based on an affair I ended as evidence 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.”
It has also been reported by Matthew Belloni of Puck News in his “What I’m hearing” newsletter that McMahon attempted to buy the series back from Netflix so no one would see it.
“After seeing early footage, (McMahon) actually tried to buy the project back from Netflix, per two sources familiar,” Belloni wrote. Netflix declined to comment.
“Vince also had Endeavor C.E.O. Ari Emanuel, his new partner in TKO, chime in on his behalf, also voicing concern about the doc’s treatment of Vince’s alter ego, ‘Mr. McMahon,’ which ended up being the title of the doc.
“Netflix refused to let the project go, and then this past January, the worse McMahon scandal broke, when a former employee sued alleging terrible abuse.”
Mr.McMahon drops on Netflix tomorrow (September 25) and features six hour-long episodes. Several of the biggest stars in WWE history, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, John Cena and Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, will feature, although their is expected to be a disclaimer shown at the beginning of episodes stating that the interviews took place before 2022’s allegations were known about.
