What we learned from the ‘Mr. McMahon’ Netflix documentary

The docuseries, from filmmaker Chris Smith (“Tiger King”) and executive producer Bill Simmons (“30 for 30”), interviewed dozens of former and current WWE employees about McMahon and his legacy. It explores who McMahon was on screen (the villainous boss who ruled with an iron fist) and who he was behind the scenes (a competitive promoter who has faced multiple lawsuits). The series comes after McMahon in January resigned as executive chairperson and from the board of World Wrestling Entertainment’s parent company, TKO, amid sex abuse allegations. He has denied all wrongdoing.

McMahon denounced the documentary days before its debut, slamming the producers and the editing for leaning into their own narrative rather than telling both sides of the story.

“A lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused,” McMahon said in a statement posted Monday on X. “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.”

Representatives for WWE and McMahon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Here are seven takeaways from the “Mr. McMahon” Netflix series.

It’s a history of pro wrestling

Many of the details shared throughout the documentary aren’t new for wrestling fans. In many ways, the depictions of WWE’s rise through the ’80s and ’90s under the guidance of McMahon serve as a history lesson for those who have never watched the not-quite-sport. The six hours will easily catch viewers up on some of wrestling’s biggest moments, including the careers of John Cena, Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

It’s also a deep dive into the Mr. McMahon persona seen on television, who was often pompous, egotistical and tyrannical in his decision-making.

The final episode explores the Janel Grant lawsuit

The documentary’s final episode briefly explores former WWE employee Janel Grant’s lawsuit against McMahon in which she accused McMahon of sex trafficking, sexual assault and paying to keep her quiet. She alleged that McMahon promised her career opportunities while sexually abusing her and exploiting her to those inside and outside the company.

Grant was not featured in the documentary. In a press call on Sept. 19, Grant’s attorney Ann Callis did not confirm or deny whether Grant was asked to be in the documentary but asserted that Grant wants to tell her story on her own platform or in the courtroom.

A title screen in the doc says McMahon canceled his final interviews for the “Mr. McMahon” series after allegations became public.

It reviews other WWE scandals

The documentary explores a few of WWE’s biggest controversies, but it doesn’t spend much time on them. The opening episodes explain McMahon’s battle with the Justice Department’s investigation into the use of steroids by wrestlers.

Later, we learn how McMahon allowed a pay-per-view event to continue after wrestler Owen Hart fell to his death, despite there being blood in the ring. “The decision that basically I had to make was whether or not the show goes on,” McMahon says. “The live audience didn’t really see what happened. Had they seen, no question you have to shut the show down.”

The final episode touches on the tragedy of Chris Benoit, a WWE wrestler who killed his wife and son and then himself, as well as the impact chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) had on Benoit and the wrestling industry. McMahon says in the documentary that Benoit “went nuts” and that “human beings are flawed.”

Several wrestlers seem to debate whether CTE is a real condition, though it’s explained that WWE has tried to help with further research into the topic.

McMahon reveals his thoughts on the rival WCW

The documentary shows McMahon making a name for himself by expanding his father’s wrestling business from the northeastern United States to the Mid-Atlantic, the South and throughout the country by signing talent away from other companies and building on what came before. But McMahon dismisses the actions of his competitors who acted similarly.

The series shows how World Championship Wrestling (WCW) rose up against WWE and seemed poised to overtake it by taking top talent away and building on what McMahon already created. McMahon defends himself by suggesting that his competitors weren’t playing by the rules and mimicked his ideas rather than creating their own characters and storylines. He later recounts how he was successful in eventually buying WCW because of his competitive nature.

McMahon’s shares his reasons for controversial ‘screwjobs’

Throughout the documentary, McMahon makes it clear that he’s willing to do whatever is best for business. He uses that belief when discussing the “screwjobs” of wrestlers Wendi Richter and Bret Hart. In both instances, McMahon forced wrestling matches to end before their scripted ending, surprising the in-ring performers. He did this, he said, so that both Richter and Hart would lose their championship belts before those wrestlers left the company.

McMahon also uses this belief when bringing wrestlers back into the business after they left (like Hulk Hogan) or working with talent outside the industry (such as Mike Tyson and Donald Trump).

McMahon blurs the line with wrestlers and family

Multiple people throughout the documentary allude to McMahon using real-life events to shape what happens on screen — like when McMahon put wrestlers in embarrassing storylines when they disagree with a creative direction.

Throughout the six episodes, McMahon’s daughter and son, Stephanie and Shane McMahon, as well as his wife, Linda McMahon, allude to how their real life and on-screen squabbles are sometimes blurred. Stephanie said she was roped into a street fight match with her father just days before her wedding to wrestler turned executive Paul Levesque.

McMahon had a storyline idea where he’d impregnate his daughter

Yes, you read that right. During the fifth episode, focused on the McMahon family, his daughter Stephanie alludes to a storyline that was too crazy for her. In the following scene, her father describes a TV storyline where Stephanie was supposed to be pregnant on screen and that he, Vince McMahon, would end up being the father.

(We should note there have been other wacky WWE storylines, such as when a woman gave birth to a hand, and another where McMahon “died” in a limo explosion.)