Wrestling magnate Vince McMahon pushed back against the upcoming Netflix docuseries about his life and career, calling it “misleading” and “deceptive” in a statement shared on X yesterday, Sept. 23.
The six-part series, Mr. McMahon, is expected to dig into the allegations of sexual abuse leveled against McMahon, who retired from WWE in 2022 amid an internal investigation into both sexual assault claims and hush-money payments. McMahon has denied the allegations.
McMahon participated in the doc, and he said he did not regret doing so. “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.”
McMahon continued: “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.’”
McMahon ended his statement by saying he hoped viewers would “keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story.”
Most of the interviews for Mr. McMahon — including those with McMahon himself — were filmed before the hush-money and sexual assault allegations against him emerged. Along with digging into those claims, the film is set to explore many of the other major scandals that erupted in professional wrestling during McMahon’s reign, including the early deaths of many wrestlers and the rampant use of steroids.
Mr. McMahon will, notably, not feature an appearance from former WWE employee Janel Grant, who sued McMahon in January for sexual assault and trafficking. McMahon has also denied those claims. Grant’s case is currently on hold as the Department of Justice conducts its own investigation, which began in 2022.
Mr. McMahon is set to premiere tomorrow, Sept. 25. It will feature interviews with an array of top wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
