What is Mr. McMahon about? Netflix’s controversial WWE doc explained

With the Mr. McMahon release date just around the corner, here’s what you need to know about the controversy surrounding former WWE boss Vince McMahon and the allegations against him, as well as details about the new Netflix documentary series.

The world of sports has been the focus of many new documentary releases of late, whether that be Netflix’s popular Untold anthology series or Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Welcome to Wrexham.

Now, focus is turning to pro wrestling. Earlier this year saw the (eventual) release of WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain, and there’s plenty more in the pipeline for Netflix when WWE’s Monday Night Raw moves over to the streaming service in 2025. 

Before then, the six-part documentary series Mr. McMahon is set to arrive, and it’s sparked a significant reaction. Warning: some may find this content distressing. 

Mr. McMahon centers on the rise and fall of Vince McMahon

Executive produced by Chris Smith and Bill Simmons, Mr. McMahon is a six-part documentary series set to explore the rise and fall of Vince McMahon, the co-founder of WWE. 

“The series covers McMahon’s transformation of WWE from a small, regional business into a global entertainment powerhouse, and the explosive sexual misconduct allegations that led to his eventual resignation,” the official synopsis reads.

Based around more than 200 hours of interviews, Mr. McMahon features family members, business associates, iconic names in the world of wrestling, and reporters who covered the allegations, as well as McMahon himself. 

Among those interviewed are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Wall Street Journal reporters Ted Mann and Joe Palazzolo.

Release date revealed after delays 

Mr. McMahon drops on Netflix on September 25, 2024, at 12am PT / 3am ET. Although the docu-series was initially announced back in October 2020, it was delayed following numerous allegations against him. 

Netflix

Smith, who produced Tiger King, explained, “The goal behind Mr. McMahon was to pull back the curtain and reveal the true Vince McMahon, obscured beneath the persona he presented to the world.

“Over the four years of production, the story evolved in truly shocking ways, culminating in some extremely harrowing allegations. The final product is a revealing documentary that we believe offers a rich and nuanced portrait of the man and the complex legacy he left behind.”

Many of the interviews were conducted before the first allegations came out in 2024. According to Paste reporter Garrett Martin, who has seen the series, McMahon and his family refused follow-up interviews after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and trafficking.

Martin went on to say that it appears the only other individuals who were interviewed again after the Grant lawsuit were wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer and WWE employee Bruce Prichard.

McMahon allegations explained

As of September 2024, McMahon is under investigation by federal authorities in the US over serious allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault. 

When the latest allegations came to light, he resigned from his position at TKO, the company formed by the merger of WWE and UFC.

McMahon is a pivotal figure in the world of professional wrestling, having transformed WWE into a global entertainment juggernaut. 

Wikimedia Commons

He took control of the company from his father in the early ‘80s, revolutionizing the industry by expanding WWE’s reach through national television deals and pay-per-view events. 

McMahon also became famous for his on-screen persona, Mr. McMahon, a tyrannical boss known for his catchphrases like “You’re fired!”, his power walk, and his feuds with WWE superstars.

Everything changed in June 2022, however, when the news emerged that the WWE Board was investigating claims he’s paid millions of dollars in hush-money agreements over affairs with former WWE employees.

He initially retired as CEO and chairman of WWE, only to return in January 2023, helping to facilitate a merger deal that saw WWE and UFC combine forces, now operating under the recently-formed TKO banner. 

McMahon was TKO’s executive chairman and on the board of directors, until January 2024, when former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and trafficking.

The lawsuit, first obtained by the Wall Street Journal, alleges that “McMahon pushed Ms. Grant for a physical relationship in return for long-promised employment at WWE.” 

It goes on to say things escalated, with McMahon accused of recruiting “individuals to have sexual relations with Ms. Grant and/or with the two of them.”

The former WWE boss is also accused of “sharing sexually explicit photographs and videos” of Grant with other men both inside and outside of the company. 

“McMahon also subjected Ms. Grant to acts of extreme cruelty and degradation that caused Ms. Grant to disassociate and/or become numb to reality in order to survive the horrific encounters,” the complaint adds. 

“As one example of McMahon’s extreme depravity, on May 9, 2020, he defecated on Ms. Grant during a threesome, and then commanded her to continue pleasuring his ‘friend’ with feces in her hair and running down her back.”

Finally, it claims “WWE benefited financially from the commercial sex act venture orchestrated by McMahon” after he presented Grant “as a sexual commodity for their use.”

Although he denied the allegations, McMahon stepped down from his position at TKO. A spokesperson said at the time that it was “replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”

An update in the case arrived in May 2024, when it was revealed that Grant agreed to pause the lawsuit pending a federal investigation, which is currently ongoing. 

Mr. McMahon backlash explained

Upon the news of the Mr. McMahon release date, there was a level of apprehension given Netflix’s deal with WWE, and whether it would go into the allegations in proper depth. However, this has since changed after McMahon released a statement on the doc.

In August, on an X/Twitter post stating the docu-series features interviews with McMahon, his family, and big names in wrestling, one replied, “But not Janel Grant who made the accusations that resulted in Vince’s complete and utter humiliation and downfall.

“Is it for legal reasons or did the directors of the documentary not want to delve too deeply into these accusations since the #WWE is coming to Netflix in 2025???”

Wikimedia Commons

“Considering the WWF is going to be shown on Netflix on a weekly basis, I can’t imagine this will be very good,” said another, while a third added, “Well. We’re about to find out a lot about Netflix with how this goes…”

A fourth chimed in, “I hope no journalistic integrity is lost as a result of your newfound relationship with the @WWE.” And a fifth stated, “Very interesting considering the TV deal they’ve signed.”

Others are concerned about the fact that the investigation is ongoing, including this person who asked, “Why can’t they wait until the legal stuff is decided? Allegations are still pending. There could need to be a jury trial. You’re tainting the whole process.”

However, on September 23, McMahon released a statement trashing the docuseries, describing it as “misleading” and stating “a lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused.”

But his warning didn’t appear to have the intended effect – rather than driving viewers away, it’s reassured them that Mr. McMahon won’t sanitize the allegations.

“In a weird way, Vince not being a fan and issuing this statement is probably the best promotion for the series,” said one on Reddit, while another wrote, “Okay I’m actually interested in it now that Vince is publicly disowning it.”

Grant’s attorney Ann Callis has clapped back at his statement too, highlighting how the former WWE boss described what happened with her client as an “affair.”

“Vince McMahon physically and emotionally abused, sexually assaulted, and human trafficked Janel Grant for more than two years. Calling his horrific and criminal behavior ‘an affair’ is delusional and nothing more than a sad attempt to save his shredded reputation,” she said.

Callis finished by saying, “We seek to hold McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE accountable and to give Ms. Grant her day in court.”

Mr. McMahon premieres on September 25. For more true crime news, read about whether smartschoolboy9 was ever arrested, Netflix’s Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, and what legal experts said about Lyle and Erik Menendez’s ongoing fight for freedom.