Vince McMahon’s WWE Controversy Explained

During WWE’s infamous “Attitude” era, Vince McMahon transformed himself into the “Mr. McMahon” persona and never really looked back. Or maybe he was always that guy — and that’s not a compliment.

Netflix’s upcoming docuseries “Mr. McMahon,” from “Tiger King” director Chris Smith and former ESPN personality Bill Simmons, follows Vince’s “rise and fall,” the series synopsis begins. Production on the unscripted series began four years ago, and since cameras first rolled, McMahon has left his own company — twice — amid several scandals.

For “Mr. McMahon,” Smith, Simmons and co-executive producer Zara Duffy gathered more than 200 hours of interviews with Vince McMahon, his family members, associates and the iconic professional wrestling talent, according to Netflix. The trailer alone shows McMahon, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Bruce Prichard, Eric Bishoff, Jimmy Hart, Bret Hart and McMahon’s son-in-law, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who is married to McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon.

Somewhat hidden in Netflix’s press release for the trailer is the fact that all of McMahon’s interviews took place “prior to his resignation,” meaning the final one will take place in January 2024. McMahon previously (and temporarily — he was supposed to return) retired in July 2022.

At the time of his retirement, the McMahon/WWE scandal centered on alleged hush payments he made to several employees with whom he was having affairs.

McMahon was forced to resign (for real) 18 months later, when his WWE and UFC merged as a new public company, TKO. News of the merger came on the heels of more serious — and now documented — allegations against McMahon: former WWE employee Janel Grant accused McMahon of sexual assault and human trafficking.

In other words, the interviews with “Mr. McMahon” took place before and after his retirement and return, but not after his resignation and the larger allegations. McMahon has denied the allegations and faced a federal criminal investigation, but has not been charged with a crime — at least not yet.

Mr. McMahon is the producer Library Films in association with Ringer Films. Each of the six episodes is 60 minutes long. The series premieres on September 25.

“The goal of ‘Mr. McMahon’ was to pull back the curtain and reveal the real Vince McMahon beneath the persona he presented to the world,” director Smith said in a statement to IndieWire. “Over the course of four years in production, the story evolved in truly shocking ways, culminating in some incredibly shocking allegations. The final product is a revelatory documentary that we believe offers a rich and nuanced portrait of the man and the complex legacy he left behind.”

Watch the trailer for “Mr. McMahon” below.