Recommendation: Mr. McMahon
He is who we thought he was
Produced and created by Tiger King’s Chris Smith, Mr. McMahon is a six-part docuseries which chronicles the humble origin, epic rise, and inevitable demise of Vincent K. McMahon, the disgraced former owner and overseer of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Given the eponymous mogul’s massive influence on the “sports entertainment” industry, the documentary also examines the evolution of professional wrestling, from the defunct “territory” system of the good old days, to the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, to the genre’s transformation into a global, multi-billion dollar behemoth.
Marked out: The editing on this show is exquisite. The series’ central problem is each episode revolves around an interview with McMahon, a pathological liar and malignant narcissist who spins every self-inflicted crisis into a heroic tale of perseverance. As a viewer, you can never be sure when he’s telling the truth, or if he’s even capable of telling the truth. The producers turn this dynamic into the show’s biggest strength, however, by routinely splicing “the receipts” into his commentary. For instance, a recurring question throughout the series is: How much does the on-screen character of “Mister McMahon” represent the real-life version of Vince McMahon? According to McMahon himself, not at all. According to every other person who was interviewed, they’re pretty much one and the same. Better still, many of the controversies McMahon denies or dismisses get juxtaposed against archival footage, court documents, investigative reports, interviews, and the like, which paints a damning portrait of the once beloved promoter and shows just how craven, delusional, and egomaniacal he truly is.
Jobbed out: The series, while superbly edited and produced, didn’t cover much new ground. There’s a host of podcasts by ex-performers, YouTube channels by smart marks, and documentaries by WWE which have examined the rise of professional wrestling and regaled fans with titillating tales from the Attitude Era. If you know who Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff, and Paul Levesque are, if you know what the terms “heat” and “jobber” and “schmozz” mean, and if you can succinctly explain the “Montreal Screwjob,” please seek the help you need. Also, Mr. McMahon will very much feel like a retread of the existing WWE canon. While the documentary does conclude with the horrific allegations McMahon sexually abused and exploited multiple former employees, these transgressions were revealed during filming and caused McMahon to cancel his final set of interviews.
Dusty finish: After a few false starts, McMahon resigned from the WWE in January 2024. A federal investigation into his purported misconduct is ongoing, but because he’s a rich guy, and because this is America, it’s unlikely he’ll be held accountable.
Final verdict: Mr. McMahon makes for solid viewing, but if you’re a student of “the business” it’s not a must-watch. For casual fans who’d like to learn more about the history of professional wrestling and its all-too-obvious impact on American culture, or for those who need yet another example of an emotionally stunted nepo shitheel ambitious entrepreneur behaving like a complete psychopath, check it out.
