Mr. McMahon – Review
Director: Bill Simmons, Chris Smith
Plot: WWE experienced record-breaking highs and crushing lows under Vince McMahon’s leadership and the mogul’s controversial reign.
Runtime: 50-55 Minutes per episode
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Mr. McMahon
Mr McMahon is a documentary following the career of the iconic wrestling promoter Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. It follows his rise in the business to create the WWF, now WWE. However, his career has been ruined by scandals.
In episode 1, Junior focuses on the history lesson of how Vince destroyed the terroristic business of wrestling to turn it into a singular national company. Most wrestling fans know the basics of the background, but for non-wrestling fans, this gives us a quick lesson on how we got to where we are. We learn about the relationship with Hulk Hogan and the importance of making history along the way. However, it shows the first couple of scandals the company faced.
In episode 2, Heat follows the continuing rise of the WWF with the biggest Wrestlemania in history, Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant. However, despite the success, the scandals started to consume the company. These ranged from sexual abuse and steroid abuse. Add in the rise of WCW the biggest competition the WWF ever faced.
In episode 3, Screwjob follows Vince dealing with wrestlers not following his instructions, believing he had the only power. While the term Screwjob is most famous for another incident, we see how he did it first to Wendy Richter. Meanwhile, he still battles the steroid scandal with his most trusted friend Hulk Hogan turning on him. We see how Vince dealt with his biggest names walking away and the infamous Curtain Call.
In episode 4, Attitude follows the rise of the biggest and most popular era in WWF history, the Attitude era. It was built off the back of dealing with Vince struggling to get back on top. The creation of his on-screen persona who fights against his stars on camera. It created some of the biggest names in the history of the business, Stone Cold, The Rock and Triple H. However, it also saw the rise of the over-sexualisation of women wrestlers. It puts back on moments that could never happen now, with a string of controversial moments for the era, before one of the biggest tragedies in WWF history.
In episode 5, Family Business dives back into Vince’s personal life and how he claims to put any problems behind him. Along with following Stephanie and Shane’s life in the shadow of their larger-than-life father. It focuses on the family drama on screen and the building reputation Vince created behind the scenes. This looks more into the early problems Vince created in the working environment and how people became victims of his wrath.
In episode 6, The Finish we follow how Vince tried to stay important during the Ruthless Aggression era. It built up to one of the most controversial storylines, where Vince was killed on screen. However, it happened days before the Christ Benoit murder-suicide. It shows how the company dealt with concussions in hopes of never allowing the same tragic event to happen again. Add in the unhealthy amount of wrestlers dying younger than they should have.
Overall, this doesn’t dive deep enough into the scandals even if it touches on them in places. It would have been a lot more interesting to explore them and learn more from people who aren’t company people. This feels like a biography documentary, rather than anything which exposes the bigger problems caused over the years. We don’t get into the current issues until late into episode 6 and it is less than 30 minutes of information. It felt like this was made too early before more of the truth came to light.
Where to Watch
Mr McMahon is available on Netflix now.
Final Thoughts – Mr McMahon is a good history lesson into Vince’s history in WWE.