Report: Vince McMahon Attempted to "Buy Back" Netflix's Mr. McMahon Docuseries

Mr. McMahon is set to premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, September 25th.

By Liam Crowley

Vince McMahon's checkered past within professional wrestling is set to be on full display imminently. Earlier this decade, Netflix moved forward on a docuseries centered around the former WWE owner and operator, expecting to chronicle his upbringing in the business and anticipating to spotlight his success with making the scripted sport a global phenomenon. Things took a hard turn in Spring 2022 and January 2024 when McMahon was subject to sexual misconduct and sex trafficking allegations, respectively. While Netflix reportedly considering shelving the project, the streaming giant ultimately decided to interweave McMahon's new controversies and do a character study on the differences, if any, between the Vince McMahon businessman and the Mr. McMahon on-screen character.

Vince McMahon Tried to "Buy Back" Netflix Docuseries

WWE-RAW-NETFLIX-VINCE-MCMAHON-SEX-TRAFFICKING
(Photo: WWE, NETFLIX)

Vince McMahon does not want Netflix's Mr. McMahon to see the light of day.

As reported by Puck, McMahon attempted to "buy back" the Mr. McMahon docuseries from Netflix after screening some of the project's early footage. Netflix refused.

The report notes that Mr. McMahon director Chris Smith had the multi-episode documentary "nearly finished" in 2022. When McMahon's first hush money allegations in relation to sexual misconduct emerged that year, Smith added that layer of McMahon's ongoing story to the docuseries.

Smith made more revisions following Janel Grant's lawsuit against McMahon, which she filed this past January, alleging that the former WWE Chairman sexually trafficked and sexually abused her for years while she was an employee of WWE. This resulted in Mr. McMahon being delayed from its original internal release date of March, as the final cut of the series will "prominently feature" McMahon's recent allegations.

McMahon denounced the Mr. McMahon docuseries in a statement shared on his social media accounts earlier this week, referring to the finished product as utilizing "typical editing tricks" and "out of context footage" to "support a deceptive narrative."

"I don't regret participating in this Netflix documentary. 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," McMahon's statement reads. "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. 

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"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.' I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember there are two sides to every story."

Mr. McMahon premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, September 25th.

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