Vince McMahon’s character, both on-screen and behind the scenes, is under a microscope. Earlier this month, Netflix released Mr. McMahon, a six-episode docuseries that digs into the former WWE Chairman’s origins, from estranged son to heir apparent of sports-entertainment’s biggest platform. When Mr. McMahon was first being developed, the Bill Simmons-produced docuseries centered around that fairly black and white story, but quickly took two sharp turns in May 2022 and January 2024. Vince was first subject to sexual misconduct allegations, as stories came forward that alleged that he had used company funds as hush money payments to his various affairs over the years. The severity of the allegations deepened when former employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince that accused him of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Mr. McMahon covered these allegations in its final episode.
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Rumor Killer on Vince McMahon’s Planned Netflix Response
Vince McMahon’s response to Netflix’s Mr. McMahon remains just a social media statement, for now.
PWInsider debunked a rumor that Vince and former WWE Executive Vice President, Television Production Kevin Dunn were collaborating on a response piece to the Mr. McMahon docuseries, calling all whispers of that possibility “absolutely incorrect.” The report adds that Dunn “is not working on any McMahon-centric projects at all currently.”
Dunn spent more than 30 years working for WWE and was largely viewed as one of Vince’s right hand men. As EVP of television production, Dunn was responsible for the visual vibe of WWE programming. Dunn was fairly unpopular with the WWE audience due to his frequent camera cuts and missed moments, including AJ Styles’s WWE debut at WWE Royal Rumble 2016 and Edge’s first spear back from injury at WWE Royal Rumble 2020. He left the company in 2023.
It’s unclear if Vince is actually planning a lengthier response to Mr. McMahon. Prior to the docuseries’ premiere, Vince denounced the project on social media.
“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. Unfortunately, based on an early partial cut I’ve seen, this doe falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the ‘Mr. McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince,” Vince’s September 23rd statement reads. “The title and promos alone make that evident. 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 that there are two sides to every story.”
All six episodes of the Mr. McMahon docuseries are now streaming on Netflix.
