WWE co-founder Vince McMahon is looking to distance himself from the forthcoming Netflix docuseries “Mr. McMahon,” out this week.
McMahon participated in the series before he was sued for sexual misconduct and abuse by former WWE employee Janel Grant and came under federal investigation, but the former wrestling promoter put out a statement Monday critiquing the Netflix program.
“I don’t regret participating in this Netflix documentary,” McMahon’s statement begins (he sat for more than 200 hours of interviews for the series). “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 doc falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the ‘Mr. McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince,” the businessman continued. “The title and promos alone make that evident.”
McMahon took his own reputation as a ruthless businessman to a new level by turning himself into a TV character in the late 1990s, moving from being the company’s owner and promoter to a higher-profile position as the evil “Mr. McMahon.” The move came following McMahon pulling a legitimate double-cross on one of his biggest stars, wrestler Bret Hart, before the Canadian talent was set to leave for their then-competition. As both McMahon and the company faced blowback, he started to play up the public image of who “Mr. McMahon” was and became a longtime top villain, perhaps most notably elevating the career of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as his archenemy.
“A lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused,” McMahon asserted in his statement. “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,’” the statement continues.
McMahon has signed at least $12 million in hush money payments with at least four women over the previous 16 years, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2022. While non-disclosure agreements were signed, both McMahon and one of those women, Grant, believe that the other party violated their agreement.
That has since led to Grant suing McMahon for sexual abuse and misconduct in a detailed lawsuit, which appears to be what he is referencing here. McMahon resigned from WWE parent company TKO Group following the filing of the suit.
“I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story,” McMahon’s statement concludes.
Grant’s lawyer Ann Callis held a press conference last week ahead of the release of the Netflix series, in which she explained why Grant declined to participate in the project.
“While Janel didn’t participate in the Netflix docuseries, we hope it shines a light on the abhorrent actions of McMahon, frequently on WWE property, and it portrays the realities of his abusive and exploitative behavior,” Callis told members of the media.
Netflix docuseries “Mr. McMahon” comes out Tuesday night, featuring interviews with McMahon and performers from throughout the history of the company, including Austin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, his son-in-law Paul “Triple H” Levesque and more.
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