Mr. McMahon, a 6-hour docuseries on Netflix, chronicles Vince McMahon’s domination of World Wrestling Entertainment for almost 40 years. However, it glosses over crucial aspects and excludes key characters and events from WWE’s story.
In 2024, Vince McMahon resigned as WWE Chairman following a federal investigation into allegations of sexual assault and trafficking of female WWE employees. McMahon and several WWE stars participated in the Mr. McMahon documentary, but Vince did not complete his interviews after charges were filed against him.
Mr. McMahon covers the emergence of Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s, the steroid controversies of the 1990s, and the resurrection of the renamed World Wrestling Entertainment in its many eras, culminating in the present.
Mr. McMahon covers multiple WWE storylines both in-ring and behind the scenes, from Hulk Hogan’s Hulkamania in the 1980s to the Attitude Era led by Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, to John Cena’s Ruthless Aggression era, and finally to the current WWE, which is creatively overseen by Vince’s son-in-law, Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
However, several characters and elements of Mr. McMahon’s story are incomplete. Here are 13 of the most significant omissions.
10. Who Coined The Name WrestleMania?
Vince McMahon claims responsibility for the development of WrestleMania, and it was Vince’s idea to organize an annual mega-event for WWE. WrestleMania is the largest event on the WWE calendar and in professional wrestling yearly.
However, Vince did not come up with the moniker ‘WrestleMania.’ It was coined by Howard Finkel, who is not adequately honored or highlighted in Mr. McMahon.
Howard Finkel was the WWF’s first employee and was its ring announcer in the 1980s. Howard, often known as “The Fink,” was a popular WWE figure with a wealth of information and trivia about Vince McMahon’s business. Howard Finkel died in April 2020, but WrestleMania might have had a different name if not for The Fink’s great creation.
9. Randy Savage
Mr. McMahon overlooked Randy “Macho Man” Savage’s relevance to the WWF. The flamboyant and charismatic Savage was an enormously popular talent, and the Macho Man was Vince McMahon’s first WWF Champion after Hulk Hogan in the late 1980s.
McMahon eventually returned to Hogan as his top star, and Macho Man worked as a color commentator before leaving WWE to join Hogan in WCW in 1994.
According to a long-standing urban legend, Randy Savage had intercourse with an underage Stephanie McMahon, which resulted in him being blackballed by WWE for years.
Savage died in 2011, and the truth behind the myth may never be revealed. The Macho Man never returned to WWE following his departure in 1994, but he was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.
8. What Was Left Out Of Bret Hart & The Montreal Screwjob?
Mr. McMahon discusses the historic “Montreal Screwjob,” the most notorious occurrence in pro wrestling history.
According to Netflix’s docuseries, Bret Hart was offered a 20-year deal by Vince McMahon to stay with WWE, but he left for WCW and refused to relinquish the WWE Title at Survivor Series 1997 to Shawn Michaels, whom Hart despised at the time.
However, Bret’s contract allowed him “reasonable creative control,” Hart was willing to relinquish the title, but not to Shawn Michaels in Montreal.
Vince resolved to do the “screwjob” and steal the belt from Bret in the ring at Survivor Series. Bret did not want to quit WWE, but Vince told him he couldn’t uphold his 20-year deal and should seek more money in WCW.
7. 2001’s Failed WCW/ECW InVasion
Mr. McMahon explains how Vince and the WWE purchased WCW in March 2001, but he skips over what may be WWE’s biggest commercial failure. After purchasing WCW, Vince originally aimed to position WWE and WCW as competing companies.
However, WWE’s acquisition did not include WCW’s top performers, including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Goldberg, and the nWo. Following an unsuccessful attempt to restart WCW, WWE instead aired the “InVasion” storyline, in which WCW and ECW stars attempted to ‘take over’ WWE.
6. nWo in WWE
The New World Order (nWo) storyline was the hottest act in professional wrestling in 1996 and 1997, causing WCW to outperform WWE in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks.
When the WCW contracts of Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall expired, Vince McMahon took the nWo into WWE in 2002. However, the mighty nWo was no longer fashionable in 2002; Scott Hall was quickly sacked, and the group was watered down with the additions of Shawn Michaels and Booker T before disbanding.
Mr. McMahon does discuss the most significant benefit of bringing the nWo into WWE: booking The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18.
Hogan and Rock’s “Icon vs Icon” match exceeded expectations, reintroducing the Hulkster to popular culture. Hogan won the WWE Championship again and fought Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania the following year.
5. Eddie Guerrero & Chyna’s Deaths
Mr. McMahon mentions wrestlers who died while competing for WWE, like Owen Hart and Chris Benoit, but two other significant names are briefly mentioned: Eddie Guerrero and Chyna (Joanie Lauren).
Eddie Guerrero, or “Latino Heat,” was a former WWE Champion regarded as one of the finest and most influential Mexican-American wrestlers. The muscular Chyna, known as “The 9th Wonder of the World,” was the first woman to win the WWE Intercontinental Title and was one of the most popular ladies of the Attitude Era.
Eddie Guerrero and Chyna were cast as an on-screen couple, and Chyna’s role as Eddie’s “Mami” was quite popular. However, Chyna quit WWE in 2001, while Eddie continued his career until his death from heart failure in 2005.
Chyna’s life deteriorated after appearing on reality T.V. and filming an adult film, while Joanie Lauerer died of an overdose in 2016. But in their prime, Eddie and Chyna were two of WWE’s biggest talents, and both were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
4. Vince McMahon’s Kiss My Ass Club
Mr. McMahon occasionally displayed wrestlers with their mouths pressed against Vince’s naked bottom without explanation. This was Vince McMahon’s Kiss My Ass Club.
Following Survivor Series 2001, Mr. McMahon decided to start humiliating wrestlers and employees who upset him by dropping trou and forcing them to kiss his nude behind in the ring.
Mr. McMahon’s “very special club” includes William Regal, Jim Ross, Shawn Michaels, Shane McMahon, Mick Foley, and Hornswoggle.
However, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, Eric Bischoff, and Marty Janetty were able to avoid joining Mr. McMahon’s club. Vince thankfully retired from the Kiss My Ass Club in 2009.
3. Ultimate Warrior’s Death
Mr. McMahon addresses the Ultimate Warrior as an unsuccessful attempt to replace Hulk Hogan as WWE’s top star. Warrior’s WWE legacy is more complex than that.
Jim Hellwig, who legally changed his name to Warrior, left WWE in 1992, made a brief and unsuccessful return in 1996, a failed run in WCW in 1998, and a final unexpected return for his WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
Warrior appeared on Monday Night RAW on April 7, 2014, following his Hall of Fame induction and participation at WrestleMania the previous weekend.
Warrior died abruptly the next day, April 8, 2014, of a heart attack. Warrior’s widow, Dana Warrior, continued working with WWE, developing the Warrior Award, presented at WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies.
2. The Women’s Revolution
Mr. McMahon’s sixth episode, “The Finish,” breezed past WWE Women’s Revolution. Following fan outrage and the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance, WWE redesigned its women’s division in 2015, removing the title “WWE Diva” and presenting women’s wrestling on a level with men’s.
WWE’s women’s division, led by Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Bayley, established itself as the gold standard for women’s wrestling in the pro wrestling world.
Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair were the first women to headline WrestleMania in 2019, while Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair became the first Black women to headline in 2021.
Mr. McMahon is correct that Vince was reluctant to adjust to the required change in women’s wrestling, but once the transition occurred, WWE went all in on their women.
Mr. McMahon no longer forces Trish Stratus to bark like a dog during bra-and-panty bouts. Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Tiffany Stratton, and more WWE wrestlers are carrying on the Women’s Revolution legacy.
1. John Laurinaitis
Mr. McMahon did not address the most notorious name associated with Vince McMahon’s sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by Janel Grant: John Laurinaitis.
Laurinaitis, a professional wrestler known as Johnny Ace, succeeded Jim Ross as head of Talent Relations. Grant’s lawsuit accused Laurinaitis of being one among the individuals, along with Vince McMahon, who sexually trafficked and assaulted her between 2020 and 2021.
Following the first accusations of sexual misconduct charges against Vince McMahon, WWE dismissed John Laurinaitis on August 8, 2022.
Laurinaitis was also married to Kathy Colace, the mother of former WWE wrestlers Nikki and Brie Bella, aka the Bella Twins. While it’s unsurprising that John Laurinaitis declined interviews with Mr. McMahon’s producers, Netflix’s docuseries mainly ignored Laurinaitis’s own wrongdoing regarding Vince McMahon.
About Mr. McMahon
Mr. McMahon is a documentary television miniseries that explores the influential yet controversial career of Vince McMahon. It is directed by Chris Smith, renowned for his work on Tiger King, with executive producer Bill Simmons and Zara Duffy, recognized for her contributions to Mission Blue. The documentary series featured numerous prominent figures from the world of professional wrestling, including Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Paul Heyman, Bret Hart, Eric Bischoff, Shane McMahon, and Stephanie McMahon. It also included media personalities such as Kay Koplovitz, alongside other key individuals, providing a wide range of perspectives on McMahon’s career and legacy. This is the first six-part documentary series on Vince McMahon.
All six episodes of the series were released on September 25, 2024 on Netflix.
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