This article contains discussions about childhood physical and sexual abuse, adult sexual harassment and abuse, and human trafficking.
Netflix’s new docuseries Mr. McMahon takes an in-depth look at the history of the WWE while also exploring many of the shocking allegations made against its infamous creator, Vince McMahon, over the decades. Early reviews of Mr. McMahon indicate that the series still left plenty of ground uncovered, but there ae still many pieces of information introduced across its six-episode run that will come as a shock to casual fans. What separates Mr. McMahon from similar exposé docuseries is the participation of McMahon himself, although, as it’s revealed, that does have its limits.
With the WWE set to bring its flagship show Monday Night Raw to Netflix in January 2025, Mr. McMahon acts almost like a recap of the WWE’s checkered past before audiences are introduced to the new product, which is far more regulated, diverse, safe, and successful than ever before. Unfortunately, many of the most jaw-dropping reveals in Mr. McMahon stem from incidents of sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of McMahon himself. It makes for an intriguing watch for hardcore and casual wrestling fans alike, although it can be shocking to the point of disturbing at times.
10 Vince Goes Into Detail About His Childhood
The Docuseries Digs Into Abuse In McMahon’s Own Past
Vince McMahon, Jr. was well-known as an adult as the son of a wrestling promoter, Vince McMahon, Sr. In fact, he got his start in professional wrestling within his father’s promotion, at first as an announcer and then as the head of the organization, which evolved into the World Wrestling Federation under his watch. Therefore, it was shocking to learn that Vince had no relationship with Vince McMahon, Sr. until he was at least 12 years old.
Not only that, but Mr. McMahon reveals that Vince was brought up in a household that was marked by abuse. Vince openly admits that he was physically abused by his stepfather in episode 1, and later on the word “incest” is introduced, implying that he may have been molested as a child as well. It’s not stated quite so clearly, but the major implication is that Vince’s abusive childhood could have played a role in his own cycle of abusive behavior over the years.
9 Hulk Hogan Ratted Out The First Potential Wrestler Union
Jesse “The Body” Ventura Attempted To Unionize, But Hogan’s Loyalty Was To Vince
One of the earliest scandals that rocked the WWF was related to steroids and drug use. Illegal steroid and painkiller use was allegedly so rampant that it resulted in a 1993 criminal case against McMahon, although as Mr. McMahon details, he was found not guilty. In an effort to combat the lack of medical and safety resources for the performers, wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura famously pushed for a union ahead of Wrestlemania 2, which ultimately never came to fruition; the WWE still does not have a union to this day.
Mr. McMahon provides more insight on why a wrestler union was never started. As it turns out, Hulk Hogan himself, who at the time owed everything to Vince McMahon, learned about Ventura’s under-the-radar push for a union among the wrestlers. Hogan firmly sided with McMahon, seemingly in all things at that point, and gave Vince a heads-up about what Ventura was planning. Knowing a union could be catastrophic for his business, Vince threatened to fire those who aligned with Ventura and a union, and the notion quickly died.
8 Vince May Have Helped Cover Up The Ring Boy Scandal
New York Post writer Phil Mushnick Recounted Stunning Accusations In The Docuseries
Among the many shocking and disturbing allegations recounted in Mr. McMahon, one of them stands out as particularly heinous. In episode 2, it’s revealed that several of McMahon’s top executives, specifically Mel Phillips, Terry Garvin, and Pat Patterson sexually abused several “ring boys”, the underage boys who would come in to help set up the rings. Phil Mushnick, a New York Post reporter covering the WWE, referred to it literally as a “pedophile ring” in Mr. McMahon. Vince categorically denied Mushnick’s accusations, painting it as though Mushnick had a vendetta and would say anything to hurt him and his company.
However, multiple former ring boys have come forward with their own accusations over the years. In his interview for Mr. McMahon, Bret Hart stated that if the boys didn’t comply with the sexual favors requested of them, they wouldn’t be hired. In the docuseries, Mushnick alleges that Vince actively aided and abetted the abuse, or was guilty of neglect at best. Hart adds that he believes there was a lot of “turning a blind eye”, and that the only reason nobody spoke up was because nobody could prove anything.
7 Tony Atlas Admitted Women Were Treated Like “Toys”
The Former Wrestler Bluntly Described The Company’s Past Mistreatment Of Women
As bad as the ring boy scandal may have been, Mr. McMahon makes it clear that the treatment of women under Vince’s watch (and indeed, by Vince’s own hand) was far beyond inappropriate, and downright abusive in many, many instances. Former wrestler and bodybuilder Anthony White, AKA Tony Atlas, was one of the primary interviewees about the earlier days of the WWE, and he provided one of the most shocking quotes from the entire series.
We would have been looked upon, in today’s society, as some of the worst human beings walking the face of the Earth. I mean, we abused the hell out of women. All of us did. You know, they was like a toy for us.
Atlas does not shy away from the fact that the abuse of women was widespread. The way he describes it, that sort of behavior wasn’t viewed as unsavory or even inappropriate at the time. It seems like that was simply part of the culture that had been built under Vince’s watch in the WWE, and it very clearly proves that the groundwork for all the sexual abuse that went on over the years was laid early on.
6 Shawn Michaels And Triple H Knew About The Montreal Screwjob
The Docuseries Provides Deeper Insight Into One Of Wrestling’s Most Famous Incidents
The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most famous incidents in professional wrestling history, and is one of the clearest examples of the real world interfering with the in-ring world of the WWE. Mr. McMahon provides further insight into the circumstances surrounding the incident, and who was truly to blame for what occurred. Vince McMahon ultimately made the call to have Bret Hart lose his championship in his home nation of Canada, and to his (actual) hated rival Shawn Michaels, but Vince did not act alone.
The docuseries reveals that both Triple H and Shawn Michaels knew what Vince was going to do, and that Triple H might have even been behind the idea (although that point has been disputed in the past). In Mr. McMahon, there is footage of Shawn Michaels lying right to Bret Hart’s face immediately following the match when Hart asks if he knew, and Triple H notes that they lied under Vince’s orders to make sure that Hart knew it was Vince who took the belt away from him; it makes Vince look shockingly petty.
5 Vince Used Sable’s Real-World Sexual Harassment Lawsuit To Inspire Storylines
Nothing Was Off-Limits When It Came To Creating Entertainment
One of the WWE (and Vince’s) most famous lawsuits was one made by former wrestler and model Sable in 1999, which cited allegations of sexual harassment among other unsafe working conditions during her time with the WWE. She resigned from the company, and subsequently filed the lawsuit, after her championship belt was taken from her for refusing to reveal her breasts in an inappropriate segment on TV. However, Vince took those real-world allegations and very legitimate lawsuit, and used them as part of the show.
Vince stands by the fact that the real Vince McMahon and the evil boss character of “Mr. McMahon” are completely different people, but the interviewees in
Mr. McMahon
almost universally allege that the character is no more than an exaggerated version of the man himself.
In 2003, Sable returned to WWE despite the lawsuit, which was openly acknowledged by Stephanie McMahon in a segment clip shown in Mr. McMahon. Despite her allegations of sexual harassment, she was written into a story line in which she was Vince McMahon’s mistress, and would go on to appear in a feud with Stephanie McMahon that at one point did result in her bra being ripped off on live television.
It’s one of the more questionable instances where Vince McMahon blurred the line between reality and wrestling, and calls into question where he himself drew the lines. While Vince stands by the fact that the real Vince McMahon and the evil boss character of “Mr. McMahon” are completely different people, virtually all the interviewees from Mr. McMahon allege that the character is simply an exaggerated version of the man himself.
4 Vince Had A Story Idea In Which He Impregnates His Daughter Stephanie
Further Proof That No Idea Was Too Extreme For Vince To Consider
Vince’s blurring of reality and wrestling calls into question many of the story lines over the years, and as Mr. McMahon implies, it seems that there are no lengths to which Vince will not go in the name of entertainment. One particularly shocking reveal from the docuseries is that Vince planned a story line in which his daughter Stephanie became pregnant, and that he was the father. It’s laughed away as it never actually came to fruition in the WWE, but it was still one of the more shocking pieces of evidence that there is no line Vince won’t cross.
3 Vince Let A Pay-Per-View Go On With Owen Hart’s Blood Still In The Ring
One Of The Greatest Tragedies In WWE History Wasn’t Enough To Stop The Show
Vince’s tunnel-vision love for the business resulted in more than just wild story lines. Mr. McMahon covers the tragic death of wrestler Owen Hart, who fell from the rafters as he was preparing to jump down to the ring in a harness, a stunt he had executed successfully in the past. The 34-year-old died from internal bleeding in front of the audience, which had been watching a pre-taped segment on the big screen in the darkened arena. Following his death and his body’s removal from the ring, Vince decided that the pay-per-view event would carry on as planned.
Owen Hart technically won every major championship of the WWF in his life, and is widely considered to be one of the best in-ring performers of all time.
It’s a decision that has been questioned ever since, and it’s easy to see why. As Mr. McMahon shows, the wrestlers that night were forced to wrestle in a ring that still had Owen Hart’s blood staining it. Several of the clips show that wrestlers were visibly upset at times, having to go out and perform while freshly mourning the loss of a friend. It’s one of the most poignant examples of how Vince valued the wrestling business over all, including human decency and basic kindness.
2 WWE’s First Female Referee Claims Vince Personally Assaulted Her
Former WWE Referee Rita Marie Made Disturbing Allegations With Shocking Details
While it won’t be news to those familiar with Vince McMahon’s story, it was still shocking to hear/see one of Vince’s alleged sexual abuse victims speak out against him. WWE’s first female referee, Rita Chatterton AKA Rita Marie, alleged that Vince raped her in his limousine in 1986, and clips of her publicly speaking out on The Geraldo Rivera Show in 1992 were used in Mr. McMahon. McMahon actually sued her and the show and denied the allegations, but that lawsuit was dropped due to the aforementioned steroid trial.
Sadly, her allegations didn’t receive much attention due to the steroid trial and ring boy scandals, which were both developing around the same time. The sheer graphic nature of her allegations are incredibly shocking, and point to how Vince himself was the perpetrator of sexual abuse. While the prevailing abusive culture in WWE that developed under Vince’s watch damages his reputation beyond repair, it’s even more disturbing to think that he was capable of the sexual violence that Chatterton described.
1 Former WWE Employee Janel Grant Alleges That Vince Trafficked Her
The Allegations Ended McMahon’s Involvement With The Docuseries
The most shocking reveal in Mr. McMahon will again be familiar to hardcore WWE fans, as it’s a major story that is still developing in the wrestling world. Mr. McMahon episode 6 reveals the details of the lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant in January 2024. As bad as all the allegations of sexual abuse in WWE and Vince’s history are, Grant’s allegations include some of the most horrific. Grant accused McMahon of not only assaulting her, but trafficking her out to others for sexual relations, and enticing athletes to sign with WWE using explicit media of her.
It’s important to note that the interviews presented in Mr. McMahon all occurred prior to the Janel Grant allegations. Therefore the allegations aren’t reflected in any of the commentary from former wrestlers, business associates, or McMahon himself, who stopped conducting the interviews following the lawsuit being filed.
The lawsuit, and subsequently the Mr. McMahon docuseries, even shows text messages from Vince to Grant that support her allegations of depraved sexual behavior. Grant’s lawsuit names several other WWE executives and employees who were involved with the scandal, including former champion and UFC star Brock Lesnar, current WWE president Nick Khan, and Stephanie McMahon herself. Grant’s lawsuit resulted in Vince’s resignation from WWE and parent company TKO Group Holdings, and led to further allegations against the founder.
While much of Mr. McMahon‘s runtime deals with his life as it relates to the birth and development of WWE and professional wrestling in general, it explores some of the most shocking moments in the evolution of both the entertainment company and the man himself. The involvement of Vince McMahon in Mr. McMahon helps in providing his perspective on the events, but his hypocrisy. The most poignant quote from the show comes from Vince himself, in response to someone asking whether he has regrets: “I don’t think I regret anything in my life.“
