Early reviews in for Netflix’s ‘Mr. McMahon’ doc

Netflix released its new docuseries “Mr. McMahon” today, and the portrait of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon “is also an examination of modern professional wrestling’s history and the sport’s usefulness as a metaphor for all things American.” The interviews on which the six-part series is based were begun in 2021, but were “interrupted” in 2022 by reporting about investigations into McMahon’s hush-money payments allegedly intended to conceal sexual misconduct. The interruption was “both good and bad for the documentary,” as director Chris Smith “doesn’t get to ask about the latest developments,” but the McMahon he “does capture is relatively unscathed, despite the WWE’s history of scandals.” Having created the series between crises, Smith “probably gives us as honest a portrait of his subject as one is likely to get” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/24).

The series is the first biography of McMahon “to be made with the cooperation of WWE,” although McMahon and WWE didn’t “have editorial control.” The doc “fails to paint a full portrait of the man, or to fully contend with the negative impact he’s had on so many,” and it “clearly struggles” with how the news of the investigations impacted its production (PASTE MAGAZINE, 9/24). 

Attempting to lay bare the complete story of McMahon was “no doubt an arduous task — one immensely difficult to achieve in six hours.” The filmmakers behind “Mr. McMahon” did “not seek to build an exposé by conducting their own, fresh investigations.” Rather, the goal was to “craft a comprehensive portrait of the most important figure” in the history of the wrestling business, and “to that end, it succeeds.” Those looking for a takedown of McMahon “will be disappointed” (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/24).

There “isn’t much appeal for wrestling fans” in the series, but “by far the most interesting part” is in episode five, which focuses on the rest of the McMahon family. While they’re “not completely open,” Vince’s wife Linda and children Shane and Stephanie were “a lot more willing to tell their stories and give us that peek behind the curtain.” The entire series has “undeniably presented a negative spin” on McMahon’s life. It “digs up every skeleton he has and puts it on display” (MEN’S JOURNAL, 9/24).

“Mr. McMahon” “isn’t perfect, nor could it have been considering the circumstances of the project’s production.” But the six-part docuseries is “anything but a puff piece and provides one of the most critical looks at McMahon’s legacy that a mainstream outlet — let alone one with a business relationship with WWE — has ever provided.” Not every topic is “given the full attention it deserves,” but this “isn’t a docuseries where McMahon gets the last word.” Some of the series “feels disjointed,” and that is “likely a product of the multiple wrenches that were thrown into the project’s production” (AWFUL ANNOUNCING, 9/25).