Mr. McMahon documentary: Powell’s notes on Episode Six – “The Finish”

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

The following are the notes I am taking while watching each episode of the six-part “Mr. McMahon” documentary that is available for streaming on Netflix. My notes on the other five part of the documentary were released earlier today.

-Vince McMahon said it’s like he has two or three computers in his head. He said sometimes they work against him. Vince said he had one computer talking to him now and another one that was thinking something completely different. He said there’s a third computer that he could tap into if he wanted to. He said it’s difficult for him to pay attention to things at times. He said it bothered him because all he wanted to do was fit in, but he deals with it. He said he’s different and “f— the world.” Vince was asked what his other brain was thinking about now. He said having a lot of fun and something about sex.

-Vince bringing Donald Trump in for the Battle of the Billionaires feud was spotlighted. Vince said celebrities come in and they have fun. Vince said Trump was always a fan and was no exception. Bob Costas said Trump is closer to a wrestler than a statesman. Dave Meltzer said Americans elected a president who was playing a wrestler on TV.

-John Cena said Mr. McMahon was the best character ever, but it wasn’t used as frequently following the Attitude Era.

-Former WWE creative team member Brian Gewirtz recalled Vince bringing up the idea of his character being killed. The exploding limo scene was shown. Vince said the edit was perfect. He said people called and asked if he was okay. Gewirtz said Trump called Vince’s office to make sure Vince was actually okay.

-The McMahon death story was wrapped up due to Chris Benoit murdering his wife Nancy and son Daniel before killing himself. Gewirtz recalled doing a tribute to Benoit on Raw. He said they started to get the details of what Benoit did while the show was taking place. Vince said there was no correlation between steroids and what happened with Benoit.

-Former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski made his first appearance in the documentary and spoke about his career ending due to concussions. Nowinski became an expert in the head trauma field and suspected that Benoit suffered from CTE. He said no one had ever heard of CTE back in 2007. Nowinski recalled Vince saying on NBC that they didn’t know what type of monster was. Nowinski said he contacted Benoit’s father, who tearfully agreed to let them study his son’s brain.

-Vince said the doctor came up with “ridiculous statements” about Benoit’s head trauma. Vince said Benoit’s diving headbutts were works. Ugh.

-Steve Austin recalled suffering one concussion during his career. He said if you’re suffering a lot of concussions while wrestling, then you’re probably doing something wrong. Austin said he’s not a CTE guy and doesn’t believe it in. Good lord. Thanks for sharing, Dr. Austin.

-Vince said they brought in Nowinski to speak to the talent. Vince said they stopped doing certain things, including hitting each other with folding metal chairs. Undertaker said he was pissed initially because he thought they needed chair shots to the head to help tell stories, but he understood it was best for business.

-Nowinski was asked if Vince’s motivation was business or what was good for the wrestlers. Nowsinski said he could not say, but it was good for both.

-Wrestlers dying young was addressed. New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick said the fans didn’t care or didn’t seem to care.

-Portions of Vince’s 2003 interview with Armen Keteyian was shown. Vince took no responsibility whatsoever for the wrestlers deaths at the time. When being interviewed for the documentary, Vince said many wrestlers took prescription drugs because it made them feel good. He said mixing those with steroids or something else was a horrible cocktail. Dave Meltzer said the company got some bad publicity, but most in the mainstream didn’t want to cover it because it was just wrestling. Meltzer noted that the company agreed to pay for rehab for wrestlers regardless of whether they still worked for the company. He said they also lightened the schedule by giving wrestlers an extra day off.

-Undertaker spoke about Vince deciding on the day of the show that his WrestleMania streak would end. Taker said he was concussed early in the match and still can’t recall being in it. Vince said it could have been a concussion, but he thinks Taker doesn’t remember the match because it was so traumatic for him. Um, sure.

-Taker recalled Vince going to the hospital and consoling his wife. Taker said he’s had 18 surgeries and walks with a limp, but he wouldn’t change anything and would still be wrestling if he could.

-Booker T said wrestlers sometimes think they are indestructible and that’s just who they are. He said he doesn’t want to see the next generation end up the same way.

-Cody Rhodes spoke about starting in 2007 and the drug policy being instituted at the time. Cody said was also around the time of the PG era starting.

-Brian Gewirtz spoke about changing the rating because what they were doing in the Attitude Era wasn’t going to cut it with advertisers. John Cena spoke about targeting more family and more kids. Vince said it paid off. Gewirtz said the stock improved and sponsorships became more lucrative.

-WWE’s Women’s Evolution was chronicled. Stephanie said it was started by the fans. Trish Stratus said she felt Vince was unsure about it, but ultimately he was about giving the fans what they want. Meltzer noted that Stephanie was made the Chief Brand Officer and was made a face of the company while Paul Levesque was gaining more power.

-Shane was out of the picture when he received a call from his father in 2016 and was told that Vince had an idea. Shane recalled the crowd going crazy when he returned and said he was getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Shane got emotional while saying it was so rewarding to have that type of adulation when you return to something you love. Shane said his father had pride in his eyes when he looked at him in the ring and that made Shane choke up.

-Shane got emotional again while recalling his WrestleMania 32 match and asking his children to come out during his entrance about ten minutes before the match. Booker T said Shane always seemed to be attempting to prove something to his father through the stunts. Shane conceded that he always tried to do a bit extra. Shane said he was supposed to go through the glass on the stage when Kurt Angle suplexed him, but he landed on his head. They showed the footage of Angle failing to suplex Shane through the glass two more times. Booker said he felt for Shane because he was trying to prove something to his father that night.

-Vince said Shane would take chances that no one else would. Shane said if it’s in your blood, in his view it’s an acceptable risk. Shane conceded that he was always looking for a pat on the back from his father. Vince said maybe there should have been more pats on the back. Vince said his father never did that for him and that’s okay. He said he’s always been proud of Shane because he did give it his all. Shane said Vince was proud of him after that match with Undertaker and he got a hug that night (which was shown). Vince recalled Shane getting emotional and telling him that all he ever wanted was his respect. Shane said he got a pat on the back and a hug, which was very hard to get.

-Undertaker, Stratus, and Cena also spoke about seeing Vince as a father figure. Taker said he would take a bullet for Vince. David Shoemaker said everyone in the company wants Vince’s approval, including his own kids.

-Shane spoke about how he wanted to take care of the family business. Meltzer said it didn’t happen and most people would say it’s because Stephanie was better at it than Shane was. Tony Atlas said Stephanie is strong like her father, whereas Shane is nice and nice gets taken advantage of in pro wrestling. Atlas said you know right off the bat that you can’t take advantage of Stephanie.

-They rushed through the launch of WWE Network and the lucrative TV rights deals, and Linda McMahon joining Donald Trump’s cabinet. The launch of AEW was acknowledged along with the return of Cody Rhodes from AEW to WWE.

-Vince’s succession plan was discussed. Shawn Michaels said you couldn’t rule out Shane or Stephanie, but there was talk that Levesque was the guy.

-Vince said there were a lot of succession plans, but it depended on where he was and whether he was able to contribute. When asked if he could see taking a step back, Vince said he didn’t see himself ever retiring. Vince said that when you stop growing, you die. Vince asked what people do when they retire. Vince said he has no sympathy for people like that. “So, go die,” Vince said. Funny, I have no sympathy for workaholics who can’t figure out that there’s more to life. Go work, Vince. Oh, wait…

-Hulk Hogan said he didn’t think Vince would ever retire. John Cena said he didn’t think Vince would ever stop because he loves it and it’s not work for him. Michaels said he couldn’t imagine a life where Vince wasn’t the main man in WWE as long as he had breath in his lungs. Booker said it would take a nuclear bomb exploding to make Vince retire.

-They cut to mainstream headlines of the scandal that led to Vince’s downfall. Meltzer asked how consensual the relationship was when the woman was having an affair with her boss. Meltzer said he assumed Vince would go after the reporter’s credibility, but he never did and that’s not like Vince.

-Footage aired of Vince appearing on Smackdown when the story broke. I was there in Minneapolis. Fans cheered loudly for Vince. I thought maybe many of the fans were simply unfamiliar with the story since it broke that day, but then Vince kept popping up on television and the vast majority of fans continued to cheer.

-A graphic noted that Vince cancelled his final interviews for the documentary after news of the scandal broke.

-One of the Wall Street Journal reporters said the reaction in some circles was “What did you expect?” He said that some of what was played for laughs as the Mr. McMahon character was not funny and was very, very serious.

-Another WSJ reporter recalled the story from 2006 of Vince McMahon being accused of exposing himself to a tanning booth worker.

-Mainstream coverage was shown of the WSJ story that Vince had paid over $12 million in hush money to four women over a 16-year period. One of the settlements was for $7.5 million to a former wrestler who alleged that Vince coerced her into oral sex. She said once she declined to do more, her contract was terminated.

-Vince’s retirement tweet from July 22, 2022 was shown. This was followed by footage of Stephanie McMahon discussing Vince’s retirement on Smackdown and leading a “Thank you, Vince” chant. Ouch.

-Cody Rhodes said the reaction in the locker room was uncertainty and chaos in that people were wondering what WWE would look like without Vince.

-Hulk Hogan was asked whether the business could survive without Vince. “Honestly, without Vince I don’t think it will.” Derp!

-In 2022, Meltzer was asked if he saw Vince returning. He said yes.

-Footage aired of news coverage from January 2023 when Vince returned as executive chairman and Stephanie resigned as Co-CEO. It was noted that the WWE Board of Directors had voted against his return, but Vince had the controlling stock.

-Paul Heyman was shown talking with Steph and saying Vince always put her in position to battle him. “It sure feels that way,” Stephanie said before laughing.

-Footage aired of Bruce Prichard from 2024 saying he didn’t know why Stephanie McMahon left the company.

-Mainstream headlines for WWE selling to Endeavor were shown. Prichard said it was a new challenge for Vince in that he was overseeing two companies (um, sure). One of the WSJ reporters noted that Endeavor owned 51 percent of the stock and that Vince no longer had the controlling shares.

-Heyman said it’s not about the last name or family legacy, it’s about who is best qualified. Heyman said we live by the law of the jungle, and the lion who still rules this kingdom wouldn’t have it any other way.

-It was noted that WWE made a media rights deal with Netflix on January 23, 2024.

-Prichard spoke with one of the producers and said he saw some of the episodes of the series and thought they sucked. Prichard said he didn’t think it was balanced and it was a gotcha piece that was about making Vince look bad. Prichard said he’s close to Vince and it’s personal to him. Prichard said the human side was missing. Prichard said Vince is a businessman, but the other side to Vince is that when Prichard’s wife got cancer, Vince made sure she got the best treatment in the world. Prichard said she had a four-year life expectancy and that was 24 years ago because Vince made sure she got the best care available. He said the documentary was about “see what an asshole Vince McMahon was.” Prichard said he would support that if Vince were an asshole, but he’s not.

-Footage aired from mainstream shows just two days later regarding the Janel Grant lawsuit filed against Vince. A WSJ reporter said a source tipped her off about the lawsuit being filed. She said she heard from sources that people in WWE were surprised by the lawsuit.

-Another WSJ reporter said Janel Grant was the woman they first reported on in 2022. They ran through some of the details of the claims made in the Grant lawsuit, including that Vince defecated on her during a threesome, both men took turns restraining her, and Vince forcefully used sex toys on her. The screen shots of Vince’s text messages exchanges with Grant were shown.

-It was noted that Grant claims that McMahon shared explicit photos of her with Brock Lesnar and that Lesnar liked what he saw. McMahon was trying to re-sign Lesnar to a WWE contract, and Grant alleges that sex with her was part of the deal.

-Vince resigned a day after the lawsuit was filed. A WSJ reporter said it suggested that things had changed because Vince was no longer in control and had to leave.

-The story of Ashley Massaro’s claim that she was raped by a doctor during a Tribute to the Troops event was chronicled. After Massaro took her own life, her attorney released a previously unreleased statement from Massaro, who alleged that Vince McMahon made sexual advances. She said she rejected Vince and then he tried to embarrass her. Footage aired from a television segment with McMahon yelling at Massaro until her character cried.

-Shoemaker noted that WWE has been thriving without Vince.

-Footage aired of Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 40, along with Levesque talking about the record setting event.

-Undertaker was asked about Vince’s legacy. “My goodness,” Taker said before stammering. “His legacy is just… I don’t know, he…”

-Stratus said that was a tough question to answer.

-Booker T pondered the question and said, ‘Man, that’s a good question.”

-John Cena said he might be the wrong guy to ask that question.

-Tony Atlas said Vince’s legacy will be that he was the greatest promoter of all-time. Atlas said that you can’t take that from him even though he’s done things that he doesn’t like or respect.

-Heyman was shown saying that McMahon wants more and more and more. He said it doesn’t stop and that’s how you build from a million to a billion to ten billion.

-Vince was shown being asked about his legacy in 2021. Vince said he doesn’t have one. He said everyone has a certain feeling about who they think he is, but they don’t know him. Vince said a lot of people have confused who his character on television was with who he is. Vince said when he looks in the mirror he knows who he is.

-Another clip aired of Vince being asked to describe himself. Vince said it would be difficult, then said egomaniac, physical culturist, someone who needs to be challenged every day, sexually active, psychologically challenged, sort of a paradox of paradoxes. Is it just me or does Vince really want everyone to know that he’s still having sex?

-Vince said sometimes performers start believing in their own character and lose all sense of who they really are personally. Vince said he’s wondering which is the character and which is him. He said maybe it’s a blend. He said one is exaggerated a little bit, but he’s not sure which one. I wish they could have included the PR statement he released on social ahead of this documentary coming out.

-Graphics noted that Vince is under federal criminal investigation related to allegations of sexual misconduct and trafficking. Another graphic added that Brock Lesnar has not publicly commented on his involvement in the allegations. Finally, a graphic said Janel Grant’s lawsuit was paused while the federal investigation was conducted.

Powell’s POV: Obviously, the documentary had to be updated with new interviews following Vince’s scandals and his departure from WWE. I don’t think anyone came off too poorly in terms of gushing over Vince prior to the lawsuit. Prichard certainly defended Vince in a follow-up interview before the lawsuit was filed and he took issue with whatever version of the documentary he saw. I’d love to know if Prichard shared the story of Vince helping his wife the first time around or of there were any other stories he shared that he felt made Vince look good that were left on the cutting room floor. He has a platform so hopefully he will address this.

I didn’t think the documentary was a hatchet job. Nor do I feel like they did a great job of nailing “Madman” part of the slogan that was used to promote the documentary. They could have been much tougher on Vince. And for some reason, I don’t believe there was a single mention John Laurinaitis. TKO executives were given a total pass. They didn’t show Ari Emanuel gushing over Vince when TKO was formed let alone why he felt the need to keep him around early on despite some of the allegations against him. There’s a lot more to discuss. I’m going to sleep on it and then Jake Barnett and I will discuss it tomorrow in a special Thursday edition of Dot Net Weekly.