Netflix's Mr. McMahon Documentary

As a long-time wrestling fan, I was intrigued when I heard about a new six-episode documentary on Vince McMahon¹, the founder of World Wrestling Entertainment. I expected a comprehensive story of his life, while the documentary touched on his childhood and his ascent in the wrestling business, it skimmed over much of what’s already known: his abusive upbringing in North Carolina, his escape through his relationship with his biological father, and his initial foray into the wrestling business.

There were some interesting details about how he orchestrated buying out his father’s promotion, a deal contingent on payments that would return the business to his father if he failed to pay them on time. This set the stage for Vince’s success, leading to the formation of WrestleMania and the expansion of WWE (then WWF) from its position as a wrestling territory in the Northeastern part of the US into the juggernaut it would become. McMahon’s quest to expand the WWE came in no small part from talent poaching from the various different wrestling companies that made up the territory system of the time. It’s somewhat ironic given that he later complained when his competitor in the 1990s, WCW, did the same to him when they signed away his former top talent.

I haven’t finished the last two episodes yet, but I was particularly struck by the part when they covered my favorite wrestlers from the ’90s, Bret and Owen Hart. The Montreal Screwjob has been discussed extensively elsewhere, I still find it hard to believe WWE put themselves in that position in the first place. The fallout affected my fandom; I stopped watching for at least six months and only returned during the burgeoning rivalry between The Rock and Triple H.

The way WWE handled the situation could have been much better, but it ultimately contributed to their resurgence with the Attitude Era and in particular the introduction of the “Mr. McMahon” persona. When I resumed watching, I quickly gravitated back to Owen Hart. Until his tragic death in May 1999, he remained my favorite wrestler.

Owen’s passing was a devastating loss, stemming from a tragic accident during the Over the Edge pay-per-view. He was performing as the Blue Blazer, a masked persona he’d previously portrayed, and was descending to the ring using a safety harness. Sadly, the equipment failed. In the series Dark Side of the Ring, Owen’s widow showed the equipment that was used and it was noted that the gear was actually designed for use with boats and was rated for a much lower weight than that of an adult male, which contributed to the avoidable tragedy of his death.

Two interview segments stood out to me where McMahon reflects on the Over the Edge pay-per-view and Owen Hart’s career. Following the tragic accident, McMahon chose to continue the show — a decision that remains highly controversial. His wrestlers were aware that Owen had died, and there was a visible stain of Owen’s blood on the canvas.

While fans had paid for the event, it would have been more appropriate to halt the show. At that time, the company wasn’t struggling financially; they could have easily canceled the event and issued refunds. McMahon’s insistence on the “show must go on” mentality highlights his true carny nature. In the wrestling world, being a “carny” often means valuing the performance and the business at all costs, even in the face of tragedy. This mindset becomes particularly evident when McMahon claims he would want the show to continue even if it were him or Shane in Owen’s place.

The other interview segment during this documentary that caught my attention, was where Vince McMahon defended his handling of Owen after the Montreal fallout. McMahon denied any repercussions against Owen as a result of Bret leaving for WCW.

McMahon claimed to be trying to make Owen a star, yet after Owen’s return post-Screwjob — when he was incredibly hot — WWE failed to capitalize on that momentum. Instead of a meaningful storyline with Shawn Michaels, Owen was quickly relegated to a feud with Triple H over the European title, which culminated in a convoluted match involving Goldust.

I can’t help but think politics may have played a role, especially since plans were already in place to elevate Stone Cold Steve Austin to the World title and Austin probably would be wary and uneager to work with Owen again so soon after their completed their feud over the Intercontinential title and only a few months removed from his neck injury that was caused by Owen delivering a botched piledriver.

It’s frustrating to hear McMahon insist he wanted to make Owen a star when, during one of Owen’s peak moments, WWE did little to push him when it would have made the most sense, and then their decisions with him that led to the re-emergence of the Blue Blazer.

Credit: WrestleTalk