AS head of the mighty WWE, Vince McMahon had the wrestling world at his feet.
Now retired, the former CEO and his controversial career are the subject of the Netflix documentary, Mr. McMahon.
Born August 24, 1945, Vincent Kennedy McMahon is a businessman and former professional wrestling manager in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
McMahon is a third-generation WWE wrestling promoter; his father Vince Sr. and grandfather Jess McMahon ran the company before him.
Vince Sr. was primarily based in the Northeast, regularly hosting shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
During McMahon’s childhood, he was raised by his mother Victoria Hanner.
Learn more about Vince McMahon
The wrestling figure remembers only meeting his father when he was 12 years old.
“It’s funny how you don’t know what you’re missing if you’ve never had it,” he recalls. Playboy.
“When I was 12 or a little older, and living with my grandmother on my mother’s side, my father and his mother came to visit me. I had to behave properly because I was invited to be with him.
“Then when I met my father, I fell in love with him. We were very, very close but we both knew we could never go back.
“There is a tendency to try to catch up, but it’s impossible. You missed those years.”
McMahon added: “There would always be something missing between us but there was no reason to discuss it.
“All this time, I had been pestering my dad to let me work with him. ‘Come on, Dad. You know I love this stuff.’ I loved wrestling from the day I saw it. The characters! But my father was pragmatic.”
In 1982, McMahon purchased WWE from Vince Sr. and built it into the global wrestling and entertainment juggernaut it is today.
Family business
WWE has always been a family business, with Vince’s children Stephanie and Shane all holding leadership positions in the company.
His eldest, Shane, became a wrestling star himself.
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Stephanie also chose a career as a wrestler before turning to the business side.
However, in January 2023, she left the company.
McMahon’s wife Linda – whom he married in 1966 – was CEO of WWE from 1997 to 2009, but resigned to pursue a career in public service.
Retirement announcement
On July 22, 2022, McMahon announced his decision to retire from WWE.
On Twitter, he revealed: “At 77, it’s time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe. Yesterday. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #grateful.”
He further explained in an official statement, “As I approach the age of 77, I believe it is time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE.”
“Over the years, it has been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you and always entertain you.”
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“I would like to thank my family for contributing mightily to our success. I would also like to thank all of our past and present superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand.”
“Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your entertainment of choice.”
“I have the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans around the world who have loved, currently love and sometimes even love our form of sports entertainment.”
Following his retirement, his daughter Stephanie served as the organization’s interim CEO until her resignation on January 10, 2023, the same day her father returned as the company’s executive chairman.
However, on November 9, 2023, TKO Group, the company that owns the UFC and WWE, announced that McMahon was selling 8.4 million shares of his TKO stock.
The stocks represent about 30 percent of his holdings and were worth about $700 million.
Its remaining shares were valued at approximately $2 billion.
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Accusations against McMahon
On January 25, 2024, Vince McMahon was accused of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical violence in a lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, former WWE employee Janel Grant claims she was “a victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault and trafficking” during her time with the wrestling organization.
A spokesperson for McMahon said “this trial is filled with lies, fabricated lewd instances that never happened and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”
“(McMahon) will defend himself vigorously,” the spokesperson said.
The TKO Group also responded with a statement, saying it was taking the situation seriously.
A spokesperson for the group said: “Mr. McMahon does not control TKO or oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE.”
“While this matter predates our TKO management team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally,” the TKO spokesperson said.
Response to the Netflix documentary, Mr McMahon
Directed by filmmaker Chris Smith, the six-episode documentary series Mr. McMahon offers a deep dive into the life of McMahon and his billion-dollar franchise.
WWE stars like Dwayne Johnson, Triple H and John Cena, who all worked for him, feature in the limited series where they discuss their former boss.
Even McMahon himself is interviewed about his life and career.
However, he is unhappy with the outcome of the documentary and claimed the program covered his life “unfairly”.
McMahon said in a statement that Netflix made the mistake of “confusing Mr. McMahon’s character with the real me.”
He also accused the streaming giant of using “typical editing tricks” to “support a misleading narrative.”
Full statement from Vince McMahon on the Netflix documentary
McMahon’s post on
“The producers had the opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I’ve built, which was also filled with excitement, drama, fun and a fair amount of controversy and of life lessons.
“Unfortunately, based on a partial rough cut that I have seen, this documentary fails and takes the predictable path of confusing the character of ‘Mr. McMahon’ with the real me, Vince.
“The title and promos alone make that clear.
“A lot of things have been distorted or left out completely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused.
“Producers use typical editing tricks with out-of-context sequences and dated sound clips etc. to distort viewers’ perceptions and support a misleading narrative.
“In an attempt to support their misleading story, the producers are using a lawsuit based on an affair that I ended and that I am, in fact, ‘Mr. McMahon.’
“I hope the viewer keeps an open mind and remembers that there are two sides to every story.”
Netflix has yet to respond to McMahon’s claims.
