Trailer for Netflix’s Vince McMahon documentary sparks mixed reaction: ‘As hard-hitting as a pillow fight’

‘People have wondered who really I am. The portrayal of me is I’m a bad guy but no one really knows me’

The first trailer for the highly anticipated Netflix docuseries on the life of former WWE owner Vince McMahon, aptly titled Mr McMahon, has sparked a mixed reaction from fans.

The six-episode series, which will premiere on the platform on 25 September, covers both McMahon’s rise and fall at the helm of WWE and the biggest scandals and accusations attached to his name.

McMahon resigned from the company which he had run since 1982, in January after a former employee, Janel Grant, filed a lawsuit against him for the alleged crimes of sexual abuse and human trafficking, claims he has strongly denied.

The accusations are mentioned in the trailer but not before briefly chronicling McMahon’s rise to prominence on television and the other controversies such as the steroid abuse case and the death of Chris Benoit.

79-year-old McMahon opens up the trailer by saying: “People have wondered who I really am. Portrayal of me is I’m a bad guy. But no one really knows me.”

McMahon is one of a plethora of faces that were interviewed for the piece, which apparently resulted in more than 200 hours of footage.

Amongst the other famous faces from the wrestling world featured in the trailer include Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque and Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

The series which comes from Tiger King director Chris Smith and 30 for 30 producer Bill Simmons, was announced by WWE back in 2020 before the lawsuit against McMahon was filed but the company has reportedly had no involvement in its production. In addition, journalist Brandon Thurston revealed in August that Janel Grant nor her representatives were interviewed.

Reactions to the trailer so far have been mixed with many fearing that it might not be as impactful as it potentially could be. One fan on X/Twitter wrote: “This will be as hard-hitting as a pillow fight.”

Another added: “It’s actually remarkable that it only took the first line for my disappointment to be immeasurable.”

A third said: “I’m sorry but I just see this is going to heavily dilute the actual controversies that have happened in McMahon’s life, not to mention the most recent one. Even that one I believe wholeheartedly is not going to get the respect it deserves.”

Others were slightly more excited with some being surprised by the inclusion of Benoit. The former Canadian wrestler murdered his wife and son at his home in Georgia in June 2007 before taking his own life and any mention of his name has been wiped from WWE ever since.

One viewer reacted by saying: “MAN, this is going to be WILD. Benoit is there”, while another said: “This documentary is gonna be crazy man. The fact that they showed Chris Benoit in this trailer makes this even more insane.”

Wrestler Chris Benoit attends a press conference to promote WrestleMania XX at Planet Hollywood March 11, 2004 in New York City (Getty Images)

Smith has previously said in a statement: “The goal behind Mr. McMahon was to pull back the curtain and reveal the true Vince McMahon, obscured beneath the persona he presented to the world. Over the four years of production, the story evolved in truly shocking ways, culminating in some extremely harrowing allegations. The final product is a revealing documentary that we believe offers a rich and nuanced portrait of the man and the complex legacy he left behind.”