Vince McMahon docuseries rumor does not make sense, according to WWE veteran

Netflix's Vince McMahon docuseries premiered on the streaming service on September 25. Vince Russo, WWE's head writer in the late 1990s, is unsure why his former boss reportedly did not want the series to air.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, McMahon approached Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and asked for Netflix to nix the docuseries. Matthew Belloni of the Puck Newsletter also reported that the 79-year-old tried to buy the project from Netflix.

While the Mr. McMahon series covered several misconduct allegations, much of the information provided was already public knowledge. For that reason, Russo questioned on his YouTube channel why McMahon seemingly had a problem with the contents of the six episodes:

"They covered those allegations in a factual way. They did not lean one way or the other. I'm disconnecting with Vince when he put out that statement, 'Don't believe everything you see. They slanted it with a narrative.' This and that. I didn't see any narrative, bro. I didn't see any narrative at all. The only damaging words I saw to Vince McMahon came from his own mouth." [15:06 – 15:40]

As Russo referenced, McMahon released a statement shortly before the docuseries premiered. The former WWE Chairman claimed, "a lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused."

Vince Russo summarizes Netflix's portrayal of Vince McMahon

In January, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit alleging that Vince McMahon sexually assaulted and trafficked her between 2019 and 2022. McMahon denied the allegations before resigning from WWE's parent company TKO.

Vince Russo further explained why the former WWE Chairman should not have any issues with how Netflix presented him:

"I gotta tell you, bro, this was not a smear piece, and I don't know what Vince McMahon is upset about. Maybe Vince McMahon is upset because some of the things he said shone a very, very, very bright light on some of these allegations." [16:38 – 17:03]

Russo also addressed the narrative that McMahon was responsible for WWE's Attitude Era success in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

What are your thoughts on how McMahon was presented in the docuseries? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

Please credit Vince Russo's YouTube channel and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart