CONTROVERSIAL BOSS
Who is Vince McMahon? All about the WWE co-founder and subject of a new Netflix documentary
Plus a look at why the scandal-hit boss retired from WWE
AS THE boss of the mighty WWE, Vince McMahon had the world of wrestling at his feet.
Now retired, the former CEO and his controversial career is the subject of the Netflix documentary, Mr McMahon.
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Born on August 24, 1945, Vincent Kennedy McMahon is a businessman and former professional wrestling executive Pinehurst, North Carolina.
McMahon is a third-generation WWE wrestling promoter; his father Vince Sr. and his grandfather Jess McMahon ran the business before him.
Vince Sr. was mostly based in the Northeast, organizing regular shows at Madison Square Garden in New York.
During McMahon's childhood, he was raised by his mother Victoria Hanner.
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The wrestling figure remembers not meeting his father until he was 12-years-old.
"It’s funny how you don’t know what you’re missing if you never had it," he recalled to .
"When I was 12 or a little older, living with my grandmother on my mom’s side, my father and his mother came to visit. I must have behaved myself because I got invited up to be with him.
"Then, when I met my dad, I fell in love with him. We got very, very close but we both knew we could never go back.
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"There’s a tendency to try to play catch-up but you can’t. You missed those years."
McMahon added: "There would always be something missing between us but there was no reason to discuss it.
Vince McMahon releases statement after bombshell sex trafficking accusation by former WWE staffer he paid to keep quiet
"All this time, I’d been pestering my dad to let me work with him. ‘Come on, Pop. You know I love this stuff.' I loved wrestling from the day I saw it. The characters! But my dad was pragmatic."
In 1982, McMahon bought WWE from Vince Sr. and transformed it into the global wrestling and entertainment juggernaut that it is today.
Family business
WWE has always been a family business, with both Vince's children Stephanie and Shane, all performing and holding executive positions in the company.
His eldest, Shane went onto become a wrestling star himself.
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Stephanie also chose a career as a wrestler before turning her attention to the business side of things.
However in January 2023, she stepped away from the company.
McMahon’s wife Linda - who he married in 1966 - served as CEO of the WWE from 1997 until 2009 but stepped down to pursue a career in public office.
Announcing retirement
On July 22, 2022, McMahon announced his decision to retire from WWE.
On Twitter, he revealed, "At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #thankful."
He further explained in an official statement, "As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE."
"Throughout the years, it’s 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 mightily contributing 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 choice of entertainment."
"I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment."
In the wake of his retirement, his daughter Stephanie served as the organization's interim CEO until she stepped down on January 10, 2023 - the same day her father returned as the company's executive chair.
However, on November 9, 2023, TKO Group, the company that holds UFC and WWE announced that McMahon was selling 8.4 million shares of his TKO stock.
The shares account for around 30 percent of his holdings and were worth around $700M.
His remaining shares were valued at around $2 billion.
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Accusations against McMahon
On January 25, 2024, Vince McMahon was accused of sexual assault, trafficking, and physical abuse in a lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, ex-WWE employee Janel Grant claims she was "the victim of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and trafficking" during her time with the wrestling organization.
A spokesperson for McMahon said that "this lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred and a vindictive distortion of the truth."
"[McMahon] will vigorously defend himself," the spokesman said.
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 nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE."
"While this matter pre-dates our TKO executive 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.
Hitting back at Netflix documentary Mr McMahon
Made by filmmaker Chris Smith, the six-episode docu-series Mr McMahon offers a deep dive into McMahon’s life 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 not happy with how the documentary has turned out and has claimed the program has covered his life “unfairly”.
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McMahon said in a statement that Netflix had made the mistake of “conflating the Mr McMahon character with my true self.”
He also accused the streaming giant of using “typical editing tricks” to “support a deceptive narrative”.
Vince McMahon’s statement about Netflix documentary in full
McMahon’s post on X, his first since April 2023, read: “I don’t regret participating in this Netflix documentary
“The producers had an opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I built, which were equally filled with excitement, drama, fun, and a fair amount of controversy and life lessons.
“Unfortunately, based on an early partial cut I’ve seen, this doc falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the ‘Mr McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince.
“The title and promos alone make that evident.
“A lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused.
“The producers use typical editing tricks with out of context footage and dated soundbites etc. to distort the viewers’ perception and support a deceptive narrative.
“In an attempt to further their misleading account, the producers use a lawsuit based on an affair I ended that I am, in fact, ‘Mr McMahon’.
“I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story.”
Netflix has yet to respond to McMahon's claims.
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