Wrestling News Latest WWE, AEW & TNA News, Results and Rumors
The Netflix docuseries Mr. McMahon premiered on Wednesday, shedding light on serious issues surrounding former CEO Vince McMahon and the WWE, including labor abuses, union busting, the 1994 steroid trial, and the ongoing sex trafficking lawsuit involving McMahon and the company.
Featuring interviews with wrestling legends like The Rock, Triple H, and Bret Hart, as well as exclusive content from WWE’s archives, the series sparked discussions about WWE’s role in its production. Executive Producer David Shoemaker addressed this topic on The Bill Simmons Podcast, clarifying WWE’s level of involvement in the final edit.
“WWE was involved at the beginning but is no longer part of the documentary,” Shoemaker explained. “I mean, obviously, Vince wouldn’t have initially participated if he wasn’t comfortable. We were able to create the documentary we did because we had that creative freedom. As for what happens next, I can’t say for certain. The people at WWE might have sneaked some screeners, but for the most part, they’ll be seeing it at the same time as the rest of the world.”
Simmons added context regarding WWE’s participation, noting that they had an agreement to access the company’s extensive content library. He emphasized their effort to maintain balance throughout the docuseries.
“We had access to everything we wanted from their library as part of the deal. Many documentaries tend to take a hagiographic or autobiographical approach, but I don’t feel this one did. We genuinely tried to present a balanced perspective. Whether viewers agree with how it played out is up for debate, but it’s rare to find documentaries that achieve this kind of balance today.”
Both Shoemaker and Simmons emphasized that neither WWE nor McMahon had any control over the final cut of Mr. McMahon. They also pointed out the irony of the series’ release coinciding with WWE’s most successful period in years, after a lengthy development process.
