Netflix’s documentary series Mr McMahon has thrown up some disturbing reminders about the wrestling supremo’s darkest WWE ideas.
The streaming service dropped the tell-all doc on the former WWE boss Vince McMahon this week, highlighting the controversial career of the man who spearheaded professional wrestling into the entertainment sphere in the 1980s.
WWEStephanie McMahon has held high-level executive positions in WWE as well as being an on-screen character[/caption]
On screen, legends like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H all flourished across different eras as WWE established itself as a global mega brand.
McMahon himself, however, has never been far from controversy or the headlines, having been embroiled in a string of controversies, legal battles and the horrendous sexual assault allegations that ultimately led to his departure from the empire he built.
Over the years, WWE aired many controversial storylines under McMahon’s watch, while others failed to even make it to air having been deemed to be too much.
One such example saw McMahon pitch a bizarre incest storyline involving his own daughter, Stephanie and son, Shane.
Two decades ago, pregnant Stephanie was deep in a storyline with real-life husband Triple H that had the two at odds, leaving Vince eager to play up an apparent mystery as to the unborn child’s parentage.
Sickeningly, he went as far as to suggest it should be revealed that he himself was the baby’s father, something Stephanie herself flat out rejected.
Clearly uncomfortable even recalling the idea during a later WWE-produced documentary, an embarrassed Stephanie said: “My dad did approach me about wanting to be the father of my baby in the storyline for TV which was actually only the second time I’ve said ‘no’ to him for something he wanted to do.
“That one was just a little too gross, actually. It was completely disgusting and I don’t find the entertainment value in it at all.
“And he’s actually my father, so how could I even play that out? I can’t fake kiss my dad like we were in love or something. It’s just revolting all the way around.”
Keen not to stop at that rejection, Vince went further. She added: “Then he came up with the idea of Shane to be the father of my baby – my brother.
WWEStephanie McMahon’s character played the on-screen villain over many years[/caption]
“Again, I [just said] ‘no’. I know that happens in this world, but it’s not going to happen with us. I can’t do that. It’s too much.”
The premiere of the new six-part Netflix series has cast fresh attention on his incomparable past, not least this unthinkable storyline, which was unsurprisingly again brought to the surface during filming.
Both Stephanie and Vince contributed to the project, with the senior appearing to laugh away the outrageous suggestion in recollection when asked, while his daughter opted against discussing it any further.
Even setting that aside, McMahon clearly does not not come out of the broadcast well. It appears that this much quickly became evident to the veteran promoter.
The 79-year-old billionaire had, hours before its Netflix release, attempted to distance himself from the Mr McMahon documentary, too, calling it ‘deceptive.’
He said: “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 misinterpreted 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.”
McMahon purchased what is now WWE from his father, Vince McMahon Snr in the 1980s before its global transformation began.
He turned figures like Hogan and The Rock into household names before emerging as an on-screen character himself – Mr McMahon feuding with icon Austin and others only weekly television and pay per view events.
