Report: Vince McMahon Tried To Buy Back 'Mr. McMahon' Docuseries From Netflix After Seeing Early Footage

Vince McMahon seemingly wanted to prevent the Mr. McMahon docuseries from ever being released. 

Mr. McMahon is set to air on Netflix from Wednesday, September 25 and the six-part series will cover the rise and fall of Vince McMahon, with the final couple of episodes being dedicated to the sexual misconduct scandals that have surrounded McMahon since 2022. 

Vince McMahon and WWE signed off on the docuseries back in 2019, Matthew Belloni of Puck has reported. Chris Smith, the man behind the series, was almost finished producing Mr. McMahon when Vince initially retired from WWE in the Summer of 2022. The sexual misconduct and hush money scandal, along with McMahon's return to WWE where he forced his way back into the company, were then added to the docuseries. 

McMahon was nervous about the series, however, and after watching early footage he tried to buy back Mr. McMahon from Netflix, according to Belloni. TKO CEO Ari Emanuel even lobbied Netflix on McMahon's behalf and they voiced concern about how the docuseries would treat the 'Mr. McMahon' alter ego. Netflix ultimately did not sell the documentary back to McMahon. 

Further additions were then made to Mr. McMahon following the filing of Janel Grant's lawsuit against McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis which resulted in McMahon's resignation as TKO Executive Chairman. The lawsuit is currently paused following a request from the United States Department of Justice. 

Vince McMahon attacked the Mr. McMahon docuseries ahead of its release on Netflix, claiming "a lot has been misrepresented" and that Janel Grant's lawsuit is based on an affair he ended. Janel Grant's lawyer Ann Callis has since responded to McMahon's statement.