JM: In Anticipation of Netflix’s Mr. McMahon Documentary

Twenty-four hours.

 

Take a deep breath, folks. Soon, NoDQ.com is going to absolutely blow up with headlines, news stories, reaction… and so is every other wrestling website on the planet. Because in twenty-four hours, Netflix unleashes “Mr. McMahon” upon the world. And I, for one, have very mixed feelings about it. It might say “Opinions” at the top of this article, but the aim of this piece is to provide a balanced commentary on the opinions that have been given so far by people who know far more than I do about Vince McMahon. It won’t be me defending or condemning anyone involved in the ongoing lawsuit.

Since those abhorrent allegations came out, we’ve witnessed the wrestling world divided along an unusual fault line. This isn’t the tribal rivalry of company vs company, this is something entirely more personal and more revealing. With every passing comment we’re seeing more and more of the people behind the characters. We’re seeing their beliefs, their morality, their loyalty… It’s fascinating, but it also feels like a no-win situation for the people involved. I’ll be citing various wrestling personalities within this article, and I’ll be using their own words to do so, but it’s impossible to know whether those opinions are actually genuine or simply a way to get out of answering an impossible question. Is it kayfabe? Is it reality? The only certainty is that we, the fans, don’t know for sure.

Let’s start with The Defenders. The most recent comments (at time of writing) came from one Albertoooooo Del Rrrrrrrio:

 

“The truth is out there… but there are still some people who don’t want to see the truth. For whatever reason, they continue attacking a man who has done nothing but work, work, work, provide for his family, and give his best to the wrestling business.”

 

First and foremost, let’s acknowledge the source. Alberto has had his fair share of allegations and controversy, but also has no criminal record (as far as I can tell). Every record I can find shows the charges against him were dropped, and there are several (disputed) accounts claiming he received an apology from the plaintiff. THAT BEING SAID, dropped charges don’t prove innocence any more than charges themselves prove guilt, so I think it’s fair to slot ‘Bertie into the ‘grey area’ section of humanity. I think he’s correct in some of his statement: there are always people who don’t want to see the truth, and we’ve probably all been that person at some point in our lives. And Vince McMahon has demonstrably worked very hard, provided for his family, and given his best to the wrestling business. So far, so good. But the idea that that’s all he’s done? Vince has been facing allegations in one form or another since 1992, and he’s a man who held absolute power in his chosen field for four goddamn decades. Of course some people are going to jump straight into attack mode. Vince McMahon is well known for being ruthless as a businessman and he’s made a lot of enemies over the years, whether that’s from driving the territories out of business or wishing hundreds upon hundreds of wrestlers “all the best in their future endeavours.” Now that he’s not the untouchable master of the wrestling world, it’s time for everyone who feels wronged by Vince to get their proverbial pound of flesh. That shouldn’t be surprising.

Let’s jump from Alberto to Rikishi, who recently commented that “[The McMahon family] have really, really taken care of a lot of professional wrestlers, their families, their kids.” I’m not so sure about that. The McMahon family have certainly helped a lot of professional wrestlers make a lot of money, which in turn has taken care of their families and children. That is a 100% undeniable, indisputable fact. But ‘taking care’ of those wrestlers? Credit where it’s due, McMahon and Co. have put a lot of struggling wrestlers through rehab, and it’s absolutely right to praise that. These are people who have fallen on hard times, struggled, and been helped to the other side of those struggles by Vince McMahon and the WWE. But outside of that there’s still no wrestler union, no automatic health insurance, medical bills are only helped with if the injury occurs in the ring… These are relatively simple changes that could’ve been implemented decades ago if the McMahon family was “really, really” taking care of wrestlers.

The final word for the ‘in defence of’ team comes from Mark Henry, who had this to say:

 

“Where was the suffering when they were getting BMWs and a million dollars? Did that pacify the suffering? Because if you are suffering, you should suffer all the time, right?”

 

It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? At a basic level, some of these allegations have come to light because some alleged hush-money payments were allegedly missed. So, in some ways, the argument is about whether you can overcome trauma with money. If Vince McMahon had kept up said payments, would this be a non-story? Would the upcoming Netflix documentary be a glorified puff-piece, praising Vince McMahon for creating an unstoppable empire and taking over the wrestling world? On the flip side, is it reasonable to claim that you’ve been traumatised by abuse if you’re willing to stay quiet for money? I’m fascinated by that moral grey area.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the abused, for a moment. You’ve been degraded and humiliated, physically and mentally violated… but now you’re offered $3,000,000 to keep your mouth shut and just get on with your life. Realistically, what are your options? Now, virtue ethics would tell you to refuse the money, speak out about the abuse, and potentially protect others from falling into the same trap you did. You’d be a hero, lauded for taking down a monster… right? But you’d need to come clean about everything you’ve experienced to the entire world. Your family, your friends, and a huge number of total strangers are going to know intimate, embarrassing details about your life. And you’d be entering into a financial David vs Goliath fight, taking on a man with far greater resources than you, able to call upon the finest lawyers in the land. What if you lose? You’ve still experienced utterly awful abuse, and now you have less than nothing to show for it.

$3,000,000 though… You could move anywhere in the world. Invest it sensibly and your family would be set for life. All your bills, debts, financial worries are gone in an instant. And you’re human, so after time that feeling of hurt and betrayal might start to fade away. Who knows, in a few years you might be happier than you’ve ever been, and it’ll all be a distant memory. All you have to do is sign a little bit of paper and voila, your problems are gone in an instant. That must be tempting, right?

Personally, I find it very hard to agree with Mark Henry on this one. Unless you have first-hand experience of this situation, how can you possibly know what you’d do in her shoes? I’m sure most of us want to be the virtuous hero and shine a light on the abuse, but the ability to provide for your family and not worry about money ever again is one hell of an incentive to keep quiet. Taking that hush money doesn’t mean you’re magically healed of your trauma; it just means you’re trying to move on. And when the man who put you through all that abuse decides not to pay you what you’re owed… well, wouldn’t you be on the warpath too?

I’m not massively convinced by any of these arguments. Painting Vince McMahon as an altruistic figure who pours good vibes into the world and Janel Grant as a money-grabber is the sort of black-and-white thinking that has no place in such a complicated situation. One thing I am absolutely certain of is that Vince McMahon is a human being, infinitely fallible and imperfect. I’m also a firm believer in the famous Lord Acton quote: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Vince McMahon has held absolute power for a long time, and with that in mind there is no chance in hell I’m accepting the argument that he’s morally perfect. Which brings us neatly to the naysayers. Unsurprisingly, a Mr. Punk from Chicago, Illinois doesn’t have the most favourable take on the allegations:

 

“He ruined his life ruining other people’s lives. So, there’s very much a part of me that’s just like, alright, we got him, good, I’m shuffling him into the basement.”

 

As with Alberto Del Rio, it’s important to consider the source. Phil Brooks’ contempt for McMahon has been well established over a number of years, and I think it’s pretty reasonable for him to have a sense of schadenfreude about what’s happened to Vince. If these allegations are proven to be true then yes, Vince McMahon has utterly and completely ruined his life by ruining the lives of another person. And shuffling him into the basement is the right course of action. But “we got him” is an interesting turn of phrase. In fairness to CM Punk it’s probably just a throwaway line, but it speaks to a long-term bias against McMahon that he considers himself part of the army/coalition/team (delete as appropriate) that’s apparently been trying to take McMahon down for so long. Where I struggle with Punk’s statement is simply from a practical point of view: what does it add to the debate if someone who openly despises Vince McMahon adds their voice to those criticising him? It’s impossible for CM Punk to be considered an unbiased commentator on the Vince McMahon allegations, so it doesn’t add any weight to the argument.

Perhaps one of the most interesting takes on the situation comes from former WWE cruiserweight Paul London:

 

“I’m shocked this Vince stuff is just now coming out… I’m surprised it hasn’t come out within the last 10 years. But that just goes to show how afraid people are of the power dynamic where they’re so fearful about losing their job.”

 

It’s important to understand the background of this statement before we delve into the words themselves. Paul London had a romantic relationship with Ashley Massaro a couple of years before she died tragically young at the age of 39; while an official cause of death hasn’t been released, many news outlets reported it as suicide. Before her death, Massaro alleged that she was sexually abused during a WWE tour and that Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis (among others) had told her not to report the abuse as it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the company. Her lawyer in that case, Konstantine Kyros, added more fuel to the fire by alleging that McMahon had propositioned Ashley at some point during her tenure, and her rejection of these advances led to her eventual termination from the company. While the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, what we can say is that it’s impossible to call Paul London an unbiased commentator when it comes to Vince McMahon… but to be fair, who would be given those circumstances?

So, it’s perhaps no surprise that he expected them to come out ten years ago; he’s likely heard numerous second-hand stories from Ashley Massaro about how it felt to be a woman in Vince McMahon’s WWE. I’m not here to speculate on whether they’re true or not, but one thing I’m sure we can all relate to is the fear of losing your job by speaking out against your boss, especially if your boss is as powerful and influential as Vince McMahon was. Until a few years ago, WWE was the Vince McMahon show. He had jurisdiction over every aspect of the business. That’s not a power dynamic that lends itself to open confrontation, especially when you’re considered to be near the bottom of the pecking order. Most of the evidence in this particular example comes down to he-said she-said, although John Laurinaitis has since revealed that he did know about Massaro’s allegations, as did “most upper level management”. If this is true then London has every right to condemn McMahon on behalf of Ashley Massaro.

Let’s end with a short but simple quote from Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart: “It’s kind of like The Godfather. You never know when a guy like Vince will be your enemy again over something you say or do… He’s the Teflon guy, you just can’t seem to get anything on him. He’s just too powerful, got too much money.”

There are two running themes here.

Those who believe Vince is innocent would highlight that those who have spoken out explicitly against McMahon are linked by bitterness. CM Punk, Bret Hart, Paul London… these are all people who have felt personally wronged by Vince McMahon in their past, so there’s an inherent bias in their beliefs and statements. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re entitled to have that bias, but it’s interesting that the absolute condemnation comes only from those who already openly disliked McMahon.

Those who believe Vince is guilty would highlight the theme of power. Who are the people openly speaking out against Vince McMahon? Bret Hart – retired. Paul London – fired and unlikely to return. CM Punk? Maybe I’m being a naïve mark but I truly believe Phil Brooks is a man of conviction and would walk away from WWE if Vince returned to power. Even if he tried to stay and Vince fired him, Punk is financially set for life and then some. Vince McMahon doesn’t hold any power over CM Punk. So where are the active WWE wrestlers in this? They’re not defending McMahon, nor are they condemning him. Perhaps they’re in the Bret Hart camp, afraid that he’ll come back and make an enemy of them? Or maybe they realise he’s still their boss’s father-in-law, and it might not be the wisest move to comment on his personal life regardless of their own opinions.

When you look at those who have commented on McMahon since the lawsuit dropped, it does lend itself quite strongly to that mindset. Mick Foley, John Cena, Randy Orton, Becky Lynch… These are big stars who have longstanding personal relationships with both Vince McMahon and Triple H, so perhaps they feel able to comment where others don’t? Interestingly, each of them fall into the third camp.

 

“They are horrendous allegations. They are horrendous. It’s so hard to listen to and reconcile with because you don’t know that person. The person that I’ve experienced was like a Granddad. At times, a very grumpy Granddad… also, very responsible for the dream that I have.” – Becky Lynch.

 

“I’m choosing to appreciate him until I learn more about what may have gone down.” – Mick Foley.

 

“I’m a big advocate of love and friendship and honesty, and communication, in the same breath, I’m also a big advocate of accountability. If someone’s behavior lies so far outside of your value system that the balance shifts of, ‘I can’t operate in a world where this works.’ That’s the end result of being accountable. Right now, I’m gonna love the person I love, be their friend.” – John Cena.

 

“What you’ve seen and read, I’ve seen and read. As far as commenting on that, it fucking hurts my heart. It hurts my heart.” – Randy Orton.

 

And there’s the collateral damage side of the story. Four people who have deep, personal relationships with a man now considered by many to be a monster. It’s undeniable that their lives would be completely different without Vince McMahon. He granted Mick Foley his dream of becoming WWF champion. He turned John Cena into the poster boy of the biggest wrestling company on the planet. He gave Randy Orton a second (and third, maybe even fourth) chance and made him a superstar. Not only did he give Becky Lynch the honour of main-eventing Wrestlemania, but it was through Vince McMahon’s company that she met her husband and father of her child. To a greater or lesser extent, each of those memories and experiences is now tainted, perhaps forever.

Personally, I don’t have an issue with their wait-and-see attitude. Again, put yourself in their shoes: if you’ve only ever seen the best in someone, wouldn’t you have a hard time fully accepting that they might have been lying to you for years? If that person is responsible for a lot of the good things you have in your life, wouldn’t you feel a sense of loyalty towards them? At least while it’s all just allegations. If Vince is convicted maybe they’ll change their opinion, but then again maybe they won’t? After all, the justice system itself isn’t infallible, and maybe they’ll feel Vince has been wrongfully accused and/or convicted. In all honesty, I don’t find it particularly note-worthy that the people on this list are sitting on the fence, at least in public.

Finally, just as I was about to post this piece Vince McMahon himself released a statement about the upcoming documentary. You’ve almost certainly read it yourself recently, so I won’t include the full quote here. But there are two items I’d like to highlight.

“This doc falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the ‘Mr. McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince… the producers use a lawsuit based on an affair I ended as evidence that I am, in fact, ‘Mr. McMahon’.”

It’s fair to say Mr. McMahon is one of the greatest wrestling characters of all time. His contribution to the on-screen product of WWE has been incredible, leading to some of the all-time great storylines and moments wrestling has ever seen. And perhaps that’s part of the reason so many people, myself included, find it hard to dismiss these allegations off-hand. Countless wrestling personalities have stated that a great wrestling character occurs when the wrestler’s actual personality is simply turned up to maximum volume. The entire attitude era was essentially letting wrestlers be hugely exaggerated versions of themselves rather than leaning into outdated gimmicks. Is it so hard to believe that extends to Mr. McMahon, the adulterous, cantankerous, megalomaniacal authority figure? It’s worth reiterating I haven’t seen a second of the footage thus far, so maybe I’m way off. But if Netflix has several ‘talking heads’ discussing how similar Vince is to the Mr. McMahon character, I wouldn’t find it hard to accept their opinions at face value.

Now clearly, there’s an element of a man trying to pre-emptively defend himself, but the statement “I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story” is particularly relevant to what I’ve been writing thus far. I don’t mean as it pertains to Vince McMahon necessarily; while there are always two sides to any story, if these allegations are proven to be true then frankly I’m not that interested in hearing his side of the story. However, in a couple of days, a documentary is going to be released that may well make the IWC explode in hyperbole, opinion, and accusations. Over the course of 6 hours we’re going to hear the cautionary tale of Vince McMahon told by the expert storytellers at Netflix. We’ll also hear soundbites from any number of wrestling personalities, no doubt including several of the people quoted above, that were recorded before any of these allegations came to light. I’m reminded of the Chris Benoit tribute episode of Monday Night Raw where so many superstars spoke of the man they knew, not the monster who was revealed over the following days and weeks. It’s easily my most unpopular opinion as a wrestling fan, but I do think it’s worth remembering that every single one of these personalities is a human being.

Befriending a monster is simply luck of the draw. Whether he’s innocent or guilty, Vince McMahon elevated himself over a number of years into an incredibly powerful figure. Would he have been able to abuse those less powerful than him with relative impunity? Categorically yes. Does that mean he definitely did? No. If he did, did he have the money to hide that side of his personality from the people who thought they knew him best? You only have to look at the likes of Weinstein, Epstein, and Al Fayed to say yes, he certainly did. But even if you don’t move in such illustrious circles, could you put your hand on your heart and say every single person you work with is incapable of committing a truly evil act? I don’t think so.

If (when) you watch this documentary, I urge you to remember the blurred lines of wrestling. Even if every single allegation against Vince McMahon is true, that doesn’t mean Rikishi and Mark Henry are in cahoots with him, it simply means he pulled the wool further over their eyes than most. Similarly, if he winds up being cleared of these allegations that doesn’t mean CM Punk is a bastard and Vince McMahon should be prepared for sainthood. If it’s proven then what he’s done is terrible and he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law… but that doesn’t mean John Cena is an awful human being for sticking by his friend for as long as he reasonably can.