On September 23, Vince McMahon issued a statement on
X, describing the documentary as "
deceptive" and claiming it was intentionally misleading viewers by creating confusion around key events. Reportedly, McMahon attempted to purchase the rights to
Mr. McMahon to prevent its distribution, aiming to ensure the documentary is not widely seen. However, Netflix declined and the documentary remained scheduled for release. Writing for
The Wall Street Journal, John Anderson noted that
Phil Mushnick of the
New York Post described McMahon as a "dirt bag", and encourages viewers to evaluate the portrayal of his scandals. Anderson suggests that Smith offers a relatively honest portrayal of McMahon, with insights from figures like Hulk Hogan and John Cena on his enigmatic personality and the parallels between wrestling and contemporary politics. Wrestling journalist
Dave Meltzer, who participated in the series, generally praised it upon release, feeling that it contained no major inaccuracies or embellishments aside from the recounting of Hulk Hogan vs.
André the Giant at
WrestleMania III. One exclusion Meltzer observed was that in episode 2, it is not shown that Linda McMahon received a tip-off that George Zahorian, who was supplying the WWF locker room with steroids, was under investigation, and subsequently that person was not hired to be a staff doctor. This helped Vince McMahon avoid conviction in the steroid trial. Alex Reid from
The Guardian rated the documentary three out of five stars, praising its editing and research and depiction of the history of the WWE, but noting that it felt like a "missed opportunity" due to the absence of key figures, including its lack of interviews with the women who accused McMahon of sexual assault. Scott Hines of
Decider gave the documentary a "Stream It" recommendation. He wrote that even those who are not wrestling fans are likely familiar with Vince McMahon, describing him as a figure who become part of
popular culture, whether through his role in WWE or through the "increasingly excited guy" meme. Hines observed that
Mr. McMahon cannot tell the full story because of Netflix
business ties to WWE, but he still found it compelling and though it offered plenty of value, even if approached with caution. He pointed to what he called the "Most Plot-y line", where McMahon tells his interviewer "I wish I could tell you the real stories, holy shit.", and when asked to share one, McMahon declines. On the
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes,
Mr. McMahon has an approval rating of 69% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10.
Metacritic, which uses a
weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. == References ==