UPDATE: A Previous version of this article stated that Matt Belloni said that Ari Emanuel tried to buy the docuseries back from Netflix. That is incorrect. The post below has been updated.
ORIGINAL: Netflix is a day away from releasing the docuseries on the life and career of Vince McMahon.
Bill Simmons will serve as the executive producer. Chris Smith, best known for “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” was named the director. The series, titled “Mr. McMahon,” will debut on September 25th with six one-hour episodes.
McMahon exited the WWE after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis, alleging sex trafficking and rape. She was not filmed for the project. McMahon came out with a rare statement, noting that “a lot has been misrepresented” in the doc. He said that Janel Grant’s lawsuit is based on an affair he ended. Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, came out with a statement.
Matthew Belloni of Puck reports Chris Smith was nearly finished with the project when the hush money scandal broke in the summer of 2022. They added the scandal, McMahon’s return, and eventual departure. Per the report, McMahon was nervous about the series after seeing early footage of it and wanted to buy it back. Belloni also noted that TKO CEO Ari Emanuel voiced concern about the treatment of the “Mr. McMahon” alter ego.
