Netflix's New Documentary About The Rise And Fall Of Vince McMahon Looks Phenomenal (And A Bit Disturbing)

Wrestling is one of the most interesting forms of entertainment in the world to me, where a lot of times - the stories, interviews, and documentaries about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the business are more tantalizing than the shows themselves. There's a reason diehard fans have clamored and dug for any kind of backstage info, dirt on locker room politics, or just spoilers in general for decades....and the man at the center of all of that in the wrestling business for almost half a century was Vince McMahon. 

Despite being on our screens and in the public eye for that long, however, there's still so much we don't know about the former Chairman of the Board. I'd say Vince was easily the most polarizing figure in the wrestling industry before recent allegations caused him to step down from WWE, but those polarizing feelings have obviously only gotten more extreme since, and I think the whole story is going to make for an incredibly fascinating documentary. 

When Netflix began production on this series, it was just supposed to be about the life and career of McMahon - how he took the company from his father and turned it into a multi-billion dollar empire, how he became a character in the biggest boom period wrestling had ever seen, and how his family weaves into all of it. Vince was even apart of it and giving interviews (along with tons of other WWE talent), as you could clearly see in this trailer. However, in the midst of production, Janel Grant files a lawsuit against McMahon accusing him of sex trafficking and abuse, among other horrific allegations - and the documentary had to pivot and become "the rise and fall of Mr. McMahon" at the last minute. 

Knowing what we do about Vince, that had to crush his ego. I think it's going to make for captivating television, though, almost in the same way that 'The Jinx' had no idea how deep their documentary would go until it was happening and confessions were spilling. I'm not saying they'll have Vince confessing to everything on a hot mic or anything, but the vibe change in the later episodes should be pretty chilling. Especially after sitting with him and getting so close to him throughout the documentary - just the feeling that he may actually be a total monster beyond that public front is scary.

I cannot wait to watch this come September 25th.