With the news of Vince McMahon's retirement from WWE, much has been discussed about the man's complex life and legacy. There have been rumors of Vince planning an autobiography which could be a wild read. But WWE has already provided that in a way with 2006's "McMahon" DVD documentary. A highlight of WWE's terrific sets of the time, it paints an intriguing view of the man.
Much of the documentary is clearly revisionist history, with Vince painting himself in a much better light and even skimming over his own past. However, it also shares a fascinating view of how no one can tell how much of Vince is real and how much is his on-screen character. His family and co-workers share some intriguing insight that makes this a good watch. These are some of the more fascinating revelations from the McMahon documentary that makes it as close to a biography of the man as we're likely to get.
10 He Really Thinks He Could Have Been A Wrestler
One highlight of the documentary is the wonderful mockery of Vince's lack of wrestling skills. Triple H sums it up best, "he thinks he's Lou Thesz but has no idea what he's doing." It's stated Vince wanted to be a wrestler and even dyed his hair blonde like his idol, Jerry Graham.
His father refused and Triple H adds how Vince would have been like Ric Flair with flashy robes and strutting. Of course, Vince made a great commentator and on-screen character, but no one would ever mistake him for being a master technician in the ring. But he seems to have enjoyed getting into the ring for the occasional feud.
9 Vince Loves To Fire People For Real
While the documentary covers "Mr. McMahon" firings, it also goes into real ones. Slaughter discusses how he was fired for trying to get more money out of a gig and Jim Ross spoke on being axed three times.
They even bring up the infamous "Doctor Heinie" skit with how Ross enjoyed it for two minutes, only for it to drag on and get worse. Vince himself says that if he feels it's right for the company, he'll enjoy doing it. Even Shawn Michaels wasn't immune as the on-air firings can be less wild than when Vince does it for real.
8 "I Don't Negotiate"
"Vince screwed everybody," Sgt. Slaughter point-blank says in the documentary. Indeed, the doc doesn't paint the best view of Vince's crushing of the territories even as he defends it as just business.
One of the most gripping parts is Greg Gagne talking of how in 1983, he and his father Verne met Vince on a possible working relationship with the AWA. As the meeting ended and Vince walked through the airport, he paused to call back, "Verne? I don't negotiate." Not long after, Hulk Hogan left the AWA for WWE as it shows how ruthless Vince was.
7 He Hates To Admit Failure
It should be no surprise the doc skims over some low points of Vince's tenure. The infamous "Black Saturday," where his WWE show flopped on TBS, is painted as wildly successful.
Likewise, the XFL is talked of as a "noble failure" rather than the total flop it was. Yet even there, some points are made, like Vince's persona dominating too much and how the man can be his own worst enemy. Yet Vince himself never admits to being absolutely wrong on something even as that confidence leads to success.
6 "I Am Stone Cold"
Obviously, the McMahon-Austin feud is discussed, with Vince painting it as "I am Stone Cold in a lot of ways." Vince openly says he hates people who throw their weight around or think they are better than you because they have lots of money. He also seriously says, "politics suck."
In Vince's mind, he was the little guy fighting against all odds to succeed, rather than be the billionaire businessman most know him as. That he truly seems to believe what he's saying makes these words even more remarkable and an insight into what makes him tick.
5 His Own Family Doesn't Get Him
A good showcase is on the McMahons, with Linda coming off charming and funny ("poor thing had to marry me," Vince jokes). It's said neither Shane or Stephanie wanted to be in the business but soon followed as Vince wanted them on screen.
The Stephanie-Triple H relationship is covered as Vince didn't want her dating a wrestler and Hunter knew the heat would come down on him for being with the boss's daughter. Yet even they had issues like the Vince-Trish stuff and it's clear even his own family doesn't know where Vince the character ends and the real guy begins.
4 Why He Hired Bischoff
While the documentary considers the brand split a good idea, it does play into Vince hiring Eric Bischoff for RAW General Manager. Vince says he did it as a good business idea, to promote things and let Bischoff be in charge.
Stephanie, however, contends the answer is much simpler: That after so many years of feuding, Vince saw it as the ultimate revenge "to have this a—- working for me." Regardless of the reason, it was a unique moment to see these two rivals as allies.
3 He Still Thinks Katie Vick Was Funny
A unique showcase for Vince's mentality is the discussion on Katie Vick. Everyone, Triple H, the Rock, Linda, Shane, Stephanie, various announcers and more all talk of how it was a horrible idea made even worse in execution, and no one wanted to see it.
Vince's reaction? To say he still thinks it was hilarious, a fun way to get Triple H over with Kane and much of it was his own idea. While Joey Styles contends it was too over the top to be offensive, the fact Vince is the one person who says it was terrific explains many bad angles in WWE history.
2 No One Wanted The Feud With Stephanie
A major focus on the documentary is the 2003 feud between Vince and Stephanie. Aside from Vince, everyone agrees it was a bad program and very disturbing. The worst was an "I Quit" match happening a week before Stephanie's wedding, with Linda freaking out over the possibility of her daughter having bruises in the wedding photos.
They also discuss Vince's infamous idea of revealing himself or Shane as the father of Stephanie's baby and everyone immediately shooting that idea down. Stephanie cracks if it was up to him, Vince would do a live video of her daughter's birth as even his own family isn't safe from Vince's crazy ideas.
1 Everyone Respects Him
Perhaps the most telling aspect of the documentary is that even if people may not like Vince, they respect him. They are in awe of his drive and how he leads by example, such as testing the harness Shawn Michaels used at WrestleMania 12.
His recovery from blowing out his knees at the 2005 Royal Rumble was impressive and it's noted how many wrestlers are ready to argue with Vince on a bad idea and leave convinced his idea is brilliant. Kurt Angle sums up that Vince "will do anything for you, but if you don't do the same in return, he'll chew you up and spit you out". That dichotomy is a great way the documentary shines a light on Vince's nature.