A new Netflix documentary claims to “lift the curtain” on former WWE boss Vince McMahon – but is it a success?

The six-part series Mr. McMahon — named after the alter ego he played on screen in the mid-1990s — covers his life, his decades-long career and the various scandals that dogged him.

The film features interviews with the 79-year-old man himself, as well as with family members, former wrestlers and business partners.

But whether it tells us anything new about the real Vince McMahon is up for debate.

He withdrew from filming after a former employee accused him of sex trafficking, and some reviewers have said the series struggles with this missing element.

Others said it was still quite a “honest portrait” and extensive, depending on how much you already know before you start.

But does it bring us closer to the truth?

McMahon got his own review early on.

He called the series “misleading” and accused the creators of “taking the predictable path of confusing the character of ‘Mr. McMahon’ with my true self, Vince.”

The billionaire businessman resigned from WWE’s parent company when former employee Janel Grant filed a sex trafficking lawsuit against him earlier this year,

He is denied her accusations as “lies” and a “vengeful distortion of the truth”.

You don’t hear much about this case in the documentary, but previous allegations are discussed.

WWE’s first female referee, Rita Chatterton, accused McMahon of rape, but in the series he claims that “that never happened” and that it was “consensual.”

He withdrew his defamation lawsuit against her and last year, reports say, paid her a multimillion-dollar settlement.

He also calls the US government, which took him to court for illegal steroid distribution, the “biggest bullies.”

McMahon was found not guilty in that case.

WWE has historically faced criticism for its portrayal of women, particularly during the so-called Attitude Era between 1997 and 2002.

The matches became less and less family-friendly. Wrestlers were often seen bleeding and female stars engaged in “bra and panties” fights that ended when an opponent’s costume was ripped off.

Trish Stratus, former WWE Women’s Champion, says the roles for women were “overly sexual” and recalls once being made to get on her knees and bark like a dog before she was allowed to take off her clothes.

“Women were not considered wrestlers…” she says.

“Beautiful things to look at, that’s what it was in those days,” she says on the show.

Anthony White – aka Tony Atlas – agrees that the segments haven’t aged well.

“In today’s society, we would be seen as the worst people walking the planet,” he says in the documentary.

“We abused women tremendously. They were like toys to us.”

McMahon’s daughter Stephanie, who often played a role in storylines written by her father — which she describes as “a little strange” — says “it was a different time in our industry.”

Current Chief Content Officer and McMahon’s son-in-law, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, wonders how they “ever got away with that stuff.”

In the documentary, McMahon says the trend was “more or less in line with what was going on in the entertainment industry” and that some of the most-watched segments featured women.

Vince McMahon is known as a ruthless businessman. The documentary discusses a number of events that contributed to this image.

One of these is an infamous conspiracy – or “screwjob,” in wrestling terms – involving legendary wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

Amid tensions over his move to rival company World Championship Wrestling (WCW), McMahon worked with others behind Hart’s back to change the outcome of a 1997 match.

The Canadian eventually lost his championship title to Shawn Michaels in front of his hometown crowd in Montreal.

McMahon describes a similar affair in 1985 involving former women’s champion Wendi Richter as “show business… nothing personal.”

“And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my business.”

In the documentary, McMahon says he wanted Bret Hart to do the “right” thing for the company.

“To this day, I have no regrets.”

McMahon talks about his own childhood, how he was abused by his stepfather and the first time he met his real father when he was 12.

“I know that if you’re abused as a child, there’s a tendency to abuse others,” he says, adding, “That’s just an excuse.”

His own position as a father is a theme that comes up repeatedly in the documentary and he reveals that he was ‘strict’ with his own children, Shane and Stephanie.

Cast members also describe him as a father figure.

McMahon himself says: “I still don’t quite know who I am.”

Characters are the lifeblood of WWE, he tells the makers of the documentary. But does he play a character himself?

We’ll never quite know.

“Sometimes the lines between reality, between fact and fiction, are very blurry in our industry,” he says.

Critics say this is a convenient way to get out of prison without pardon, as the blame is placed on alter ego McMahon, a corrupt boss who abuses his power.

“Which one is the character and which one is me? I think it’s maybe a mix and I would suggest that one is maybe a little bit exaggerated,” McMahon says.

“I don’t really know which one.”

But when asked what traits he shares with the character, he replies, “None at all.”

Many people close to him also seem uncertain.

His son Shane says, “Mr. McMahon is an extension of Vince McMahon, but taken out of context.”

That opinion is shared by former champion Stone Cold Steve Austin, who says the character is “pretty close to Vince the Man” but “seriously exaggerated.”

Others, like Shawn Michaels, say there’s not much difference between the two, and WWE executive Bruce Prichard says McMahon’s in-ring tirades were similar to the ones he delivered in the boardroom.

Former superstar Hulk Hogan’s opinion is much more unequivocal.

“Exactly the same person, not much difference,” he says.

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