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The former owner of World Wrestling Entertainment, Vince McMahon has attempted to distance himself from a new Netflix documentary about his life and the scandals attached to him, a day before it is released.
McMahon left WWE and TKO, the WWE’s parent company, in January after former employee Janel Grant accused him of sexual assault and trafficking her to other employees between 2019 and 2022, allegations that he has denied.
The lawsuit against the 79-year-old will be detailed as part of the six part Netflix docuseries, called Mr McMahon , that is going to be released on 25 September.
On the eve of the documentary’s release McMahon, who does appear in it, has now claiming that he has been “misrepresented” by the series.
In a statement release on X/Twitter, McMahon wrote: “I don’t regret participating in this Netflix documentary. The producers had an opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I built, which were equally filled with excitement, drama, fun, and a fair amount of controversy and life lessons. Unfortunately, based on an early partial cut I’ve seen, this doc falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the ‘Mr. McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince. The title and promos alone make that evident.”
He added: “A lot has been misrepresented or left out entirely in an effort to leave viewers intentionally confused. The producers use typical editing tricks with out of context footage and dated soundbites etc. to distort the viewers’ perception and support a deceptive narrative. In an attempt to further their misleading account, the producers use a lawsuit based on an affair I ended as evidence that I am, in fact, ‘Mr. McMahon’. I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story.”
Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis has issued an immediate response to McMahon, writing: “Vince McMahon physically and emotionally abused, sexually assaulted and human trafficked Janel Grant for more than two years. Calling his horrific and criminal behavior ‘an affair’ is delusional and nothing more than a sad attempt to save his shredded reputation. Although Ms. Grant has not seen the ‘Mr. McMahon’ docuseries, we hope it shines a bright light on his abhorrent and criminal actions by accurately portraying the realities of his abusive and exploitative behaviour.|
She added: “Ms. Grant will no longer be silenced by McMahon. Her story, though deeply troubling and exceptionally painful, is one that can help other abuse survivors find their voices. We seek to hold McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE accountable and to give Ms. Grant her day in court.”
