Reception
On September 23, Vince McMahon issued a statement on X, describing the documentary as "deceptive" and claiming it was intentionally misleading viewers by creating confusion around key events. Reportedly, McMahon attempted to purchase the rights to Mr. McMahon to prevent its distribution, aiming to ensure the documentary is not widely seen. However, Netflix declined and the documentary remained scheduled for release.
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, John Anderson noted that Phil Mushnick of the New York Post described McMahon as a "dirt bag", and encourages viewers to evaluate the portrayal of his scandals. Anderson suggests that Smith offers a relatively honest portrayal of McMahon, with insights from figures like Hulk Hogan and John Cena on his enigmatic personality and the parallels between wrestling and contemporary politics.
Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, who participated in the series, generally praised it upon release, feeling that it contained no major inaccuracies or embellishments aside from the recounting of Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III. Meltzer did, however, feel that in episode 3, more emphasis should have been given to the fact that Bret Hart had creative control of his character in WWF, and that this was an important aspect in understanding why the Montreal Screwjob was so controversial. One exclusion Meltzer observed was that in episode 2, it is not shown that Linda McMahon received a tip-off that George Zahorian, who was supplying the WWF locker room with steroids, was under investigation, and subsequently that person was not hired to be a staff doctor. This helped Vince McMahon avoid conviction in the steroid trial.
Writing for BBC, Manish Pandey and Riyah Collins observed that while the six-part documentary provides a "fairly honest portrait" of Vince McMahon's career, it struggles to offer new insights, due to his withdrawal from filming following serious allegations. They noted the film's portrayal of McMahon, his influence on the wrestling industry and controversies inside the WWE particularly its depiction of women during the Attitude Era. It also noted the theme of McMahon's role as a father figure within the WWE.
Alex Reid from The Guardian rated the documentary three out of five stars, praising its editing and research and depiction of the history of the WWE, but noting that it felt like a "missed opportunity" due to the absence of key figures, including its lack of interviews with the women who accused McMahon of sexual assault.
Scott Hines of Decider gave the documentary a "Stream It" recommendation. He wrote that even those who are not wrestling fans are likely familiar with Vince McMahon, describing him as a figure who become part of popular culture, whether through his role in WWE or through the "increasingly excited guy" meme. Hines observed that Mr. McMahon cannot tell the full story because of Netflix business ties to WWE, but he still found it compelling and though it offered plenty of value, even if approached with caution. He pointed to what he called the "Most Plot-y line", where McMahon tells his interviewer "I wish I could tell you the real stories, holy shit.", and when asked to share one, McMahon declines.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Mr. McMahon has an approval rating of 69% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
