Most agree that Netflix’s six-part docuseries “Mr. McMahon” does not cast WWE’s former CEO in the best light. While the series features plenty of insights from WWE talent who worked closely under McMahon’s watchful eye, many who weren’t interviewed are now sharing their own experiences via their own platforms. During an episode of “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast, the titular host touched on the dichotomy of McMahon’s personality, insofar as he understood it, based on his years spent with the company.
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“I have seen signs where there has been some humanity in Vince, but I’ve also seen signs where sometimes Vince McMahon and the character of Mr. McMahon are very hard to separate,” Hardy said. “I have seen some scenarios where Vince has taken care of people in some capacity when bad things have happened to them … The whole thing after Eddie [Guerrero] passed away, the way he took care of Vickie … That stuff has happened on occasion.”
Hardy also cited the late Darren Drozdov, recalling that McMahon kept him on payroll after he became paralyzed in an in-ring accident. Hardy said McMahon was unique in that he had a tendency to keep his charitable acts private, while openly embracing his more intimidating persona.
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“I think he wanted people to know he was the boss,” Hardy said. “I think he wanted people to be half-ass intimidated by him, and I think he wanted people to be nervous around him. And I think he enjoyed that power.”
Although McMahon fully cooperated with the interview process, neither he nor WWE had control over “Mr. McMahon’s” narrative, according to executive producer Bill Simmons. McMahon protested the series before its Netflix release, and even tried to buy the rights back in an attempt to squash it.