Bill Simmons: Netflix’s ‘WWE Raw’ deal may have saved ‘Mr. McMahon’ docuseries

Earlier this week, Netflix released its (very) long awaited Mr. McMahon docuseries about disgraced former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

And while the project has seemingly received mixed reviews to this point, it’s one that executive producer Bill Simmons clearly remains proud of.

That’s partially because of just how difficult making the docuseries turned out to be. Not only was the subject of the project a notoriously private — if not evasive — person, but there were multiple twists and turns throughout the production, not the least of which was McMahon resigning in disgrace (twice) following accusations of sexual misconduct.

While Simmons admitted he questioned whether it would ever be completed, the project ultimately prevailed, releasing as a six-part docuseries covering all of McMahon’s life, including the last few years. And according to Simmons, one of the factors that it had working in its favor was Netflix reaching a deal with WWE to become the exclusive home of its flagship show, WWE Raw, beginning in 2025.

“The irony of this doc coming out when it has and what’s happened with Vince, the company’s the strongest it’s been since when? The late-90s, the early-2010s? This has been an absolute gravy train for them. They have the most stars they’ve had in a long time. They’re making money hand over fist,” The Ringer founder said on an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast this week. “They’re about to start this new Raw deal, ironically on Netflix, which I think probably helped us save the documentary and the fact that Netflix was paying all that money for Raw.”

While that might seem counterintuitive considering the negative light in which the series paints McMahon — and at times, WWE — Simmons’ theory actually seems plausible. For one, WWE has received no shortage of mainstream publicity in recent days as a result of the series. For another, one could argue that while WWE isn’t always shown in the best of lights throughout the project, it ultimately puts most of the blame on McMahon, who is no longer part of the company.

Beyond the obvious logistical hurdles that Simmons and director/executive producer Chris Smith faced in getting Mr. McMahon to the finish line, there was also the matter of dealing with McMahon, himself. And to that end, both Simmons and talking head/consultant David Shoemaker both agreed that it was truly a “bizarre” experience.

“You said Vince was eager and actually wanted to do the documentary at first, which is a hundred percent true. But I don’t think Vince — it sounds so weird to say — I’m not sure Vince knew what it meant to do the documentary,” Shoemaker said. “And I’m not sure that he knew what story he wanted to tell, or I don’t even know if he knows who he is enough to tell that story… it was just such a bizarre situation.”

Added Simmons: “It was certainly the strangest documentary process I’ve ever been involved with. I will say, though, I’ve worked with a lot of people and I’ve done a lot of these. I just could not believe how good Chris and his team were. I’ve never worked with a team quite like that.”

[The Bill Simmons Podcast]