“He was willing to do anything”: Shane McMahon Risked His Life Again and Again But It Was Not For Vince McMahon’s Company

Businessman and professional wrestler Shane McMahon, son of Vince McMahon, is known as the fourth-generation wrestling promoter. He started working in WWF (now WWE) at the age of 15, starting in the warehouse, but over the years climbed to the position of WWE’s Executive Vice President of Global Media. Shane McMahon resigned from WWE in 2009 only to return in 2016, where he was a prominently featured figure till 2020. His final appearance on WWE was at WrestleMania 39.

Shane McMahon is featured in the documentary television miniseries Mr. McMahon, which explores the controversial life of former chairman and CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon. The six-part documentary series features prominent figures from WWE, including Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and more. The documentary includes about 200 hours of interviews that give an insight to the audience about McMahon and their success as well as the challenges he faced in making WWE what it is today. Fans have specifically pointed out the emotional moments of Shane McMahon as the most relatable part of the documentary.

Shane McMahon gets emotional talking about wanting his father Vince McMahon’s approval

The much-anticipated Mr. McMahon documentary explores the rise and fall of former CEO and Chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, released on September 25, 2024. In the six-episode documentary, Shane MaMahon, son of Vince McMahon, who started working at WWF at the age of 15, noted that he decided to do risky spots in matches only to get some words of appreciation from his father.

Shane McMahon’s interview in the miniseries gives the audience an insight into his experience growing up as the son of the CEO and Chairman of WWE. The young McMahon returned to WWE in 2016 and played a match against The Undertaker at The Acolyte 32 in a Hell in a Cell Match. He lost the match to Undertaker, but his efforts didn’t go unnoticed by his father. Talking about earning Vince McMahon’s respect, he shared (via YardBarker),

I got a hug that night. It was a very emotional return. I got a pat on the back and a hug. Got that one. I had to earn that one. I guess I did.

Vince McMahon later shared in the interview that he never got a seal of approval from his father, but he has always been proud of his son. He went on to reveal that after he patted his son’s back after his match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32, Shane told him, ‘That’s all I ever wanted, was your respect.’

The young McMahon did not shy away from putting it out there that he has had a very strained relationship with his father. But they managed to find a moment where they were equally emotional and proud of each other. An X user (@FadeAwayMedia) shared online,

The Shane McMahon segment is powerful. Showing that all Shane ever wanted was his father’s approval or just a simple pat on the back. He was willing to do anything, even risk himself, just to make Vince proud.

Young McMahon also revealed that it was his father who approached him with the idea of his return in 2016. They didn’t expect the crowd to go insane upon his return, and he added that he could see his father looking at him and having a sense of pride in his eyes. He said it was a huge moment for them.

Vince McMahon disappointed with Mr. McMahon documentary

On the eve of Mr. McMahon’s release, the former WWE CEO took to his social media to express his displeasure with the documentary, as he wrote,

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 documentary falls short and takes the predictable path of conflicting the Mr. McMahon character with my true self, Vince. The title and promos alone make that evident.

He added that a lot of information shared in the miniseries has been misrepresented or left out entirely to leave viewers intently confused. McMahon noted that the use of typical editing tricks with out-of-context footage and dated sound bites was used to distort the fans’ perception and support a deceptive narrative.

He had, however, mentioned that he does not regret participating in the documentary and hopes that the viewers will keep an open mind and remember that there are always two sides to the story. Viewers should keep in mind that the series was filmed before the alleged allegations against the former CEO rolled out and he decided to step down from his position.

Vince McMahon is under investigation for allegations of s*xual misconduct and trafficking. The six-episode documentary is available to stream on Netflix.