Warning: Spoilers for Mr. McMahon, episode 1, “Junior"TheMr. McMahondocumentary sheds some light on the oft-forgotten impact of the formerWWEChairman’s late father’s contributions to the wrestling business.His shocking scandals aside, Vince McMahon is still considered a pioneer of the wrestling business based on how he morphed the business into sports entertainment, changing how audiences view the art of professional wrestling. However, there’s at least one overlooked pioneer before him.
Episode one ofNetflix’sMr. McMahondocuseries- titled “Junior” - puts a spotlight onVincent McMahon Sr., the man who ran WWE’s operations before Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr.For all the praise and credit that Vince McMahon receives for what he’s done for WWE and how he changed the wrestling business as a whole, people can’t forget that the chicken always comes before the egg. The documentary takes the time to ensure that viewers understand who Vince Sr. was and how he crafted the model for success that Vince Jr. would eventually perfect.
Who is Vince McMahon Sr.?
The Original Mr. McMahon Dominated the East Coast in the Territories Era
It’s often forgotten that the former WWE Chairman is a third-generation name in the wrestling industry, meaning that he comes from a lineage of people who worked in the business. In this case, he was preceded by his father, Vincent James McMahon, and his grandfather, Jess McMahon.Both Jess and Vince were wrestling promoters in their heyday. Jess McMahon was a promoter for boxing events, concerts, and, of course, wrestling shows.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree as the Harlem native Vince would embark on his own ambitions through professional wrestling. Both men would find themselves involved with Capitol Wrestling Corporation, a wrestling and boxing promotion.There are conflicting reports regarding who actually was the founder of CWC between Jess and Vince, but Vince certainly owned it at one point, becoming highly successful in the process. Most importantly, CWC would eventually be rebranded under WWWF, then WWF, and now, WWE.
According to Vincent K. McMahon during the episode, his father was considered the best promoter in the business.News headlines would call him"Mr. Wrestling” while WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman in the doc outright calls him “The Pope of Madison Square Garden.” In the territories era, each promoter had to run shows in a specific area, and in the WWWF’s case this was the Northeast, including New York, meaning they could have their shows in the popular Madison Square Garden.
It’s interesting to note that, when the CWC transformed into WWWF, the promotion also pulled out of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), after a dispute over CWC wrestler Buddy Rogers losing the NWA Heavyweight title to Lou Thesz. Rogers was then awarded the inaugural WWWF Heavyweight Championship, the precursor of the WWE Championship, which he then lost to Bruno Sammartino, who would then beginthe longest world title reign in WWE history (2,803 days).
Founded in 1948, the NWA was the governing body for the group of regional wrestling promotions colloquially known as “territories”. The NWA had its own championship, which could be defended in any of the territories.
Vince Sr.’s dispute with the NWA surely mirrors what his son would do much later, when Vince Jr. essentially tore down the territory system. However, Vince Sr. always maintained a good relationship with the NWA and never tried to breach into other territories, as his son did later. In fact, the WWWF rejoined the NWA in 1971. Still, mostly thanks to Sammartino’s charisma and his performances at the Garden, the WWWF Championship and the man who carried it assumed a prestige that was on par with the NWA Heavyweight title.
Vince Sr.’s Role in Vince Jr’s Life
A Conflictual Relationship That Would Shape Vince Jr.’s Future
Vince Jr. never knew he came from the McMahon family tree untilhe met his father at 12. Beforehand, he didn’t even know his last name was McMahon. Instead, young Vince lived in a trailer with his mother and violently abusive stepfather. In the first episode of the documentary, Vince Jr. details meeting his father for the first time expecting a big hug, but instead receiving a pat on the back.Vince never learned why his father was absent from his life.They never talked about it, according to him.
Vince Sr. was as emotionally distant toward his son as he was physically distant during his first twelve years of life. What’s most interesting is that Vince Jr. was never sure how to contextualize his father’s distant demeanor, even as an adult. He recalls that despite an awkward first interaction, he immediately fell in love with his dad, perceiving a warmth in his father’s heart that he wanted. Then, Vince immediately dismisses it as"maybe I was bull******** myself."
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Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that Vince Jr’s life changed completely once his father finally entered the picture. He went from living an impoverished lifestyle to entering the luxurious and glamorous world of professional wrestling. Fascinated by the larger-than-life personas of his father and his employees, Vince Jr. started working for the promotion as an announcer and commentator. The wrestling business is also the only means the two would bond. The father-son duo wouldn’t play ball, but they would speak about the business of wrestling exclusively.
How Vince Jr. Took Over His Father’s Business
Taking Over the Empire
Vince proved his value as a promoter when his father sent him to Bangor, a remote outpost of the territory, to run the shows in that town. He was successful and, when his father started talking about retiring, Vince was quick to step in. However, being the son of the boss did not automatically mean that Vince McMahon was destined to run the WWE one day.
In fact, it was Gorilla Monsoon, Vince Sr.’s right-hand man, who was the “heir apparent” of the WWF (as the company had been renamed in 1979), at least according to Vince’s words in the episode. So, to guarantee his spot as the heir, he came to his father with an enticing proposition.The deal was that young Vince would pay off his father in tri-monthly payments.
Vince would pay his father once every three months until the final payment was supplied. If Vince ever missed a payment, then Capitol Wrestling Corporation would go back to Vince Sr., who would then keep all of his son’s money with no refund. According to Vince Jr., his father and Monsoon did not believe he could make the payments, so they accepted.Everyone, including his father, was surprised when Vince made that final payment.
The Differences Between Vince McMahon and His Father
Father and son had more than a few disagreements on how to run the company. Despite having some important and innovative ideas,Vince Sr. did not share his son’s vision of transforming pro wrestling into a form of pure entertainment. The best example is Vince Sr.’s opposition to a young Hulk Hogan, who was in 1982 a rookie in the WWF, taking part in theRocky IIImovie as Thunderlips (the role that would put Hogan on the map). Hogan left for Verne Gagne’s AWA as a result, but when Vince bought his father’s company, he was quick to call Hogan back, priming him as his top star.
Vince Sr. was also against waging war on the other territories, something that his son immediately started doing by poaching their top stars and running and promoting shows outside of the Northeast. In the documentary, Vince says that finally, faced with his success, his father admitted that this was a good idea, and he didn’t care about what the other promoters had to say.
Vince Jr. bought the company in 1982, and Vince Sr. passed away in 1984 from pancreatic cancer.Vince McMahon was able to use the success his father achieved through CWC to make WWE the global, mainstream conglomerate that it is today. While there was some friction between Vince and his father as two men with differing opinions on where they thought pro wrestling should go, that doesn’t change the fact thatWWEwould not have become the empire it is today without Vince McMahon Sr. building the foundation of it himself.
Mr. McMahon
Cast
Mr. McMahon is a six-episode series that chronicles Vince McMahon’s rise as WWE co-founder and his eventual fall due to sexual misconduct allegations. Featuring interviews with McMahon, his family, and wrestling icons, the series offers an in-depth look at his controversial legacy.
