15 Things We Learned From Vince McMahon's Docuseries On Netflix
9. The First Phil Mushnick Segment Is Must See
The second episode has comments from journalist Phil Mushnick. He was particularly aggressive in attacking Vince McMahon for being “a dirtbag”, and the WWF generally for seedy goings on behind the scenes. WWE would surely position Mushnick as a d*ck who just hated wrestling, but Netflix deserves praise for giving the columnist a platform to give his side of things. That's important for balance, especially on neutral ground like this.
There's no attempt to guide viewers down a path here, which should be commended. It's possible to watch, soak everything in, then draw your own conclusions about the ring boy scandal, Rita Chatterton situation and more. Mushnick says Vince was partly responsible: “At best, he’s guilty of neglect”, and Bret Hart’s comments are worth seeing too. He admits that some within the promotion thought horrible things were going on, but nobody could prove it.
Tony Atlas (who was one of the most forthright talking heads) says Pat Patterson would routinely grab his penis in the locker room. When asked if he complained to Vince, he laughed and said: “You don’t know nothing about the wrestling business, do you? You either take it or you go home”. Wow.
In amongst all of that, Mushnick admits he was an FBI informant because they listened when some in mainstream media didn’t.