Vince McMahon's dad nearly sold his company to WWE Hall of Famer instead of him

The much-awaited Netflix documentary on former Chairman of WWE Vince McMahon premiered on September 25, 2024. The docuseries covers the monumental rise and fall of Mr. McMahon. The series includes interviews with the 79-year-old before his resignation and some of the biggest names in the industry, from The Rock, John Cena, Triple H, and more.

The series has a total of six episodes, which tell stories from Vince McMahon’s personal life to how he grew the business and ends by telling how his career declined when he was tangled in a major controversy.

The first episode of the docuseries, Junior, is about how Mr. McMahon developed his love for wrestling and followed the lead of his father, who was also a promoter.

Mr. McMahon narrated how his father, Vincent J. McMahon, wanted to sell the business, and he was not even considering him to be a potential buyer for the company. Linda McMahon revealed that Mr. McMahon's father almost sold the company to WWE Hall of Famer, commentator, and booker Robert James, also known as Gorilla Monsoon, who was a partner at that time.

While speaking about Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon said:

"When I joined the company, Gorilla Monsoon was the heir apparent, and I could feel the tension right away. Gorilla Monsoon thinks I (Vince) am competition, and boy he was right."

Ultimately, when Vince McMahon proposed to buy his dad’s business, the latter signed a deal with him, where he revealed he would give an unrevealed amount now, then in three-month installments, and then final payment. If he fails to pay any installment, they will get their company back and can keep the rest of the installments as well.

Vincent J. McMahon and his stakeholders liked the deal, and they thought, "This kid is not gonna make it." In the end, when Vince McMahon managed to pay all the money, his father was surprised. Episode One of the docuseries tries to tell a story that the 79-year-old had a strange relationship with his dad.