Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, but lacking...., August 27, 2006
I bought this DVD hoping to find out much more then I knew about Vince McMahon, especially concerning his life early on, and working in the "old world" of wrestling. The DVD begins with Vince taking over his father's company and uniting the wrestling territories into one national Federation....it then jumps to him as an announcer and Survivor Series '97.....?!?!
Basically this DVD truly is about "Mr. McMahon", the character....and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of learning about Vince McMahon the person. I admit, there are some great stories in here, and you do find out some things about Vince that most people do not know....but it's often brought up casually in the conversation as if the viewer already knew about it. For example, Vince spent the early part of his life in a trailer park and on/around military bases...this helps give the viewer an idea of what motivated him to work so hard,etc yet is completey glossed over...it would have been nice to spend some time on details like this, so when a story comes around, the viewer already has an understanding of Vince's roots.
The formula here is "McMahon vs Wrestler X; Was it the character or the person?" next...."McMahon vs Wrestler X; How much of Vince is in that character?"...."McMahon and Winning: He likes to win". Very surface level stuff here...they don't REALLY get into depth on the good stories either....ie the infamous court case about steroid use where Hogan and McMahon had a falling out; they simply bring up that they had a beef but now work together again. Lame. Vince, if you truly aren't afraid of anything, tell us what you REALLY think...us fans do want to know.
WWE has had some great DVD sets, and I was looking forward to this one, but the content fell a bit flat for me...it easily could have been 3-discs....1 for the real McMahon, 1 for the Character, and 1 for the extras.
With that said, it certainly is entertaining at points, but 80% of it the general public could have learned somewhere else, or already knows. I definitely would recommend a rental...then decide for yourself. The extras are worth it if you do not own the matches already, and some of the deleted stories are better then what was kept in the main program...a solid package that will entertain, but WWE has done better.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jekyll and Hyde Have Been Fused Together For One DVD Only!, June 17, 2007
I can't understand what everybody's problem with "WWE: MCMAHON" is. Yes, Vince McMahon is an egomaniacal businessman who's made some questionable decisions. But when somebody takes control of an ambitious enterprise and runs it 24/7 for over two decades, what do you expect? Trust me, this 2-disc treatment on the WWE's head maestro is not the self-congratulating borefest we feared it would be.
The DVD mainly focuses on Vince McMahon's role during the creation of the WWF, and during the Attitude Era (late '90s). Some obvious topics like WCW, the Montreal Screwjob, and the Stone Cold Steve Austin feud are given plenty of coverage. Enough interviews from many people bring a good mix of nostaliga for us hardcore fans. However, newer viewers should be able to jump right in. Many WWE documentaries discuss topics that only longtime fans will understand, but the "MCMAHON" program is incredibly easy to follow. For example, when discussing the creation of the WWF, a map shows who owned which territory, and how Vince McMahon made the global entertainment possible.
Some unexpected topics like the XFL, Triple H's marriage into the family, and Vince's in-ring prowess (or lack thereof) are addressed. The amount of detail given to each chapter is impressive, but even better news is that none of the "MCMAHON" feature is done in "kayfabe" (character-speak).
Another pleasant surprise is that the "MCMAHON" documentary shows a very human side to the family. Seeing Vince's warmth when talking about being a grandfather, or admitting that certain storylines went wrong, or listening to his fierce determination to the business, or why he misses the Monday Night Wars --- it's rare to see Vince speak plainly and humble (he occasionally seems caught off-guard). Before I watched this DVD, I wouldn't have thought maybe Bret Hart deserved a little bit of a screwjob, or that maybe the WWE Chairman needs to be on TV from time to time. You won't see a more normal Vince McMahon anywhere, except maybe on the "SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM" DVD.
I have very few criticisms for the documentary on Disc One. I wish the we got a little more info on Vince's commentary days, or more from his childhood and role models. Also, there's no mention whatsoever of Owen Hart's death. Maybe that subject would bother some people, but I agree fellow Amazon reviewers that the tragedy should've been discussed at least briefly. My last gripe is that there is a segment highlighting the McMahon Family's dysfunction on TV, and it goes on for a very long time. It's great that Linda, Shane, and Stephanie all speak plainly about their storylines. However, we see clip after clip after clip after clip...I think the chapter clocked in at 15-20 minutes. Keep in mind that these are very small complaints, and that no WWE documentary is perfect.
The main theme on most WWE documentaries is the duality of their talent. Jake Roberts was a gifted psychologist with insufferable demons. Bret Hart was the best wrestler ever whose potential was cut short by 3 years of horrific tragedy. The Ultimate Warrior was a charismatic physical specimen who couldn't get a grasp on his purpose or personality. Billy Graham was way ahead of his time and went through many years of addiction, but is now a man who loves God and is grateful for his contributions.
Vince McMahon is an ambitious entrepeneur whose ego is what drives him to unparalleled success and to equally shocking failures. Could I be drinking the Kool-Aid of "Mr. Mac-Man"? Yeah, I might be...but doesn't that speak volumes about how persuasive he can be? Watch the "MCMAHON" DVD and its Extra Features...its as entertaining as it is encyclopedic.
EXTRAS
Disc One includes some deleted scenes that all would've been worth being on the main documentary. My personal favorite is William Regal thanking Vince for helping him overcome his drug problems. Disc Two includes 8 matches. I only liked a few of them, but I don't think anybody will be surprised by that. I wish they included his VENGEANCE 2003 match against Zach Gowen because it's (arguably) the best example of McMahon's ring ability, but otherwise it's the best selection you could ask for.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Fair View Of The Boss, November 11, 2007
I know I'm around a year late reviewing this but to be honest, I wasn't interested in this because I thought it would be a DVD version of his "Kiss My Ass" club but I was actually suprized as this was a fair look at both Vince McMahon & his "Mr. McMahon" character in that it openly shows people critizing moves & mistakes he's made in the past along with highlight certain aspects that people heavily forget about when talking about Vince McMahon.
The documentry stars off by talking about the story behind how he became the lead announcer for the WWE. His beginnings of taking WWE national & buying out the local territories is also covered with comments from Greg Gagne about the meeting they had about buying the AWA at one point. The story behind WWE buying Georgia Championship Wrestling & having WWE wrestling on TBS only to lead to a lawsuit with Ted Turner & the deal eventually ending starting the war between Vince & Ted that included losing various WWE talents to WCW like Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall & Kevin "Diesel" Nash. People's assumption of when the Mr. McMahon character began was the next topic of conversation covering his television transition from being the announcer to his real life character of being the owner. The "Survivor Series" screwjob is talked about next & how the heat from that incident helped his character take off. The Steve Austin fued was next with various superstars talking about their favorite moments from it along with highlights & looking back at their infamous cage match. Mr. McMahon's in-ring style is heavy discussed & is a very comedic part of this DVD as everyone just tells the truth in that he's not good in the ring but he knows how to fall down & make it look funny with Triple H going as far as saying "He thinks he's Lou Thesz." The story behind WWE becoming a publicly traded company on the New York stock exchange along WWE's charity work with various companies like Make-A-Wish is also discussed. Here was one of the most shocking parts of the DVD where they talked about the XFL with Joey Styles being very blunt on why the XFL was blasted by the media by incorporating WWE elements into the product (The Rock being the first thing they saw on the first show) & having their cheerleaders acting like strippers instead of traditional cheerleaders. The Bob Costas interview Vince did was discussed before they went into a discussion about the "Katie Vick" incident where The Rock & Joey Styles were very blunt in saying that it was stupid & so over the top that it wasn't funny while Vince says he enjoyed it. Vince's relationship with his family on & off screen is heavily discussed here as the story behind Triple H & Stephanie getting together is finally revealed while the story behind Vince & Linda meeting at church. The Mr. McMahon character's relationship on screen with the divas is talked about with Trish Stratus giving her thoughts on the angle between her & Vince including the time he frenched kiss her infront of Linda on SmackDown. The next conversation was a real highlight here as people from Jerry Lawler to Dusty Rhodes give their opinions on Vince buying WCW & the negative effect it's had on the business since there isn't any more competition. Now what would a Vince McMahon DVD be without talking about the "Kiss My Ass" club as that's briefly talked about before moving on with talk about the brand extention & various talents thoughts on how it's developing & if it's working. The story behind Steve Austin's walkout of the company in 2002 was also talked about before the topic of conversation moved over to the story behind Vince McMahon hiring Eric Bischoff & why he did it. The WM19 fued between Hogan & Vince along with his fued with Zach Gowen are discussed before they show highlights of Vince going into the Madison Square Garden Hall Of Fame. The "behind the scenes" story of the No Mercy match between Stephanie & Vince that happened less than a week from her wedding (and wanting to put that on PPV) is discussed by all the family involved before Stephanie revealed storylines that her dad suggested revolving about her baby that she turned down...and boy, you could understand why after hearing them. The story behind his quad injury at the 2005 Royal Rumble, his "your fired" catchphrase with Matt Hardy & HBK & Sgt. Slaughter telling stories of how they were fired from the company at one point, Vince McMahon showing support to the troops, his life as a grandfather & turning 60, along with his fued with HBK & the precious Muscle & Fitness magazine cover round out the documentry.
DVD extras include interview outtakes such as various talent talking about & imitating the Mr. McMahon walk, Big Show talking about a prank he thought Vince pulled on him during the Iraq trip with a hidden extra of Triple H confirming that Vince pulled the joke on Show, William Regal talking about how Vince took care of him when he had his drug problem, the story behind Vince's motorcycle accident in 1999 that caused him to be on crutches & a wheelchair for several weeks, a funny story where Triple H talks about how competitive Vince is, how Vince is able to convince people to go with his vision of what he wants,
and how Stephanie wants people to remember her dad. Other extras include the infamous performance of "Stand Back" from the Slammy Awards & the highlight video of Vince training for the 1999 Rumble with hidden outtakes of him trying to catch a chicken.
Matches on here include the RAW "match" between Austin & McMahon were Dude Love made his return, the steel cage match against Austin, the handicap Ladder Match with Shane McMahon against Austin, No Holds Barred vs. Triple H, Buried Alive match against Undertaker were he was busted over after the first punch, his "I Quit" match against his daughter Stephanie, and three seperate Street Fights against Shane, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan.
Overall, this DVD was a fair view of both Vince McMahon & his character of Mr. McMahon. The only faults are that they didn't focus enough on the past as we didn't hear anything or really go indept about the early days of the WWF such as the story behind the first WrestleMania, the first run of Hulkamania, the steriod trial that almost put him in jail, and the WBF (which they advertised on the DVD commercial). This product is a year old so those who wanted to check this out have already had the chance but if you haven't yet, it's worth a look.
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