Veteran Vince McMahon Reporter Calls Him A Sociopath, Compares Him To Hannibal Lecter

Last month, Netflix unveiled a new docuseries, titled "Mr. McMahon," covering the career of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon. One of the common questions coming out of the series centered on identifying where the showman layer of McMahon ended and the ones of human began. During a recent episode on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," veteran journalist and long-time WWE critic Phil Mushnick provided his candid take on McMahon as a human being — a take that drew comparisons to one of fiction's most unhinged villains. 

"My empirical knowledge, my knowledge based on research, based on interviews and interviews with really good people. I've met some wonderful people. Bruno Sammartino was one of the most noble people I have met because he told the truth. But based on what I know of Vince McMahon, he's the closest thing to the fictional character, Hannibal Lecter, I've ever met," Mushnick said. "He is that sick. I think he is a sociopath."

The cannibalistic character of Hannibal Lecter made its silver screen debut in the 1986 thriller film "Manhunter," in which it was portrayed by Brian Cox. Perhaps the most famous portrayal of Lecter came courtesy of Anthony Hopkins, who starred in the 1991 horror-thriller "The Silence of the Lambs."

Ahead of the "Mr. McMahon" premiere, McMahon himself released a statement claiming that the six-part docuseries pushed a "deceptive" narrative that conflated the on-screen "Mr. McMahon" persona with his real personality. McMahon also reportedly tried to buy back the rights to the series from Netflix before it aired, though his efforts were unsuccessful.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Piers Morgan Uncensored" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.