WWE and Blumhouse are partnering for a limited series called The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon that will chronicle the events surrounding the steroid distribution trial of 1994.
Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn will hold executive producer credits along with Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold.
The show will delve into WWE during the 1990s, at the time Rupert Murdoch had purchased the New York Post to further his massive infiltration into the U.S. media landscape. For years, infamous Post writer Phil Mushnick regularly hammered WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon in his column. Headlines like “Legislators Give WWE A Free Pass On ‘Roids” and “McMahon Skips Through the Cemetery” eventually captured the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York – the nation’s most prestigious federal prosecutor’s office with a conviction rate of over 96 percent
In 1994, the U.S. government indicted McMahon for allegedly supplying anabolic steroids to WWE talent. McMahon, with his liberty at stake, two school-aged children at home and with WWE on the brink of bankruptcy, refused to take a plea deal. Ultimately, McMahon stood trial and was acquitted unanimously by a jury of his peers and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar global sports entertainment empire.
The press release cites the Southern District of New York, it was actually the Eastern District for clarification.
McMahon was found not guilty on two counts of distributing steroids and one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids with the verdict read on July 23, 1994. The trial featured several wrestlers taking the stand including Hulk Hogan that coincided with his WCW debut that month.
Dark Side of the Ring will be doing an episode on the trial later this season, which will include an interview with Jerry McDevitt, who was the attorney that represented WWE in the case.
There was extensive coverage of the trial from Wade Keller in the Pro Wrestling Torch, Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and retrospectives over the years including reporter David Bixenspan’s coverage and The Lapsed Fan Podcast that dove into the story.
