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Stephanie McMahon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McMahon in 2018 | |
| Born | Stephanie Marie McMahon (1976-09-24)September 24, 1976 (age 48) |
| Alma mater | Boston University (BS) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active |
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| Title |
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| Board member of |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | |
| Family | McMahon |
| Ring names | |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[7] |
| Billed weight | 143 lb (65 kg)[7] |
| Billed from | Greenwich, Connecticut |
| Debut | June 27, 1998 September 20, 1999 (as a wrestler) |
| Retired | April 8, 2018 |
| Signature | |
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Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque[8][9] (/məkˈmæn/;née McMahon; born September 24, 1976)[6] is an American businesswoman and retiredprofessional wrestler. She is known for her various roles withinWWE between 1998 and 2023.[10]
The daughter ofVince andLinda McMahon, she is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a member of theMcMahon family. She began working for WWE at age 13, modeling merchandise for various catalogs. McMahon began appearing regularly on-air for WWE (then WWF as the World Wrestling Federation) in 1999 as a part of a storyline withThe Undertaker. After a brief on-screen relationship withTest, McMahon was engaged toTriple H – whom she married both on-screen and later in real life – which resulted in the McMahon-Helmsley faction storyline. She has held theWWF Women's Championship once. In 2001, she was the on-screen owner ofExtreme Championship Wrestling duringThe Invasion. The following year, she was thegeneral manager of SmackDown, but stopped appearing regularly on television after an"I Quit" match with her father.
After making only sporadic appearances for several years, McMahon began appearing regularly on Raw in 2008 as their general manager before disappearing once again. She returned to regular on-air appearances in 2013, this time under the gimmick of an unctuous, judgmental, bullying owner along with on-screen chief operating officer Triple H. They became apower couple and formed the stableThe Authority, making what were often shady decrees while claiming only to be concerned for "what's best for business", all the while romanticizing each other in the process withpublic displays of affection. McMahon wrestled her final in-ring match atWrestleMania 34 in April 2018, after which she continued to focus on executive roles within the company.
McMahon's business career began as anaccount executive for the WWF offices in New York, before becoming the company's head writer and director of creative writing. In 2006, she was promoted to senior vice president of creative writing. A year later, she became the executive vice president of creative. From 2013 to 2022, McMahon served as the company'schief brand officer. In July 2022, McMahon was briefly named theCEO, the chairwoman, and later was named co-CEO of WWE alongsideNick Khan, following her father's retirement due toprevious accusations of sex trafficking and harassment inside WWE, including allegations of hush money.[11] She then resigned from WWE in January 2023 following her father's return to the company.
Stephanie Marie McMahon was born inHartford, Connecticut, on September 24, 1976, to professional wrestling promotersVince andLinda McMahon.[12] She has an older brother,Shane. McMahon and her family areIrish American, and she has expressed pride of her Irish heritage.[13] During a WWE live event inDublin in 2004, she revealed that her family originally came fromCounty Clare.[14] Her great-grandfather,Jess McMahon, was born to Irish parents who had emigrated fromGalway to New York City during the 1870s.
Soon after McMahon's birth, her family moved toGreenwich, Connecticut, where she attendedGreenwich Country Day School through her elementary years. She started working forWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) at the age of 13 as a model for merchandise catalogs.[15] After graduating fromGreenwich High School in 1994, McMahon attendedBoston University. She graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in communications.[16] She became a full-time employee at the WWF post-graduation.[17]
McMahon entered theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF/E) as a model for the WWF's sales and merchandise department, but started her WWF business career as anaccount executive for the WWF offices in New York.[8][18] In her early years with the company, she didreception work, creative design, television production, and acted as a ring performer. In November 2000, McMahon became head writer of the company, replacingChris Kreski.[19][20] After spending time as the director ofcreative writing, a job she had by 2002,[20] she was promoted to Senior Vice President of Creative Writing in 2006.
McMahon was promoted to executive vice president of Creative in 2007. She was responsible for overseeing the creative process (storylines) for all television and pay-per-view programming. She oversaw all aspects of talent management and branding, live event booking and marketing, and all social and digital media properties.[8]
As executive vice-president of Creative, McMahon was able to spearhead the upbringing of the WWE app, which has been downloaded over 20 million times. She was also able to launch a huge partnership with theUSO metropolitan Washington, the social media companyTout, and was able to partner withYahoo to bringWWE content.[21] Stephanie also led WWE's Creative coalition for their Anti Bullying Campaigns.[citation needed]
On December 4, 2013, WWE announced the promotion of McMahon tochief brand officer, where she will lead efforts to further enhance WWE's brand reputation among key constituents including advertisers, media, business partners, and investors.[22] She will also serve as the lead ambassador of WWE and work with business units to support key growth initiatives.[22] She will also lead WWE's targeted youth and moms marketing programs.[citation needed]
McMahon's new position enabled her to spearhead the continued partnership withGeneral Mills'Totino's brand.
On February 5, 2014, McMahon along withCMO andCRO Michelle Wilson announced a partnership between WWE andKaBOOM! to build a playground for WWE's annualWrestleMania week in Louisiana. McMahon earned a combined salary of over $775,000 between her corporate role and as an on-screen talent in 2013. She also owns over $77 million in WWE stock.[23]
On April 15, 2014, during WWE's annual Business Partners Summit, McMahon confirmed that a new WWE logo would debut the night after WWESummerSlam, although it was already showing up on WWE products like theWWE Network andNXT.
On August 5, at the Needham fireside conference, McMahon alongside her husband Triple H, and WWE Chief strategy and financial officer George Barrios, discussed the Creative side of WWE, theWWE Network, and the difference between WWE andUFC.[24]
On May 19, 2022, McMahon tweeted that she would be taking a leave of absence from the majority of her responsibilities at WWE. She stated that she looked forward to returning to the company in the near future and was taking time off to focus on family.[25]
On June 17, 2022, amidst an investigation by WWE's board of directors into reported "hush money" paid to a former employee by Vince McMahon following an affair, McMahon stepped down as chairman and CEO of WWE and was replaced by his daughter Stephanie as the interim chairwoman and CEO of WWE.[26][27]
On July 22, 2022, Vince McMahon retired from WWE and named his daughter the company's new chairwoman and Co-CEO (alongside Nick Khan).[28]Triple H then replacedVince McMahon as Head of WWE creative.[29] On January 10, 2023, McMahon Levesque resigned as Co-CEO of WWE and from the company, following her father Vince McMahon's return to the company as executive chairman.[30][31]
In early 1999, at the suggestion of WWF writerVince Russo[32] McMahon debuted as the innocent and friendly daughter ofVince McMahon during an on-screen storyline involving Vince andThe Undertaker.[33] The Undertaker stalked and abducted McMahon at the end of the AprilBacklash pay-per-view, which culminated in him almost marrying her in the middle of the ring the next night onRaw, before being rescued byStone Cold Steve Austin.[34]
McMahon then began an on-screen relationship with wrestlerTest, which led to arivalry between him and her older brotherShane.[35] After Test defeated Shane atSummerSlam in a "Love Her Or Leave Her Match",[36] McMahon and Test went on to team together in a match on September 20, 1999, with the couple defeatingJeff Jarrett andDebra.[37] The couple were eventually engaged, but during the in-ring ceremony,Triple H showed a video which revealed that he had drugged McMahon and taken her toLas Vegas, Nevada, where they were married in adrive-through ceremony.[38][39] McMahon seemed to abhor Triple H at first, but at the inauguralArmageddon event, after Triple H defeated her father in a No Holds Barred Match, left with him after embracing. McMahon confronted Vince the next night onRaw and revealed the wedding was a planned event, which was a revenge plot against her father for the aforementioned kidnappings, thus turning her heel for the first time in her career.[39][40]
In late 1999, with Vince McMahon absent as a result of injuries inflicted upon him by Triple H at the Armageddon pay-per-view, Triple H and McMahon became the on-screen owners of the WWF, a period known as the "McMahon-Helmsley Era" (slightly different from the modern era of "The Authority") and dominated by the McMahon-Helmsley Faction.[41] Triple H held theWWF Championship and McMahon held theWWF Women's Championship after defeating championJacqueline with the help ofTori andD-Generation X on the March 28 episode of SmackDown![42] McMahon successfully defended her title against Lita onSmackDown on June 6 and 16.[43] McMahon reconciled with her father and brother atWrestleMania 2000 when they helped Triple H defend his title againstThe Rock, leavingLinda McMahon as the onlyfan-favorite in the McMahon family.[44]
In mid-2000, alove triangle storyline began featuring McMahon, Triple H andKurt Angle.[45] The storyline continued atUnforgiven when Triple H defeated Angle with aPedigree following alow blow from McMahon, proving her loyalty to him.[46] McMahon later became Angle's manager and was in his corner when he defeated The Rock for the WWF Championship atNo Mercy.[47] The alliance was short-lived, however, as after The Rock performed hisRock Bottom maneuver on McMahon at No Mercy, Triple H attacked Angle, considering it his fault that McMahon was hurt due to her managing Angle at the time.[48] On the August 21, 2000, episode ofRaw, McMahon lost the WWF's Women's Championship toLita despite the interferences from Angle andTriple H after special referee, The Rock, performed a spinebuster on McMahon.[49]
The internal disputes between the McMahons led to Linda McMahon being in a comatose and wheel-chair bound state due to the stress of being asked for a divorce by Vince, who took the opportunity to have a public affair withTrish Stratus.[50][51] McMahon briefly feuded with Stratus, defeating her atNo Way Out.[52] Over the next few weeks, Vince made it clear that he favored McMahon over Stratus, allowing McMahon to bully and verbally abuse Stratus.[51] AtWrestleMania X-Seven, Shane McMahon defeated Vince in astreet fight.[51] During the match, Stratus slapped Vince and chased Stephanie from ringside, apparently upset with Vince's constantmisogynistic treatment of her.[50][51]
McMahon later revealed that she had purchasedExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and intended to bankrupt the WWF (in reality, the ownership of ECW assets at this time was highly disputed), along with her brother Shane, who had become the on-screen owner ofWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the two rosters merged to form a "supergroup" known asThe Alliance.[35][53]
Her team The Alliance consisting of her brother Shane, former WCW Champion Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Stone Cold Steve Austin were defeated by Team WWF consisting of The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, Chris Jericho and The Rock atSurvivor Series in a five-on-five, Winner Takes All elimination match.[54] The night after The Alliance was defeated, Shane and Stephanie were banished from WWF television.[55] McMahon returned in January 2002 when Triple H made a comeback as a fan-favorite, but the good couple began having problems, as McMahon began acting like a nagging and clingy wife.[39]
As part of the storyline, the couple "divorced" after McMahon claimed to be pregnant to trick Triple H into renewing their marital vows.[56] Triple H later discovered that she was lying though and left her at the altar during the renewal ceremony.[57] As a result, after Triple H won theRoyal Rumble, McMahon appointed herself as the special guest referee in a match betweenKurt Angle and Triple H atNo Way Out with Triple H'sWrestleManiaUndisputed WWF Championship shot on the line.[57] Though Angle won thanks to McMahon's biased officiating,[58] Triple H defeated him the next night to regain his title shot.[59] McMahon then aligned herself with former enemy,Chris Jericho.[35][59] Despite interference by McMahon, Jericho lost to Triple H atWrestleMania X8 on March 17.[60] On the March 25 episode ofRaw, Jericho and McMahon lost to Triple H in aTriple Threat match for the Undisputed Championship, with the stipulation that, if McMahon was pinned, she would be forced to leave the WWF. In the match, McMahon came within a one count of becoming the first female WWE Champion in a pin on Jericho, but was ultimately pinned by Triple H.[61]
On July 18, 2002, McMahon returned to the WWE (formerly WWF until a lawsuit from theWorld Wildlife Fund) as thegeneral manager ofSmackDown!.[62] In contrast to her McMahon-Helmsley era villain character, McMahon became afan favorite, as she began to favor fan favorite wrestlers at that time. She feuded with Raw general manager Eric Bischoff. On the October 31 episode ofSmackDown! at a Halloween party, McMahon and Bischoff shared a kiss while McMahon was dressed as a witch and Bischoff was disguised as her father underneath a mask.[63] McMahon was given credit for the return of theWWE United States Championship and for the creation of theWWE Tag Team Championship.[64] She was also credited with signingHulk Hogan back toSmackDown!, which caused friction between herself and her father.[65]
In the summer of 2003, Vince McMahon began to resent Stephanie's attempts to stop him from pursuing an affair withSable.[66] In a controversial segment ofSmackDown!, John Cena requested that Stephanie rip Sable's top off and that he be allowed to slap Stephanie's buttocks; she agreed to it and he slapped her buttocks, after which she went backstage, fought Sable, and ripped Sable's top off briefly exposing Sable's breasts on air. The feud culminated in the controversial first ever father-daughter"I Quit" match atNo Mercy.[67][68] McMahon was accompanied by her mother, the CEO of WWE Linda McMahon, and Sable accompanied Vince in their match.[67] McMahon lost when Linda, at ringside threw in a towel on her behalf because Vince did not release a choke he had on her with a lead pipe.[67] As a result of losing the match, McMahon was forced to step down as SmackDown! general manager. The match was made to write Stephanie out of storylines as she was marryingTriple H that week.[69]
McMahon returned as avillainess once again on October 3, 2005, forRaw Homecoming, where she confronted Stone Cold Steve Austin and received aStunner.[70] On October 10, 2005, she, along with her father and, in a surprise twist, her mother firedRaw announcerJim Ross.[71]
A visibly pregnant McMahon also returned on the March 6, 2006, episode ofRaw, approachingShawn Michaels backstage and claiming to haveabdominal pains.[72] When Michaels left to get her some water, McMahon pulled out an unmarked substance out of her brassiere and poured it into his bottle of water.[72] This substance caused him to become groggy during his match against Shane later in the night, which he lost as a result.[72] McMahon also appeared at theWWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 1, 2006, and in a backstagevignette with her immediate family atWrestleMania 22.[73]
McMahon returned during a backstage segment in April 2007 atWrestleMania 23, visiting her father before his "Battle of the Billionaires" match.[74] After her father returned toRaw after faking his own death,[75] McMahon publicly revealed that her father had an illegitimate child, who was among the WWE roster.[76] On the taped edition ofRaw that aired September 3, 2007, McMahon, along with her mother Linda and her brother Shane, made several appearances to confront Mr. McMahon about the child, who was later revealed to beHornswoggle, turning into a fan favorite.[77] OnRaw's 15 Year Anniversary episode, she appeared along with Shane in a segment—also involving her husbandTriple H andHornswoggle—which ended with her kissing her real life husbandTriple H, to humiliate her father onRaw.[78]
After the severe injuries sustained by Vince on the June 23, three-hour edition ofRaw, Shane appeared requesting for the Raw Superstars to stand together during what was a 'turbulent time'.[79][80] Shane's plea was ignored, and subsequently, for the next two weeks, McMahon and Shane urged the superstars to show solidarity.[81][82] The following week, Shane announcedMike Adamle as their choice to be the newRaw general manager.[83]
After Adamle stepped down as general manager, McMahon soon became in charge of the brand and (reignited her feud) by having altercations withChris Jericho in the following weeks, which involved her firing him (although he was later reinstated).[84] After her father Vince returned, the family began a feud withRandy Orton, who began the storyline by punting Vince in the head.[85] After a few weeks of feuding, Orton and his alliance,The Legacy, punted Shane in the head and performed anRKO on McMahon.[86] Following the attack, he was chased out of the ring by Triple H, her real-life husband.[86] The rivalry among Orton, the Legacy and the McMahons heated up when Orton attacked and kissed Stephanie. Triple H and the Legacy's rivalry continued atWrestleMania 25, where Triple H defended theWWE Championship against Orton.[87] The following month, Orton won the championship atBacklash.[88] After Backlash, McMahon left Raw and took a hiatus from WWE television.
McMahon appeared on the November 1 episode ofRaw in a pre-taped segment, where she dreamt that Vince awoke from a coma after his doctor, played by actor and one-time WWE employeeFreddie Prinze Jr., informed him that his wife Linda had invested millions in her campaign as she runs for senate.[6] Vince's heart rate elevated more and more as Prinze informed him on what was "wrong" with WWE since he went into a coma.[6] After beginning to feel better, Vince realizes that he has a serious case of "the runs", in which he gets out of bed and walks to the bathroom, in which he is covered in campaign signs, that block his backside.[6] McMahon suddenly wakes up from her dream and asks her husband, Triple H (off-screen and voice work only), if Vince was still in a coma, in which Triple H replies "Yeah, he's in a coma. I'm pretty sure he's brain dead."; McMahon responds by saying "Thank God," and then lays back down.
McMahon made an appearance as a guest speaker at theWrestleMania XXVII Press Conference.[6] Several months later, she appeared in a backstage segment atSummerSlam to wishCM Punk luck in his match.[6] Upon offering to shake his hand, Punk declined and insulted her: "I would, but ... I know where that hand's been."[6] The following night onRaw, McMahon appeared backstage with CM Punk and threatened him: "... in the end, people always get what they deserve."[6]
On July 23, 2012, McMahon made an appearance on the 1000th episode ofRaw where she confronted and then slappedPaul Heyman to convince him to accept a match betweenBrock Lesnar and Triple H atSummerSlam.[6] On April 6, 2013, McMahon inducted former on-screen rivalTrish Stratus into theWWE Hall of Fame.[89]
On June 3, 2013, McMahon made an appearance to reveal her decision not to allowTriple H to compete that night.[90] On the June 17 episode ofRaw, McMahon confronted new Divas ChampionAJ Lee.[91] On the July 8 episode ofRaw, McMahon firedVickie Guerrero from the position of Raw Managing Supervisor when the WWE Universe voted "Failed" during Guerrero's job evaluation.[92]
On the August 19 episode ofRaw, McMahon turnedheel when she interruptedDaniel Bryan and supported the actions of her husband atSummerSlam the previous night, telling Bryan that he wasn't suitable to be the face of the company. Later in the night McMahon stood beside Triple H and her father as they celebratedRandy Orton's WWE Championship Coronation, during which Daniel Bryan was attacked byThe Shield and subsequently by Orton. In November 2013, McMahon signed a three-year performer's contract with the WWE, confirming her as a regular on its programming.[93] She and Triple H continued to rule the company as a controlling "power couple" dubbedThe Authority. Swearing that their actions were "best for business", the pair belittled and punished any talent that went against their ideology, and formed a particular vendetta againstDaniel Bryan. McMahon was at ringside when Triple H lost to Bryan atWrestleMania XXX.
In June 2014, as part of the ongoing storyline with Bryan, McMahon threatened to fire his wifeBrie Bella if Bryan did not relinquish theWWE World Heavyweight Championship, which forced Brie to quit before slapping McMahon in the face.[94] On the June 16 episode ofRaw,Roman Reigns spiked the coffee Vickie Guerrero gave to McMahon, causing Stephanie to throw up on Vickie and leave with Triple H to the hospital. Vickie later gave Reigns a chance in the battle royal, which he would win.[95] On the June 23 episode ofRaw, Vickie lost in apudding match against McMahon with her job on the line, after interference byAlicia Fox,Layla andRosa Mendes. Vickie ultimately lost the match and was fired; however, she got her retribution over McMahon by throwing her into the mud pool.[96] After Brie quit, McMahon put Brie's sisterNikki in several handicap matches as punishment.[97][98][99][100] Brie returned to television on the July 21 episode ofRaw, appearing in the crowd leading to a confrontation between the two. McMahon was (kayfabe) arrested and charged with assault and battery, because she slapped Brie, who was not a (kayfabe) WWE employee.[101] The following week, McMahon granted Brie her job back and a match atSummerSlam against her to get Brie to drop the lawsuit.[102] On the August 4 episode ofRaw, after their contract signing, McMahonpedigreed both twins.[103] At SummerSlam, Nikki turned on Brie, allowing Stephanie to hit a pedigree on Brie having Stephanie win her first pay per view match in over 10 years.[104]
On the October 27 episode ofRaw, after John Cena, the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, rejected an offer to join the Authority, Triple H announced a Traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination match, with a team representing the Authority facing a team captained by Cena. On the November 3 episode ofRaw, Vince McMahon announced that if Team Authority loses at Survivor Series, the Authority will be ousted from power. During the match, Triple H tried to get the last member of Team Cena, Dolph Ziggler, eliminated by attacking two referees and placing Seth Rollins (who was also the final member of Team Authority) on top of Ziggler and calling crooked referee Scott Armstrong into the ring to make the count; however, the debuting Sting came out and attacked Armstrong and Triple H, giving Team Cena the win and thus disbanding The Authority. Stephanie and Triple H appeared on the episode ofRaw after Survivor Series stating that without them the company would be driven to the ground. They were then escorted out of the arena by the returning Daniel Bryan and only to be insulted by Mr.McMahon for letting him down and the McMahon family before exiting the arena. On the December 29 episode ofRaw, The Authority was brought back in power by John Cena, and she and her husband entered and stepped on the entrance ramp celebrating their return with a glass of champagne and a kiss.[105] Stephanie and Triple H then proceeded to fire Erick Rowan, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler.
On the July 13, 2015, episode ofRaw, Stephanie interrupted Team Bella (The Bella Twins andAlicia Fox) to introduceBecky Lynch,Charlotte, and then-NXT Women's ChampionSasha Banks, calling for a "revolution" in theWWE Divas division. While Lynch and Charlotte allied withPaige, Banks would ally withTamina andNaomi, leading to a brawl between the three teams.[106]
On the February 22, 2016, episode ofRaw, Mr. McMahon presented the "Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence" award to Stephanie. Before she could start her acceptance speech,Shane McMahon returned for the first time since 2009 and demanded to gain control ofRaw, claiming The Authority was running the company to the ground. Mr. McMahon accepted the offer, only if he won one more match. Shane accepted, and Mr. McMahon announced he would wrestle atWrestleMania 32 against The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. On the post-WrestleMania episode ofRaw on April 4, Mr. McMahon opened the show to announce that his returning son, Shane, would runRaw for one night only. However, Shane continued to runRaw due to "overwhelming fan support" until the April 25 episode ofRaw, when Stephanie returned to announce that Mr. McMahon would decide who'd permanently controlRaw atPayback. Mr. McMahon announced that both Stephanie and Shane would runRaw together on a permanent basis, thus disbanding The Authority.
On the July 11 episode ofRaw, Mr. McMahon announced Stephanie as the commissioner of the Raw brand, while Shane was named commissioner of SmackDown for them to compete against each other in the upcoming reestablished brand extension. The following week onRaw, Stephanie appointedMick Foley as the Raw general manager. The next week onRaw, Stephanie and Mick Foley announced theWWE Universal Championship would be the main championship onRaw.
On the October 11 episode ofSmackDown, CommissionerShane McMahon and general managerDaniel Bryan challenged Raw to three traditionalSurvivor Series elimination matches – involving each brand's best five male wrestlers, best five female wrestlers, and best five tag teams, respectively. The following week onRaw, Raw Commissioner Stephanie accepted the challenge. On the November 7 episode ofRaw, Stephanie invited both Shane and Bryan to appear on the following week'sRaw to address theinterpromotional matches, which Shane and Bryan accepted. During this meeting, each commissioner and general manager touted the reasons why their respective brand was better and eventually called out their respective male teams. In the ensuing battle, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins of Team Raw stood tall at the end. AtSurvivor Series, Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw, On the March 20 episode ofRaw, Foley was fired as Raw general manager for his actions. In April, Stephanie was written out of the storyline after being pushed accidentally through a table atWrestleMania 33 by Triple H, and did not appear on WWE TV for many months. However, McMahon made a one-off appearance afterKevin Owens assaulted her father on the September 12 edition ofSmackDown.[107]
McMahon returned to Raw on the October 30, 2017, episode, confronting Raw general manager Kurt Angle regarding Shane and the Smackdown roster's attack on the Raw roster at the end of the previous week's Raw, naming him team captain for Raw at theSurvivor Series pay-per-view, warning him that if Raw is not victorious over Smackdown at the pay-per-view, she was considering dismissing him from being Raw general manager. On the December 18 episode ofRaw, after a six-woman tag team match between the team ofSasha Banks,Bayley, andMickie James and Absolution (Paige,Mandy Rose, andSonya Deville) ended in disqualification and a brawl ensued with the rest of the Raw women's roster (Alicia Fox,Asuka,Nia Jax,Dana Brooke, and Raw Women's ChampionAlexa Bliss), Raw Commissioner Stephanie came out and the brawl stopped. Stephanie recapped the leaps that women's wrestling had taken the past few years, going from a revolution to the evolution of women's wrestling, including thefirst-ever women'sHell in a Cell match, thefirst-ever women'sMoney in the Bank ladder match, and women main eventingRaw andSmackDown. She then announced the first-ever women's Royal Rumble Match for the 2018 Royal Rumble with the winner receiving a match at WrestleMania 34 for either the Raw Women's Championship or SmackDown Women's Championship.
Upon the signing ofRonda Rousey, McMahon embarked on a feud with her, leading to a mixed tag-team match atWrestleMania 34 against Rousey andKurt Angle with her husband,Triple H as her partner. This was McMahon's first match sinceSummerSlam (2014) and her first-ever WrestleMania match. At the event, her team was defeated when she tapped out to Rousey's armbar.[108] Following this loss, Stephanie would begin making only sporadic appearances on TV.
On the July 23 episode ofRaw, McMahon returned to announce a match betweenKevin Owens andBraun Strowman at the August 19SummerSlam Pay Per View. The match was created with a stipulation that if Strowman loses the match in any way, he loses hisMoney in the Bank contract to Owens. On that same episode, McMahon also announced the upcoming all-womenEvolution Pay Per View. On the September 24 edition ofRaw, Stephanie returned as aface for the first time since 2013 when she told Baron Corbin about the lack of leadership he had been doing and if he doesn't improve that she would bring back Kurt Angle from vacation.She also returned on the1000th Episode of SmackDown on Truth TV.
On the November 12 episode ofRaw, McMahon returned to rally Team Raw at the Survivor Series and confronted Braun Strowman to make the business proposition that if Team Raw is victorious, she promised him to have a match with Baron Corbin and a Universal Championship rematch against Brock Lesnar.
On April 15, 2019, episode ofRaw, McMahon turnedheel once again by supporting her brother's actions against The Miz's father and also insulting the fans by saying Kurt Angle had his last match, telling them to get over it and also insulting the Montreal crowd.
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She was then seen as a moreneutral character, appearing very sporadically. She announced the draft picks during the2019 WWE Draft, and introduced the live broadcast ofWrestleMania 36. On May 19, 2022, McMahon announced aleave of absence from the company, stating that she wished to spend time with her family.[109] On June 17, 2022, Stephanie McMahon was announced as theinterim chairwoman and CEO following an investigation by the board of directors into allegations of sexual misconduct towards her father, Vince McMahon. On July 22, 2022, upon her appointment as the permanent chairwoman of WWE following her father Vince's retirement, she returned on the following episode ofSmackDown to thank the fans for their support on social media.
On January 10, 2023, McMahon announced her resignation from WWE upon her father's return as chairman of the company.[110]
AtWrestleMania XL, Stephanie made an unannounced return at the start of the show on Night 2 to welcome all fans in attendance. This was her first appearance since her father's resignation as chairman of the newly formedTKO Group Holdings, formed between the merger of the WWE and UFC in September 2023, amidst the controversial sex trafficking scandal involving a former WWE employee. She then announced the draft picks during the2024 WWE Draft in late April 2024.
AtSummerSlam in August 2024, Stephanie was in attendance at ringside among the fans watching the event. In the post-event press conference, Triple H confirmed that she is not currently in a position within the company but is not ruling out a return.
McMahon has appeared onThe Howard Stern Show,Jimmy Kimmel Live!, andOpie and Anthony. In May 2000, Stephanie appeared at the WBCN River Rave on-stage with friend, Cali, to introduce Godsmack and sign autographs in the festival area. In November 2001, McMahon appeared on a special episode ofNBC'sThe Weakest Link where WWF personalities competed against each other for their respective charities. She made it to the final two but lost toTriple H.[111] On August 14, 2005, McMahon along withStacy Keibler, appeared on the season five finale ofMTV'sPunk'd, where she assisted with the prank played on Triple H.[112]
On March 28, 2009, McMahon appeared alongsideher mother onBusiness News Network'sThe Market Morning Show. McMahon as well has made several appearances on variousESPN shows. On November 11, 2009, McMahon appeared on an episode ofFood Network'sDinner: Impossible alongside wrestlerBig Show. In October 2013, Stephanie became the honorary chairperson for the Special Olympics of Connecticut.
McMahon has also appeared in numerous WWE video games which include:WWF WrestleMania 2000,WWF SmackDown!,WWF No Mercy,WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role,WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It,WWE Raw 2,WWE WrestleMania X8,WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth,WWE Crush Hour,WWE WrestleMania XIX,WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009,WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011,WWE '13,WWE 2K14,WWE Immortals,WWE 2K16,WWE 2K17,WWE 2K18,WWE 2K19,WWE 2K20,WWE 2K Battlegrounds,WWE 2K22,WWE 2K23 andWWE 2K24.
McMahon was periodically featured during the first season of theE! television seriesTotal Divas. On December 2, 2014, WWE released theWWE Fit Series, starring McMahon as a trainer in a fitness video designed for women. Triple H starred in a similar video for men titledWWE Power Series.
McMahon has appeared on promotional posters for WWE events such as theRoyal Rumble of 2006 and theElimination Chamber of 2014.
McMahon appeared in a voice over role as herself in the direct-to-video animated filmScooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon.
In May 2016, McMahon announced via Twitter that she was writing her memoir that was expected in 2020 but was never released.[113]
She has also participated in a celebrity edition of theCBS reality seriesUndercover Boss, disguised as a new employee just starting out in the WWE business office.
McMahon began dating Paul Levesque, better known asTriple H, in 2000 during their scripted romance. The couple were engaged onValentine's Day in 2003 and were married on October 25, 2003, in a Catholic ceremony at St. Teresa of Avila Church inSleepy Hollow, New York.[114][115] In a radio interview withOpie and Anthony in 2004, Levesque claimed he began dating McMahon after being apart from his previous girlfriend,Joanie Laurer ("Chyna"), for some time, despite Laurer's claims his relationship with McMahon began while they were still together.[116] After their marriage, Stephanie took her husband's surname and legally changed her middle name to McMahon.[9][117] The couple have three daughters together:[118] Aurora Rose (born 2006),[119] Murphy Claire (born 2008),[120] and Vaughn Evelyn (born 2010).[121]
McMahon is aRepublican. She and Levesque donated $2,700 to former New Jersey governorChris Christie's2016 presidential campaign.[122]
Over the years, McMahon has been recognized byForbes in the publication's annual World's Most Influential CMO list, and in 2020 she was named the world's most influential female CMO, earning the No. 2 position overall.[citation needed] McMahon was named a Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award Honoree at the 2017 ESPN Humanitarian Awards. Additionally, Adweek has included her in their list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports for the past five years and previously chose her as a 2019 Brand Genius honore.[133]
Former WWE wrestlerShelly Martinez who wrestled in WWE under the ring name Ariel praised McMahon stating "Stephanie McMahon was always very straight-forward with me, and I liked it."[134][135]
,Internet Wrestling Database| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chairwoman ofWWE 2022–2023 | Succeeded by Vince McMahon as executive chairman |
| Preceded by | CEO ofWWE 2022–2023 With:Nick Khan | Succeeded by Nick Khan |
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