Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon
An image of Stephanie McMahon.
Statistics
Ring name(s) Stephanie McMahon[1]
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley[1]
Billed height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Billed weight 135 lb (61 kg)[1]
Born September 24, 1976 (1976-09-24) (age 33)[1]
Hartford, Connecticut
Resides Greenwich, Connecticut
Billed from Greenwich, Connecticut
Debut 1999

Stephanie Marie McMahon-Levesque[2] (born September 24, 1976)[1] better known by her maiden name Stephanie McMahon, is World Wrestling Entertainment's Executive Vice President, Creative Development & Operations.[2][3] She is the daughter of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and WWE CEO Linda McMahon, and is the younger sister of Shane McMahon. She is married to Paul Levesque (Triple H), with whom she has two daughters.[4]

McMahon regularly appeared on WWE television between 1999 and 2003. She is both a former WWF Women's Champion and a former SmackDown General Manager. Prior to being a General Manager on SmackDown!, she co-owned ECW with Paul Heyman as part of The Alliance storyline in 2001. She currently appears on Raw, acting as the General manager, and has become the first character in WWE to be general manager of both shows.

Contents

Involvement in storylines

Abduction by the Undertaker; relationship with Test

She first appeared in an on-camera role by modeling WWF merchandise. In early 1999, she became involved in an on-screen storyline involving her father, Vince McMahon, and The Undertaker. The Undertaker stalked and abducted McMahon and almost "married" her in the middle of the ring in an "Unholy Wedding" ceremony performed by Paul Bearer, until Steve Austin, her father's then nemesis, rescued her. The Undertaker did this to torment Vince, or so it seemed—but later it was revealed that he and Vince had been in cahoots the entire time. McMahon and her mother Linda sided with Vince's nemesis Austin, and Vince responded by having the Undertaker kidnap McMahon a second time.

McMahon then began an on-screen relationship with wrestler Test, which led to a heated rivalry between him and her older brother Shane, who viewed Test as not being good enough for her. After Test defeated Shane at SummerSlam in a "love her or leave her" Greenwich Streetfight, Shane stopped objecting and began to side with Test and McMahon to prove he was supportive.[5] McMahon and Test went on to team together in a match on September 20, 1999, with the couple defeating Jeff Jarrett and Debra. The couple were eventually engaged, but their original wedding date had to be postponed after The British Bulldog accidentally hit McMahon with a thrown trash can, giving her a concussion and amnesia. A later date was set, but during the in-ring ceremony, Triple H showed a video which revealed that he had drugged McMahon and taken her to Las Vegas, Nevada where they were married in a drive-through ceremony. This effectively ended the relationship between her and Test. McMahon seemed to abhor Triple H at first, but eventually revealed that she had sided with him and that the wedding was real—a revenge plot against her father for the aforementioned kidnappings.

McMahon-Helmsley era

Main article: McMahon-Helmsley Faction

In 2000, with Vince McMahon absent as a result of injuries inflicted upon him by Triple H at the 1999 Armageddon event, Triple H and McMahon became the on-screen owners of the WWF, a period known as the "McMahon-Helmsley Era" and dominated by the McMahon-Helmsley Faction.[6] Stephanie underwent a complete character transformation with her "girl next door" image turning much more cold hearted and sinister complete with revealing outfits and wild, curly hair from her previously straightened hair. Triple H held the WWF Championship and McMahon held the WWF Women's Championship after several interferences and a DDT from Tori against her opponent, defending champion Jacqueline. McMahon reconciled with her father and brother at WrestleMania 2000 when they helped Triple H defend his title against The Rock, leaving Linda McMahon as the only fan-favorite in the McMahon family.[7] Linda and McMahon exchanged slaps throughout the summer of 2000. Throughout 2000, McMahon used villainous wrestlers to try and eliminate her enemies, including The Rock, Chris Jericho, and Lita. Jericho in particular enraged McMahon by him, Edge and Christian calling her a "Filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, bottom-feeding trash bag ho", leading to a series of matches between him and Triple H. McMahon lost the WWF's Women's Championship to Lita in the first women's Raw main event match on August 21, 2000.

In late 2000, a love triangle storyline began featuring McMahon, Triple H and Kurt Angle.[8] One of the most memorable points of the storyline took place during the SummerSlam 2000 pay-per-view as Triple H inadvertently knocked Angle out before EMTs carried him unconscious from the arena. The storyline was resolved officially at Unforgiven when Triple H defeated Angle with a Pedigree following a low blow from McMahon, proving her loyalty to him. However, after taking several shots from both men accidentally during a segment on "Raw," Triple H demanded McMahon stay away from ringside during his matches. Upset by this, McMahon became Angle's manager and was in his corner when he defeated The Rock for the WWF Championship at No Mercy. The alliance was short lived, as Triple H demanded she withdraw her services following The Rock using his signature Rock Bottom maneuver on Stephanie at No Mercy due to her constant interference.

The internal disputes between the McMahons led to Shane siding with his mother against Stephanie and Vince. Linda was in a comatose state due to the stress of being asked for a divorce by Vince, and Vince took the opportunity to have a public affair with Trish Stratus. McMahon briefly feuded with Stratus, defeating her at No Way Out, but eventually both settled their differences and sided with Vince. Over the next few weeks, Vince made it clear that he favored McMahon over Stratus, even allowing McMahon to cover Stratus with mud using a mop in the middle of the ring. At WrestleMania X-Seven, Shane defeated Vince in a street fight. During the course of the match, Stratus slapped Vince and chased McMahon from ringside, apparently upset with Vince's constant misogynistic treatment of her. Following Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H's alliance with Vince McMahon, McMahon returned as Triple H's manager at ringside. Following Triple H's injury in May 2001, she disappeared from WWF television.

Invasion

Main articles: The Invasion and The Alliance

McMahon later returned on the July 9, 2001 edition of Raw by revealing that she had purchased Extreme Championship Wrestling 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 of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The two groups then merged to form a "supergroup" known as The Alliance. McMahon was suddenly unemployed after her wrestlers were defeated by the WWF at the Survivor Series in a five-on-five, Winner Takes All elimination match.[9] The night after The Alliance was defeated, Shane and Stephanie came to the ring to confront Vince. While Shane earned Vince's trust by admitting that he had lost and then leaving quietly, Stephanie tried to say that Shane put her up to it, and it was all his fault. In the end, she was dragged from the building by security personnel because she refused to leave the ring by her own accord. It was revealed later that night that she had sold her "WWF stock" to Ric Flair.

Later, Chris Jericho humiliated McMahon by pieing her in her face. Jericho continued to torment McMahon by making light of her chest's apparent sudden growth (it had been speculated in recent weeks by fans that McMahon had undergone a breast augmentation) the very next week on Raw. On the TitanTron, Jericho put up a video still of a less-endowed McMahon from the prior year alongside a recent shot of much more buxom McMahon to compare and contrast. Jericho would continue the torment by saying, "It seems like our little billionaire princess sure has grown over the last year...well, in two specific places at least—talk about foreign objects—you wanna say let the bodies hit the floor? I would say let the boobies hit the floor!" By her own admission, McMahon confirmed the breast augmentation rumors on the Opie and Anthony Show the very next day. Behind-the-scenes, amid much discussion and speculation regarding her chest, McMahon gave her approval for it to be acknowledged on WWE programming.[10]

On the September 13, 2001 edition of SmackDown!, McMahon caused a bit of controversy, albeit unintentionally, by comparing her father's 1994 steroid trial to the September 11, 2001 attacks. McMahon said, "A few years ago, some people tried to destroy my family. They attacked my father's reputation, they attacked my mother's reputation, and they attacked the World Wrestling Federation. They tried to rip us apart ... but all they did was make my family stronger. And that's exactly how America feels right now. Because on Tuesday, America was attacked. Because America is a united nation. And together, we stand strong. I am incredibly proud to be an American citizen, and I will stand up for my rights and my freedom."[11]

Divorce

McMahon returned in 2002 when Triple H made a comeback as a fan-favorite,[12] but the couple began having problems, as McMahon was still a villain. As part of the storyline, the couple "divorced" after McMahon claimed to be pregnant in order to trick Triple H into renewing their marital vows. The split was acrimonious to say the least; Triple H literally complied with the "fifty-fifty" divorce settlement by giving McMahon the front half of her Corvette and McMahon claimed that Triple H had abused his bulldog Lucy, in order to gain custody to spite him. Lucy was later, in storyline, run-over by a limousine, much to the distress of Triple H, who chased McMahon around the ring and humiliated her by pulling her into the ring by the seam of her pants, in the process revealing part of her buttocks.[13]

In order to gain revenge upon Triple H, McMahon began foiling his attempts to become the WWF Undisputed Champion. After Triple H won the Royal Rumble,[14] McMahon appointed herself special guest referee in a match between Kurt Angle and Triple H at No Way Out with Triple H's WrestleMania title shot on the line, which included her correcting Howard Finkle in his announcing her as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley to simply Stephanie McMahon. Though Angle won thanks to McMahon's somewhat suspect officiating,[15] Triple H defeated him the next night to regain his title shot.[16] McMahon then aligned herself with current champion and former enemy, Chris Jericho.[17] Despite McMahon's best efforts, Jericho lost to Triple H at WrestleMania X8 on March 17. McMahon also received a pedigree from her "ex" during the contest.[18] On the March 25 episode of Raw, Jericho and McMahon lost to Triple H in a Triple Threat match for the Undisputed Championship, with the stipulation that, if McMahon was pinned, she would be forced to leave the WWF.[19]

General Manager of SmackDown!

On July 18, 2002, McMahon returned to the WWF (renamed WWE following a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund) as the General Manager of SmackDown!.[20] She feuded with Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff throughout 2002, though the enemies inexplicably shared a kiss at a Halloween party in which McMahon was dressed as a witch and Bischoff was disguised as her father underneath a mask.[21] McMahon was given credit for the return of the WWE United States Championship and for the creation of the WWE Tag Team Championship. She was also credited with signing Hulk Hogan back to SmackDown!, which caused friction between herself and her father.

McMahon was ousted from her position after a long feud with her father, Vince McMahon. Though he originally had been the one to appoint his daughter as the General Manager, he began to resent her growing independence as well as her attempts to stop him from pursuing an affair with Sable. McMahon wanted him to fire her, but Vince wanted her to "respectfully resign." When McMahon refused, Vince put her in a series of matches with such superstars as A-Train and Brock Lesnar which led up to the first ever "Father Daughter I Quit match" at No Mercy.[22] McMahon was accompanied by her mother, the CEO of WWE Linda McMahon, and Sable accompanied Vince McMahon in their match.[22] Throughout the match, Linda and Stephanie exchanged slaps with Sable when she tried to interfere. Stephanie lost when Linda, at ringside threw in a towel on her behalf because Vince would not release a choke he had on her with a lead pipe.[22] After the match, Vince put his hand over Linda's face and shoved her to the canvas when she tried to check on her daughter. Paul Heyman succeeded McMahon as the new SmackDown! General Manager.

Sporadic appearances

McMahon returned to WWE television on October 3, 2005 at WWE Homecoming, when she confronted Stone Cold Steve Austin after he had stunned her father and brother. She slapped Austin, but was then herself stunned. She appeared on Raw for two weeks thereafter; she was involved in the firing of Austin's friend, Raw announcer Jim Ross and the booking of a match between Ross's replacement, Coach, and Austin at Taboo Tuesday, with Ross's WWE future on the line. The match, however, was canceled after Austin suffered a minor injury that, combined with his unwillingness to job to Coach, led to him no-showing the subsequent episode of Raw.

A visibly pregnant McMahon returned on the March 6, 2006 episode of Raw, approaching Shawn Michaels backstage and claiming to have abdominal pains.[23] 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. This substance caused him to become groggy during his match against Shane later in the night, which he lost as a result.[23] McMahon also appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 1, 2006 and in a backstage vignette with her immediate family at WrestleMania 22.[24]

McMahon returned at WrestleMania 23 backstage, visiting her father before his Battle of the Billionaires match. She brought her "daughter" with her to wish him good luck.[25] On June 18 edition of Raw, McMahon addressed the fans about her father’s "death". She also announced that the following episode of Raw would constitute a three-hour tribute to Vince McMahon (the tribute was canceled in lieu of a tribute to Chris Benoit, due to the then-unknown murder-suicide). When her father returned to Raw on August 6, he accused his daughter of faking sympathy for his death, as well as checking his last will and testament. The following week, out of retaliation for her father's words, Stephanie publicly revealed that the illegitimate child of her father was among the WWE roster.[26] On the taped edition of Raw that aired September 3, 2007, Stephanie, along with her mother Linda and her brother Shane, made appearances to confront Mr. McMahon about his bastard child.[27] Vince called her a "hell cat" and said that even though her and Vince have had their differences, they have had some tender times together.[27] He then played a video of what he claimed highlighted his loving relationship with Stephanie.[27] The clip was actually footage of Vince and Stephanie's "I Quit Match" from "No Mercy" back in 2003.[27] Stephanie told Vince that no matter what footage he played, she loved him but he was sick and needed help.[27] She then said that if he did not get help then Vince should step down as Chairman of WWE.[27] The family then said that they were behind Vince not against him but he needed to change and seek mental help.[27] On Raw's 15 Year Anniversary episode, she appeared along with Shane in a segment which involved her father Vince and Hornswoggle, which ended with her kissing her real life husband Triple H, to humiliate her father.[28]

Running Raw

After the scripted severe injuries sustained by Vince on the June 23 3-hour edition of Raw, Shane appeared requesting for the Raw Superstars to stand together during what was a 'turbulent time'.[29][30] Shane's plea was ignored, and subsequently, for the next two weeks, McMahon and Shane urged the superstars to show solidarity.[31][32] The following week, Shane announced Mike Adamle as their choice to be the new Raw General Manager.[33] After Adamle stepped down as General Manager, McMahon and Shane became the interim on-screen authority figures for the Raw brand. On the November 24 episode of Raw, Shane and McMahon argued over who was in charge, leading to McMahon telling Shane that Raw is her show, and slapping Shane. Shane finished the segment by telling her she could run Raw "right into the ground".

Backstage roles

In addition to her on-air character, Stephanie, like others in Vince McMahon's immediate family, is deeply involved in the business operations of WWE. She began her WWF career as an Account Executive for the WWE sales office in New York.[2][3] She was promoted to Senior Vice President of Creative Writing in 2006.[2] She oversees the hiring of scriptwriters, supervises the writing team, and is involved in the long-term booking of WWE. According to a WWE SEC filing in March 2008, McMahon's approximate salary in 2007 was $677,125.[2][34] McMahon was promoted to Executive Vice President of Talent, Creative Writing, and Live Events in 2007.[3] In November of 2008, her official title in WWE changed. On the WWE corporate site, it now reads Executive Vice President, Creative Development and Operations.

Criticism

The efforts of the creative team have often been criticized. McMahon has been accused of favoring her husband Triple H, and storylines in recent years have contained elements of necrophilia and rape (notably the Katie Vick storyline, which included Triple H) among other controversial subjects. She has also been said to have butted heads with Paul Heyman on several occasions. She did, however, turn down a potential incest angle, as revealed on the McMahon DVD. According to her, Vince was to reveal himself as the father of her baby; when she said no, he pushed for Shane to be the father, but she turned that idea down as well.

She has also been accused of having initiated the firing of Joanie Laurer (Chyna, who left the WWF in 2001).[35] Laurer, who was romantically involved with Triple H for several years, claimed her departure was not due to pay, but because McMahon wanted her out of the company.[35] Laurer claimed that during her relationship with Triple H, McMahon had an affair with him and stole him away from her.[35]

In the course of the September 13, 2001 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon commented on the September 11, 2001 attacks, comparing them to the indictment of her father for the distribution of anabolic steroids in 1994.[36]

Personal life

McMahon is a graduate of Greenwich High School and Boston University, as is her brother Shane McMahon. She holds a degree in Communications.

By her own admission (on an August 2001 episode of the Opie and Anthony Show), McMahon got breast implants in July 2001, shortly before she became the on-screen owner of ECW. McMahon also stated that her bra size was a D cup.[37] In an October 2001 interview, her mother Linda commented on her daughter's enhancement, saying, "My first concerns are always with health issues. Stephanie had thoroughly investigated the procedure, and she had answers to all the questions that I asked, and so I felt comfortable that if that was something that she wanted to do, then she should proceed, and she had my full support."[38] During her October 2002 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, McMahon stated that she got the augmentation because, in her opinion, her breasts looked like "two melted packets of butter." During the same interview, McMahon stated that she was contemplating getting an even larger set of implants (by one cup size) because she had recently lost weight at the time, thereby making them smaller.[39]

On January 8, 2006, WWE announced that McMahon and Levesque were expecting their first child, due on July 27, 2006.[40] The public announcement contradicted WWE storylines, in which McMahon's and Triple H's marriage ended in 2002. McMahon continued to work and travel with WWE throughout her pregnancy, giving birth to an 8 lb, 7 oz (3.8 kg) baby girl, Aurora Rose Levesque, on July 24, 2006.[41] McMahon and Levesque had their second child on July 28, 2008, a daughter named Murphy Claire Levesque.[42]

Other media

McMahon has appeared on The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Opie and Anthony Show, and The Weakest Link. On August 14, 2005, McMahon (with her name misspelled as "Stephani"), along with fellow Diva Stacy Keibler (misspelled as "Stacey") appeared on the season five finale of MTV's Punk'd, where she assisted the prank played on Triple H.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Stephanie McMahon Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "WWE Corporate Biography on Stephanie McMahon Levesque". Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "WWE® Promotes Stephanie McMahon Levesque To Executive Vice President". Business Wire (2007-05-11). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
  4. ↑ "WWE Corporate Biography on Linda McMahon". Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
  5. ↑ Powell, John (1999-08-23). "Foley new champ at SummerSlam". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-10-29.
  6. ↑ Powell, John (1999-12-13). "Steph betrays Vince at Armageddon". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-10-29.
  7. ↑ Powell, John (2000-04-03). "WrestleMania 2000 a flop; Pre-show better than WWF's biggest event". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-10-29.
  8. ↑ Laurer, Joanie (2001). If They Only Knew. ReaganBooks. p. 122. ISBN 0061098957. 
  9. ↑ Powell, John (2001-11-19). "WWF pulls out Survivor Series win". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  10. ↑ "2001 updates Stephanie McMahon". Retrieved on 2007-03-13. 
  11. ↑ "slashwrestling.com". Retrieved on 2007-03-13. 
  12. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 24-26. 
  13. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 55-60. 
  14. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 28-30. 
  15. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 46-47. 
  16. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 65-69. 
  17. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 69. 
  18. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 70-74. 
  19. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 103. 
  20. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 181-183. 
  21. ↑ Michael McAvennie. "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition", Pocket Books, pp. 302. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Powell, John (2003-10-20). "No Mercy for WWE fans". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "McMahons 2, Michaels 0". WWE (2006-03-06). Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  24. ↑ Plummer, Dale; Twlwalk, Nick (2006-04-03). "WrestleMania delivers big time on PPV". Retrieved on 2008-10-16.
  25. ↑ Plummer, Dale; Tylwalk, Nick (2007-04-01). "Undertaker the champ, McMahon bald". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  26. ↑ Adkins, Greg (2007-08-13). "Rhodes keeps on rolling". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-16.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 Clayton, Corey (2007-09-03). "First intervention, then revelation". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  28. ↑ Robinson, Bryan (2007-12-10). "Triple reunion for The Game". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  29. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-06-23). "A Draft disaster". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  30. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-06-30). "Heavyweight Championship comes home". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  31. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-07-07). "Rough Night in the Big Easy". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-25.
  32. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-07-14). "Anarchy in the NC". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-25.
  33. ↑ Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-07-28). "That's "Mr. Adamle" to you". WWE. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
  34. ↑ "WWE SEC filing" (March 2008). Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Lilsboy (May 2005). "The truth about Chyna". Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
  36. ↑ Burgan, D. (2006-08-24). "Derek Burgan reviews Vince McMahon DVD". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved on 2007-07-31.
  37. ↑ "Lords of Pain". Retrieved on 2007-03-13. 
  38. ↑ "Interview with Linda McMahon". Retrieved on 2007-03-13. 
  39. ↑ "Lords of Pain". Retrieved on 2007-03-13. 
  40. ↑ "Expecting Parents", WWE.com. Retrieved on 2006-01-08. 
  41. ↑ "It's a girl", WWE.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-26. 
  42. ↑ "Stephanie McMahon Levesque and Triple H Welcome Murphy Claire". CelebrityBabies.com, By Angela R. (2008-07-28). Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  43. ↑ "Wrestling Information Archive - Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Woman of the Year". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  44. ↑ "Wrestling Information Archive - Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Feud of the Year". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  45. ↑ "WWE: Inside WWE > Title History > Women's > 20000330 - Stephanie McMahon". WWE. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.

External links

McMahon wrestling family
Jess · Vincent J. · Vincent K. · Linda · Shane · Marissa · Stephanie · Paul "Triple H" Levesque
Persondata
NAME McMahon-Levesque, Stephanie Marie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH 1976-9-24
PLACE OF BIRTH Hartford, Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH