Stephanie McMahon was at AT&T Stadium on Thursday working with their partners in the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys organization on plans for WrestleMania 32, which will be held in the stadium in 2016.
Stephanie, who said she had an “awesome day” on Thursday, shared the following photos of herself at the stadium.
For more photos of Stephanie McMahon working on WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium, click ahead to page two …
Chyna’s reps sent in the following:
Chyna has been pushing to get inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. As noted a few days ago, she showed up at WWE headquarters last week but WWE sources noted that it was not something they were aware of in advance. In addition, Triple H and Vince McMahon were not in Stamford since Raw was taking place that night in Cleveland.
Chyna issued the following statement regarding WWE and Paul “Triple H” Levesque and is asking to meet with them so they can bury the hatchet.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque issued a statement Wednesday night responding to former WWE performer Chyna’s claim on the Opie with Jim Norton talk radio show on Sirius Radio and XM Radio that he struck her when the two dated.
Through Joe Villa, WWE Publicity Manager, Levesque said, “The false statements and reckless allegations Joan Laurer (aka Chyna) continues to make about a physical dispute are a complete fabrication. As I’ve said in the past, while Joan has had significant struggles in life, this does not justify making such claims.”
During an interview in February with former WWE creative writer Vince Russo, Chyna claimed that Levesque assaulted her during an argument where she confronted him with her suspicions that he was having an affair with Stephanie McMahon.
“So I think Hunter’s plan was to get me to leave the relationship first and then that way he can start dating Stephanie and like everything would be cool. So I would ask Hunter time and time again, I figured it was better just to address the problem and ask him honestly and I would have to believe his answer, so we got into a heated argument, we were not getting along, I told him ‘I know something’s going on. Don’t tell me something’s not going on.’ He swiped my hand, I swiped his hand, he hit me. I went back like Jerry Springer and then I was like OK that’s the deal breaker for me, the relationship is now over, so now I have to leave. After that, I know that he was crying and I know that he felt bad that he hit me, and my first initial reaction was to get up, and like I don’t know, I was just in shock and it felt like a Jerry Springer moment, it was very surreal, and I just couldn’t believe that he hit me. But he knows that like I don’t stand for physical violence, albeit we’ll get to that after with Sean [Waltman], so I knew at that point I had to leave, but I needed some sort of closure so when he was gone I started looking all over the house, and I looked into his, long story short, I looked into his briefcase and I found a love letter from Stephanie that had [been] dated a year back, so the whole time they were doing the storyline basically they were together.”
Levesque immediately responded to the allegations, releasing the following statement to CagesideSeats.com:
“The false statements and reckless allegations made by Joan Laurer (aka Chyna) on a recent podcast about a physical dispute are a complete fabrication. While Joan has had significant struggles in life, this does not justify making such claims.”
Addressing her November 2001 departure from WWE on Opie with Jim Norton, Chyna said she received a fax message from WWE one day informing her that her services were no longer needed. She said the last thing Vince McMahon said to her was that “blood is thicker than water” and that he would stay in touch with her. Chyna said she was never given a reason why WWE did not renew her contract.
Discussing Triple H’s relationship with Stephanie at the time, Chyna said she learned that ‘Hunter’ was cheating on her when she discovered a love note from Stephanie in his briefcase that was dated a year earlier. The former WWE Diva said she loved ‘Hunter’ and didn’t know that he was having an affair with Stephanie for a year. She said she was forced to leave the relationship “due to the incident that happened.” Chyna said she knew that something “wasn’t right” and searched the residence they shared for proof of her suspicions. She said she could have dealt with ‘Hunter’ and Stephanie being together “because you can’t stop love,” but didn’t like being made to feel as if she was crazy. She said ‘Hunter’ didn’t beat her and abuse her, but there was an incident. She felt if ‘Hunter’ and Stephanie had been honest with her, the end result would have been different, but it instead led to “so much chaos.”
– WWE recently issued an SEC filing stating the following:
“On May 27, 2015, the Stephanie McMahon Levesque Trust u/a Vincent K. McMahon Irrev. Trust dtd. 6/24/04 (the “Trust”) adopted a 10b5-1 stock trading plan. The plan provides for the sale of shares of Class B common stock (“Class B Shares”) of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (the “Company”) held by the Trust. Stephanie McMahon, the Company’s Chief Brand Officer and a director of the Company, is the sole beneficiary and investment director of the Trust. Under the plan, beginning on August 10, 2015, a brokerage firm will be authorized to sell a certain number of Class B Shares periodically provided the price per share is above certain levels. The plan expires on December 31, 2015. The maximum number of Class B Shares that can be sold over the duration of the plan is 609,733 shares. In connection with the sales, the Class B Shares will be converted into shares of the Company’s Class A common stock.”
– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ weekly “Ross Report” podcast, which is available now, features an interview with Ohio Valley Wrestling’s Danny Davis. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which you can check out below, features a look at the ten “Steamiest Love Triangles” in WWE history.
https://youtu.be/IQq-M5J03K4
Following the success of some recent matches and crowd reactions in NXT, there is some consideration being given to a women’s match headlining a major show.
It would require the right talent and the right feud, but top NXT officials are open to a female main event, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. UFC’s massive success from featuring Ronda Rousey in marquee matches has demonstrated the drawing power of women.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are reportedly big proponents of altering the way women are featured in WWE.
According to one source, the decision to change the way woman are used on WWE programming was very much based on Stephanie’s influence and the success that the UFC has had with Ronda Rousey.
It’s being said that while the two aren’t big UFC fans, they are fans of Rousey and when they saw her recent Sports Illustrated cover, among other accomplishments, it was a sign to them that the times have changed and that it’s a different era.
It’s worth pointing out that while Triple H and Stephanie are on board, Vince McMahon reportedly still sees women in the same role that they’ve always had on the WWE roster.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– The A.V. Club website is listing tonight’s NXT Takeover: Unstoppable special as their “Top Pick” for what to watch on television for Wednesday, May 20th. The blurb on the site reads as follows:
WWE NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable (WWE Network, 8 p.m.): TV Club sports entertainment coverage expands with the introduction of NXT to the A.V. Club Universe. Tonight marks the latest live NXT TakeOver special—in a month where the WWE Network is free, by the way—which is guaranteed to be the best WWE has to offer for weeks (maybe even months). The main event is part of a story 15 years in the making, as long time best friends and rivals Kevin Owens (father of Owen Owens) and Sami Zayn (protegé of El Generico) face-off in a NXT Championship rematch. LaToya Ferguson begins her weekly coverage of WWE NXT with this event, because sometimes dreams do come true.
– Speaking of tonight’s NXT special, WWE.com is reporting that Tyler Breeze will be using the social media App “Periscope” to provide a special look at his ring entrance at tonight’s show. Periscope is a new App that allows you to live stream video from your Twitter account.
– Stephanie McMahon tweeted a link to her father Vince McMahon appearing on the David Letterman show back in 1985. Check out the video below.
Check out my dad @VinceMcMahon on @Letterman in 1985 on Dave's 3rd anniversary special! http://t.co/VMmnaanfGd #ThanksDave #Letterman
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) May 20, 2015
– Stephanie McMahon is scheduled to be at NXT Takeover: “Unstoppable” tonight.
– Ahead of tonight’s NXT special, WWE has released new t-shirts for Hideo Itami, Enzo Amore and Big Cass and Becky Lynch, which says “Lass Licker.”
– Real-life WWE couple Stardust (Cody Rhodes) and ring announcer Eden recently bought a house together in Texas and noted that they plan to move into the home this week.
– On social media, WWE Diva Paige praised third generation wrestler Tessa Blanchard, daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Tully Blanchard. Paige tweeted the following:
https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/600954592533344256
Following endorsements from Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, among several others, WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil has been named “Celebrity Dad of the Year” at the 2015 MEGA Dads Awards.
Below is an announcement made by WWE acknowledging the honor O’Neil received, as well as the reaction from O’Neil himself.
WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil named Celebrity Dad of the Year in 2015 MEGA Dads Awards
WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil has been named Celebrity Dad of the Year by everythingfordads.com! The announcement was made on the Everything For Dads Twitter @DadsExpo.
The second annual MEGA Dad Awards 2015 are being presented by Every Thing For Dads to honor the amazing work we see dads carry out that often goes unacknowledged. These awards are given to dads who are determined to change the landscape of fatherhood for the better and for the good of all.
O’Neil was up against actors Stephen Amell, Ashton Kutcher and Vin Diesel, and soccer stars David Beckham and Kaká.
Last year, O’Neil and his sons participated in WWE’s “Take Time to Be a Dad” public service announcements, and he is a regular fixture in WWE’s Community events, from Reading Celebrations to Be a STAR rallies.
Get complete details on the awards at everythingfordads.com/votemegadadsawards! The awards ceremony will take place June 13 in Winter Park, Fla., at the Winter Park Community Center.
Congrats @TitusONeilWWE winner of the Celebrity Mega Dad Awards 2015! #DadExpo pic.twitter.com/WXe3bNDS22
— Every Thing For Dads (@DadsExpo) May 15, 2015
I Honestly can't put how Blessed I feel Right Now! #Fatherhood is something that I never experienced as a Kid #GOD https://t.co/w4dVklm3Sl
— Titus O'Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) May 15, 2015
Thank U!!!Truly Honored Thanks for all who voted @WWE @AdCouncil @VinceMcMahon @TripleH @StephMcMahon @WWECommunity https://t.co/Snc77x39Bv
— Titus O'Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) May 15, 2015
WWE had a large presence at the NBCUniversal “Upfronts” in New York City on Thursday.
Representing WWE at the NYC upfronts were Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan, Roman Reigns, Titus O’Neil, The Bella Twins, Eva Marie and Natalya.
Below are photos of the WWE Superstars and Divas at the NBCUniversal Upfronts:
Excited to be here at the #NBCUcable Upfront with my man, @TripleH! pic.twitter.com/IQ2bEIO4f3
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) May 14, 2015
Spending the day in NYC with @StephMcMahon at the @NBCUniversal #NBCUpfronts. @WWE pic.twitter.com/OekGxUNvsX
— Triple H (@TripleH) May 14, 2015
Don't mess with these babes! @NatbyNature, @natalieevamarie & the @BellaTwins looked fierce at #NBCUCable Upfronts! pic.twitter.com/XZpAscC9yd
— Total Divas (@TotalDivas) May 14, 2015
Worlds colliding. Loving @NatbyNature's pic with @khloekardashian at #NBCUcable upfronts! #KUWTK #TotalDivas pic.twitter.com/BoS1MTkpWl
— Total Divas (@TotalDivas) May 14, 2015
Business picks up at #NBCUCable Upfront as @HulkHogan & @IAmJericho talk @WWEToughEnough! @mariamenounos @helloross pic.twitter.com/JAOagy66wc
— WWE (@WWE) May 14, 2015
Walking the Red Carpet at #NBCUCable, the cast of @TotalDivas!
@BellaTwins @natbynature @NatalieEvaMarie @EOnline pic.twitter.com/i3ETczFjTM— WWE (@WWE) May 14, 2015
– NXT’s Shoot Nation stable is now simply a tag team with Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. They will continue using the Shoot Nation name, while the former leader Chad Gable is going solo.
– Below, in order, are the top five most-watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week:
1. WWE 24: Roman Reigns
2. Chris Jericho interviews Stephanie McMahon
3. WWE NXT, May 6th episode
4. Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV: Love Hurts
5. Extreme Rules
– Other shows that drew well on the WWE Network include the special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, the previous week’s NXT show, the Culture Shock show with Corey Graves, Unfiltered with Renee Young, Mick Foley’s “Cheap Pops” special, the sneak peek at ECW Uncensored Volume 3 and Jerry Springer’s new show.
– On the other side of the coin, two shows that aren’t getting a lot of views at all are the Cinco de Mayo special with Los Matadores, and pretty much any episode of WWE Superstars.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Triple H confirmed via social media that NXT star Finn Balor will be debuting a new look this weekend. HHH tweeted a partial photo of Balor’s new body paint design, which he will be showing off at this Friday’s NXT live event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Check out the picture below.
The transformation from man to @WWENXT Superstar is something to behold. See @wwebalor do it on Friday in #NXTPhilly. pic.twitter.com/SAPmWnlex9
— Triple H (@TripleH) May 13, 2015
– Stephanie McMahon and the official WWE Community Twitter account tweeted the following photos of Vince McMahon being inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and being given a lifetime membership card.
Congratulations to @VinceMcMahon as he gets inducted into the @BGCA_Clubs HOF pic.twitter.com/MaXAqNNY2T
— WWE Community (@WWECommunity) May 13, 2015
Receiving his Lifetime Membership Card at the @BGCA_Clubs Hall of Fame! #BGCAAlumHOF pic.twitter.com/ZfKm3AdUGf pic.twitter.com/Sfr7yBdHY7
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) May 13, 2015
– The Authority are officially scheduled for tomorrow night’s episode of Raw.
The TV Guide preview reads: “With WWE Payback looming, The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, return in attempt to stabilize RAW.”
Stephanie has been off television since the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw due to a trip she took overseas for the Eisenhower USA Fellowship, an international leadership exchange program for outstanding professionals.
– The latest WWE Special Editions issue available exclusively on newsstands recaps WrestleMania 31.
– In this newly released interview, Finn Balor talks about his time in NXT and the brand’s growth in recent years, what it’s like being backstage at WrestleMania, and some dream matches he’d like to have with WWE main roster talent.
As of Saturday, both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are scheduled to appear on this Monday’s Raw emanating from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Stephanie has been off television since the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw due to a trip she took overseas for the Eisenhower USA Fellowship, an international leadership exchange program for outstanding professionals.
Part-time WWE Superstar Chris Jericho and comedian Nick Mundy stopped by the AfterbuzzTV studios this past Thursday to talk to Christian Rosenberg, Kaori Takee and George Hermoza about WWE and their new Comedy Central show ‘Nothing to Report’.
Watch Every Episode Of Nothing To Report Here
Jericho spoke about a number of topics, including the reason Vince McMahon doesn’t like tournaments, the new season of Tough Enough and who was supposed to be revealed as the person behind the GTV angle from the Attitude Era. Here are the highlights:
Why Vince McMahon Does Not Like Tournaments:
‘Vince McMahon does not like tournaments. I think because Wrestlemania 4 was a tournament for the title and it didn’t do a good ppv number and the show wasn’t very good. And ever since then he does not like tournaments.”
The New Season Of Tough Enough:
“It’s a whole new Tough Enough, it’s not like you’ve seen before. I think from what I understand it’s gonna be more like ‘The Voice’ where there’s mentors you know like if you had Christina Aguilera and Blake Nelson? Shelton or whatever cats are on there. And that’s what Hogan and Paige and Daniel Bryan will do. I’ll be the host.”
The Person Who Was Supposed To Be Behind GTV:
“When I did the Live with Chris Jericho with Stephanie at the Titan Studios WWE Studios. GTV was supposed to be Tom Green. Yes. And I just found out about it the other day. I didn’t know! GTV. And remember doesn’t it fit because remember Tom Green used to film stuff you know, pranks, stuff and all that shit and then what happened was they started planting the seeds for GTV and then Vince actually saw Tom Green’s stuff and said this guy is not funny. Done.”
Chris Jericho announced on Thursday that he will be hosting the new season of WWE Tough Enough, which premieres on the USA Network on Tuesday, June 23rd.
WWE also issued a press release giving tons more information about the new season, including details on judges, trainers and more.
– Hulk Hogan, Daniel Bryan and Paige will be judges on the series.
– Booker T, Lita and Billy Gunn will be the trainers.
– Tough Enough will be filmed out of the WWE Performance Center and Full Sail University, home of NXT.
– The official Tough Enough app will be launching on May 25th.
– There will be a lot of fan interaction, including the ability to vote via the Tough Enough app and texting to interact with various live elements
– Contestants in the series will “come face to face” with Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and John Cena over the course of the series.
– The Authority’s Stephanie McMahon should be back on WWE TV tonight. Stephanie was off TV the past several weeks while doing work in Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai for the Eisenhower Fellows Multi Nation program.
She told Chris Jericho last week that she’ll be taking another hiatus from WWE TV later this year for her second tour with Eisenhower Fellows.
– Rusev lost clean to Ryback at this weekend’s WWE live events. Prior to his feud with John Cena, Rusev had not been beaten clean at live events and always won or lost by DQ.
– Chris Jericho is teasing a big announcement which will be revealed on Wednesday’s Talk is Jericho podcast.
Wednesday on @TalkIsJericho! @beattheblock: @IAmJericho Any word on this BIG announcement? #dontkeepuswaiting”
— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) May 4, 2015
– WWE uploaded a clip of Stephanie McMahon’s appearance on “Live with Chris Jericho” from this past Thursday night. In the following clip, Stephanie talks to Jericho about her relationship with her husband Triple H.
– Vince McMahon tweeted out a congratulatory message on Twitter to a WWE employee named Gale. Gale has worked for the company for 30 years.
Congratulations to Gale on 30 years of service at @WWE. pic.twitter.com/52VNQSWdzH
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) May 1, 2015
– After having his first shot at the WWE United States Champion ruined by Rusev last week, Heath Slater is claiming he is going to challenge John Cena over and over again. Slater tweeted the following this weekend.
I will go after @JohnCena United States Championship every chance I get… I may get knocked down but I will always get back up…
— HEATHXXII (@HEATHXXII) May 2, 2015
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with thoughts on a number of big topics. Below are some highlights.
On Mayweather-Pacquiao: “Still going with @FloydMayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao but if it works out that Manny wins a split decision or with a shocking KO, a second fight would be in order meaning even MORE money for all involved. That second fight would be a hit in AT&T Stadium which is the home of WrestleMania 32 and the Dallas Cowboys. The chance to sell 100,000+ tickets is too good to not consider. If there is no controversy tonight in Vegas, I will be shocked.”
On Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon: “For those putting down my idea of @RondaRousey vs. Stephanie McMahon for WM32 your logic is a head scratcher to me. I see it as a no brainer and potentially one of the biggest “attraction matches” ever in WWE. The villain stacks the deck and the heroine overcomes. It’s a 10-15 minute presentation bell to bell and it would sell tickets, WWE Network subscriptions and garner amazing media coverage. Yes, I know that UFC head honcho Dana White as said no but is that merely laying the ground work for an arrangement for UFC to cut a deal with WWE to promote UFC PPV’s on the WWE Network at some point in the future? Lots of things can change between now and early 2016.”
On The Rock: “Happy Birthday to @TheRock who has achieved unparalleled success since we signed him to a WWE Contract back in the day and where he was “discovered” by Hollywood. He told me on day one that he was going to be “your top guy” and he wasn’t being arrogant but merely confident and believing in himself. Rock is living proof that good things happen to good people who refuse to finish second. WWE hasn’t had any two talents with more natural chemistry than Rock and Austin who headlined three, WrestleMania events.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.
WWE executive and on-air performer Stephanie McMahon appeared on Chris Jericho’s “Live with Chris Jericho” podcast on the WWE Network on Thursday night after WWE SmackDown. Below is a detailed recap of her appearance courtesy of F4WOnline.com.
The first Jericho podcast featured a fairly friendly conversation with Cena, while this has been hyped up as being an in-character show for Stephanie. Jericho has a black shirt on with a purple tie and has his own set now with his show logo. Chris starts off with “the hard-hitting questions” about her coming back from the WWE employee party and wondering why he wasn’t invited. Jericho says he’s been there for 15 years and hasn’t heard of it. Well, he isn’t an employee, so that would make sense. Jericho says that for a big company, his “big Christmas bonus” was a big plastic Santa. Jericho says he was a bit like Clark Griswold in “Christmas Vacation” when he got the jelly of the month club membership. Chris asks how many employees WWE has and she says 800.
Chris talks about Stephanie going to China, or as Vince calls it, Japan. Stephanie says that she went across the world for the Eisenhouer fellowship. She talks about what the fellowship is and how long it lasts. The fellowship came about due to Eisenhouer wanted this to change the world, so that’s what they’re all trying to do. Jericho says it’s ridiculous that they have to defend WWE after all this time, while Stephanie talks about how they’re in 177 countries with over 400 million social media followers and having the first-ever over the top live streaming industry and how WWE basically pioneered Pay-Per-View.
Chris talks about how WWE is still a family business. Stephanie says that Vince is driven and the kids have more expectations on them as a result. Jericho says Vince is flipping them off off-screen. Steph talks about how Vince grew up from humble beginnings in a trailer and how he earned what he has while she tries to earn everything she has. The worst thing is disappointing him. She talks about how he made her reshoot things during the ECW buyout angle in Boston. Jericho says that while a reshoot can be worked perfectly into a show, it’s an ego-bruiser.
Jericho says she’s very much like Vince, and Steph says Shane calls her the Vincess. She says it’s because she’s studied him so closely. Jericho says that like Vickie, Steph was just thrown on TV and had to hone her character. Steph says that as a mother with three kids, she’s experienced many things in life and in the corporate world that she can apply to her TV character. Jericho says he scared Vince off and asks about the dichotomy of playing an evil character while also spreading the gospel of WWE. Steph talks about how proud she is to represent the company at the Be a Star rally and how some kids have issues separating the character, so they all raise their hands when she asks the wrestlers if they’ve been bullied. Jericho says it could send mixed signals while Steph says she’s just playing a character like in a movie. If they can make a difference in just one life, it’s all worth it.
Steph talks about how Hulk Hogan was bullied a lot as a kid and Jericho says he was bullied a lot too. Bret told Chris that his house was a menagerie with bears and random people in his home. Jericho says that Steph probably didn’t have such a weird upbringing, and she says that in fact, she did since Mr. T and Hogan came over for dinner. Mr. T hates liver (but loves his mother) and Linda made it anyway and he also signed every single thing she had. Her kids came back to her after the Hall of Fame with everything of theirs signed, so that was a cute little bit there.
Jericho asks about her childhood in wrestling, and she says that at the Spectrum, she was scared of George “The Animal” Steele and ran up Vince’s leg, while he chuckled. Vince found it hilarious that she’d be scared of such a nice man, and she started putting the pieces together and loved watching him on “the WWF at the time”, so that will probably be edited later. She loved watching the Killer Bees and Tito Santana. She enjoyed the heels more. Jericho says he and his grandmother started watching with the AWA and she hated Jesse Ventura, while he thought he was so cool because of his look.
Steph said that as a kid, she wanted Vince and Jesse to swap characters because Vince was so much better than Jesse. Jericho asks about Andre and she tells a story Linda loves about Steph being three and her jumping on a trampoline. Andre came up out of his van and her nanny started locking the house up to prevent her from this gigantic man. She stepped on his hand and he lifted her up and she kissed his cheek. She said it was a shame people treated Andre differently, and as Vince’s daughter, she could relate to it. They show the photo of Andre and Steph and she says Vince wouldn’t let her be identified in the photo and actually fell asleep on his lap.
She talks about being bullied because she was Vince’s daughter and had people judge her unfairly. Vince told her “not everyone’s going to like you – for whatever reason.” Would being Swiss be a reason? She says that Shane and Steph wrestled a bunch as kids and he accidentally chucked her past the couches and into the window. She no-sold it to save Shane. Jericho asks if she had any crushes as a kid and she says she loved Bo Duke and she was devastated when he kissed a woman on a Christmas special. Jericho says it was a horrible show, while she says it’s perfect when you’re a kid.
Steph says she always wanted to be in WWE and she started at 14-15 answering the phones. She’d say “Good morning, World Wrestling Federation” exactly like that scene in Beyond the Mat. She says that she memorized employees by their extensions and she had a hard time grasping people by face and not their extensions. She says she fielded a question about Heenan saying there was no Santa Claus and that destroying a kid’s beliefs for a bit and she had to coach the woman a bit on it being a character. Steph says that Mick sure believes in Santa.
She was an intern at various departments and she always needed a job to learn the value of a dollar. She thought Vince believed working with WWE was a phase for her and she interned at new media and snuck into the AOL chats. She worked in HR and mastered the Xerox machine and worked in production too and did clip reels. She even got to do a Summerslam sweepstakes spot.
After college, she interned for her mom and then worked for Vince. She loved going on the road with Vince and says he’s an in the moment teacher. She moved into sales and then got the TV role. Chris says his daughters are eight now and says that if any of them brought him over, she’d forbid them from dating wrestlers. Steph says that Vince was against her doing that too, but wind up throwing them together.
Vince told her she needed a guy exactly like HHH, while Shane clarified “one that isn’t him”. Once they started dating, Vince forbade it. She says Vince got cold feet due to the affect it could have on business and she tells Chris that she has water if he needs it. She says that HHH took a big risk since the relationship failing could be his entire career. After a year apart, they got back together.
Steph said she wanted to move forward and Linda told her that she couldn’t bring any of the issues up later. Stephanie says that they moved in together when they gained maturity and Jericho asks if it was hard when the locker room found out. Steph says it was all on HHH in the locker room and the agents were against it. She said that HHH was singled out, but came through it. Jericho talks about the history of this happening with wrestlers marrying into the family and that hurting companies.
Jericho says she has no problem being mocked or made a fool. Steph says she’s clumsy by nature and doesn’t mind being made to look foolish. She says the key is to build the heat up and then deliver the ultimate payoff given the actions of her character. Jericho says Steph helped take him to the next level with a Tampa show and him accidentally calling her a ho and that showing off their chemistry.
Jericho says that he found it odd that kids chanted the trashbag ho line, and Steph says she’s honored to help get him over and the role of her character is to get characters over if she can. So if that doesn’t happen, it’s because of the other person – Stephanie does all she can to get people over. Jericho says she got a zit and Steph says they’re big on her and it’s a bit like Austin Powers. Jericho talks about the Planet of the Apes skit being due to Vince really loving apes at the time. Jericho runs through the promo being about her sleeping with all creatures across the galaxy. There’s also a cake involved in this and we get a shot of it.
Jericho goes through all of their promos including the classic one with him pointing out her breast enlargement. Jericho talks about the cutoff line in there that Rock wasn’t supposed to say and Steph was supposed to cut him off before he got to “mother_____”. Vince screamed at Rock about it and Rock said that Steph was supposed to cut her off. She says she got her breasts done because she lost weight and wasn’t happy with what it did to her body, so she got them done for herself.
Jericho says that Vince was totally okay with saying she lost her flower many years ago as long as he paused for maximum effect. Jericho says that in ’97, he heard about how Stephanie was going to take over for Vince since she was more like Vince. Steph says it’s weird for him to not be around, but as kids, Vince and Linda weren’t around a lot because they were building the business. After watching five hours of kung fu movies, Shane liked to kick her butt. Steph says she supports Shane, but she misses him and loves working with him because he’s so funny.
Steph says that there was a skit where she was in the middle of HHH and Shane and she had to slap both of them over and over. She plans to get together with Shane for mother’s day. Jericho says for Shane, it was stifling for him here, but maybe he’ll come back. Steph says that Linda retired and Jericho says that now it’s just Steph and Vince while Jericho talks about the “McMahon in every corner” at WM. Jericho says that Steph has a stiff slap, and Steph tells us that she pulled the slap and it was the hardest thing she’s ever done other than kiss Eric Bischoff. Steph says Linda laid the slap in, but it wasn’t the first time.
Jericho says you had to clinch your teeth when she slapped them, but she says the boys told her to do it. She says the hardest slap was to Rock, which is pretty accurate – that was a hard slap and you can see it in all of the replays they show of it now. Jericho talks about that segment and being confused by it at first, but loving it. They talk about Ronda being a big fan and not being sure what the future holds for Ronda and WWE right now. Steph says the fans picked up on the Ronda stuff organically, so they knew they had magic.
Steph puts over Ronda as a role model who doesn’t set out to be one, but is one. She’s an inspiration and Steph says she’d love to have Steph vs. Ronda. They talk about Dana White nixing the match and Steph says she doesn’t know what’s going to happen with all that. Steph says that she’s pushing the #givedivasachance thing that THE FANS STARTED. Oh wow. She talks about the women being limited in time and there isn’t a reason why, but since the fans started the movement and Vince responded, not to AJ Lee, but to the fans. Jericho talks about AJ starting it with a smart aleck response and how the women don’t get equal pay, but draw. She says she wasn’t pissed off by AJ’s statement and she had to respond diplomatically, and #givedivasachance was IN THE PROCESS OF TRENDING at the time.
What in the hell does that even mean? AJ’s response was due to Stephanie and not givedivasachance, and Stephanie is fully behind it. Stephanie says that there’s a chance she’s misremembering the timeline. Well, that’s an understatement. Jericho says that NXT is what the divas division should be and Steph says that she was the first female main eventer on WWE and Jericho says that proved that women could main event again. Stephanie says that can happen again, but you need the right story. Jericho says they should just try it out on SmackDown and see how it works. Steph talks about loving Ronda and loving being a heel.
Steph says the people want her to be the most obnoxious heel out there and the more she does that, fans get even more engaged. They finally show a still shot of the Rock slap and Jericho says that in the PG world, “ho” is now just something for gardening. Jericho talks about the pudding bit with Vickie and Steph says that it was banana and chocolate pudding blended with the feet of the employees. She developed an infection in her eye due to that and she isn’t quite sure what it was supposed to be, while Jericho just outright says it was supposed to be feces at Vince’s order. Steph says that Vickie was the first person to get one over on this heel character.
Jericho asks if it’s hard to be around HHH all the time and she says they aren’t. On Raw, that’s true, but he’s on the road while they have different roles in the office so they don’t see each other often. She likes being able to send her kids to school and make lunches, while Hunter did that while she was away. Steph talks about her eight year old training with Nattie now and being a natural heel. She’s already written a book on how to be a diva.
Jericho asks what her favorite match and moment is. Steph says it’s the Summerslam match with Brie. She says that after 11 years of being out of the ring, and she wishes she could do it more. She says that it was a highlight of the PPV and they even main evented Raw and how she loved that her daughters got to see her wrestle. She says that her kids ran up to her backstage and chanted “you still got it” and if they get into the business, they’ll be fifth generation. They close with an amusing little double tea sip.
Other than basically whitewashing AJ Lee out of the whole #givedivasachance thing, complete with Steph giving herself an out by saying that she might have the limeline wrong, this was fun. The stuff about her growing up in wrestling and taking on different roles in the company gave you a bit more insight into her. The best things involved her talking about her kids because there’s nothing she’s going to BS about with them. You get a sense that every single thing involving them was real, and that all felt genuine. This was far more eventful and entertaining than the Cena show, and while Jericho’s going to play it a lot safer than Austin would, it’s still forward-thinking of WWE to have these programs and use the Network to add layers to the on-air personas whenever possible.
The following matches were taped this past Tuesday night in Moline, Illinois for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Roman Reigns vs. Kane
– Damien Sandow vs. Curtis Axel
– Ryback vs. Luke Harper
– Nikki Bella vs. Cameron
– Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The New Day
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
For complete spoilers for tonight’s SmackDown, click here.
Don’t forget that immediately following tonight’s SmackDown, Stephanie McMahon will be appearing on Chris Jericho’s podcast on the WWE Network. Make sure to check back here for a report on the appearance.
Here’s the complete schedule for WWE Network original programming premieres for this week:
Monday:: Jerry Springer’s “WWE: Too Hot For TV” will be released on-demand after RAW.
Tuesday: King of the Ring live special at 8pm EST
Wednesday: Mick Foley Night kicks off at 9pm EST with a 1-hour career highlights. At 10pm is a special edition of Foley’s “Cheap Pops” comedy show, taped last week from Full Sail University.
Thursday: Chris Jericho’s podcast with Stephanie McMahon following Smackdown at 10pm EST.
Friday: A special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show from WrestleMania 24 at 9pm EST, obviously playing off the Mayweather-Pacquaio fight this Saturday.
Next week, a new edition of WWE 24 focusing on Roman Reigns will premiere after RAW.
WWE has announced that Stephanie McMahon will be the next guest on Chris Jericho’s WWE network ‘podcast.’
The episode will air on the WWE Network next Thursday (5/30) immediately following SmackDown.
Jericho and Stephanie have a storied history on WWE television, with Jericho frequently taunting WWE’s Chief Brand Officer. Jericho got some criticism for towing the company line during his recent WWE Network podcast interview with Triple H, so it will be interesting to see the dynamic between these two.
– WWE performers Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are featured in a new television commercial for the product “Snapple.” You can check out “The Authority” members in the new Snapple commercial via the video embedded below.
https://youtu.be/Fa5MgSYp8rg
– The Thursday, April 16th edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2.450 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. This week’s viewership dropped compared to last week’s show, which drew 2.631 million viewers. Thursday’s show marked the lowest viewership for SmackDown dating back to the February 19th edition of the show.
Last night on RAW, it was announced that The Authority was on a tropical vacation and would not be appearing on the show. Now, it looks like Stephanie could be off WWE TV for over a month.
Back in October, Stephanie was honored as a 2015 Eisenhower Fellow. Starting this week, Eisenhower Fellows are participating in a 4-5 week Multi Nations Program overseas. According to the Eisenhower Fellow website:
“Dating back to 1954, the Multi Nation Program (MNP) is the flagship program of Eisenhower Fellowships, designed to bring high-achieving individuals together across sectors and borders. Each spring, 20-25 Fellows from around the world travel to the U.S. to collaborate as a cohort and embark on intensive seven-week fellowship experiences tailored to their individual interests and goals.
This spring, the 2015 MNP class will bring together Fellows from 21 countries, examining a diverse range of topics, from energy policy in Nigeria to youth leadership in Bangladesh. As a part of the 2015 MNP, Fellows have been asked to focus their fellowships on concrete projects with real world impact, which they will pursue at the conclusion of the program”
It remains to be seen if Stephanie is in fact participating in the program, but the timing of her absence from RAW does coincide with the 2015 MNP beginning.