It looks like Stephanie McMahon’s “leave of absence” status has turned into a more permanent move.

Fans were surprised to hear the news that Stephanie was stepping away from her duties as WWE’s Chief Brand Officer last month. At the time, the move was thought to be temporary.

Over the past few weeks, however, higherups within the company have reportedly been burying Stephanie, claiming she wasn’t very good at her job.

Point of No Return?

A story from Business Insider claims that Vince McMahon was behind Stephanie’s “leave of absence.” Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer has refuted that claim, saying that this was Stephanie’s decision and she had wanted out for a while.

On top of that, Meltzer is reporting that the chances of Stephanie McMahon returning to WWE have “greatly diminished.” As they say, however, time heals all wounds. Meltzer believes there is a chance fences can be mended at some point down the road.

The belief is that something drastic happened since Stephanie made her departure for higherups to turn on her. Meltzer has noted that key stories of sources bashing Stephanie have actually been done with Vince’s approval.

When Stephanie approached Vince about taking a step back a few months ago, the WWE Chairman was said to have been caught off guard.

As far as why the company has decided to bury Stephanie goes, there is no clear answer at this time. Stephanie allegedly nixed MLW’s deal with FOX-Tubi and some have speculated that this could be one of the reasons behind people slamming her.

Weeks after Stephanie McMahon announced that she was taking a leave of absence from WWE to focus on her family, a Business Insider report was published this past weekend that alluded to Vince McMahon driving his daughter out of his company. 

The report stated Stephanie “is being replaced in her corporate role as part of a shakeup executed by her father, Vince McMahon, the organization’s 76-year-old CEO.”

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that is not the case as McMahon took a leave of absence on her own. 

If McMahon does return to WWE it may not be in the same role as when she left as the company is already interviewing candidates for a director of brand and marketing position that will take over many of her old responsibilities.

There were some quotes from WWE insiders that did paint a negative picture regarding Stephanie. Meltzer noted on the F4Wonline.com message board that it appears to be a burial by the company

The BI report focused on the lack of growth of sponsorship which was around $20 million in Q1. During the investors call for that quarter, McMahon said there’s no reason WWE couldn’t be bringing in hundreds of millions a year in the next three-to-five years.

“We weren’t seeing that growth,” said the company insider of McMahon’s tenure. “When someone is moved out of a company, it’s usually the result of something not working. We took stronger control of that a few months ago.”

McMahon’s exit is the latest of the departures the company has had over the last few years since WWE fired co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson in early-2020 and Nick Khan took over as President.

Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T has offered his reaction to Stephanie McMahon deciding to take a leave of absence from WWE.

Earlier this month McMahon, the longtime Chief Branding Officer of WWE, announced she’d be stepping away from her role with the company, opting to spend more time with her family instead.

“As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE. WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family.”

Now, WWE’s Nick Khan will absorb much of McMahon’s responsibilities, while a replacement will also be sought out as well. In the wake of McMahon’s announcement, there has been a lot of speculation about her exit.

Many suggest that McMahon was frustrating to work with, and there were also questions about her ability to perform the job well.

Taking to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” Booker T offered his take on the situation.

Booker T criticized reports suggesting that McMahon’s decision is nothing more than what it is – a decision to take time off.

He also noted that, had he been in her shoes, he’d have taken some time away a long time ago.

“It just seems like people want to find something controversial to be able to talk about … Her taking time off means nothing other than she’s taking time off.

“Shane McMahon has taken time off several times, he’s always come back. He’s taken more time off. I don’t look at it like most because everybody’s looking for a story.

“And me, like you said, Stephanie has been in the trenches for a long time. To take a break, I think is a break well needed.”

It has certainly been a wild year for McMahon and her family. Her husband, Triple H, dealt with a very serious heart complication that could have been deadly.

Now, with McMahon stepping away, Triple H is back to working full-time for WWE after taking some time off himself.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

Andrew Zarian, Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez and Garrett Gonzalez talked about Stephanie McMahon taking a leave of absence during a special edition of “We’re Live Pal.” They discussed the various stories and rumors circulating about her decision to step away, at least for now. Zarian said that he had spoken with someone high up about Stephanie and that there was more to the story.

Stephanie’s Abilities As An Executive Called Into Question

“[It was a] very bizarre conversation, I’ll tell you that. I didn’t expect that phone call. It was a phone call that kind of veered into a discussion about Steph. So I asked and I was like, ‘Hey, anything I could add to this? What’s going on?’ And, you know, some of the comments, I was shocked. 

One being that people internally and this is coming from someone in the know in WWE. This wasn’t like a guy in catering,” Zarian said. 

Zarian added, “The comment was that internally, there was doubt put on Steph [and] her abilities as an executive. And a lot of this started after she absorbed some of Michelle Wilson’s responsibilities after she left. One [responsibility] being ad sales and sponsorship. And the comment that I found interesting was that they mentioned that the investors were questioning why they weren’t performing as well. And internally, there was some questioning as to why that wasn’t performing. 

I think a month ago, [WWE’s Head of Global Sales & Partnerships] Claudine Lilien…she went over to handle that and she was released a month ago and Nick [Khan] has taken over all these responsibilities. When the Shane issue happened at Royal Rumble, WWE was pretty quick to kind of say, yeah he got sent home for all the reasons that you heard, right? I was not expecting the words to be used for Steph because at the end of the day, the McMahons are the McMahons and they are the most protected people in that company.”

Miscommunications About Keeping The Story Under Wraps

Meltzer jumped in and added that he spoke to someone who heard that there were efforts to keep the story behind Stephanie’s absence out of the press. Meltzer said that this is a case of miscommunication because Zarian’s source wanted the story to get out.

Meltzer stated, “As far as Steph goes, like, if and when she comes back, and it won’t be soon, there’s a real good chance it won’t be in the same position… But it was interesting, because I talked to somebody about something similar and asked about Stephanie in that in that realm, and you know, certain things were explained that…there’s people who Stephanie dealt with that, but because Vince always had to answer, you know, she didn’t have the power. Nobody does. Vince has all the power. She’s someone who talks to Vince but at the end of the day, Vince is going to make those decisions. 

But the thing was, there’s some people who are saying stuff and a person told me – he’s like, ‘if anyone hears that, they’re gonna be gone. No one can say anything bad publicly about Steph.’ And it’s like like a left hand and a right hand thing. Yeah. You (Zarian) were told, in a way, because they wanted it out.”

Zarian said that the source used “buzzy” words with him and those were terms that they wanted him to use when leaking the story. Zarian pointed out how Nick Khan has now become a senior executive in WWE because of how many office people have been let go.

Speculation On Why The Story Was Leaked

Zarian began to speculate on the reason that his source would’ve wanted to get the story out with the buzzwords they used.

Zarian said, “So you could see that this is a big change. But now the big story is okay, so why would that comment be made? There’s a reason for it. You know, you can speculate all you want. Is it to disconnect the McMahons from the company a little bit so if there is a sale positioning, it’s easier on the audience, maybe? … Or it can easily be, you know, get the stories out there to make it easier to change that old guard in our company. I was really surprised, and I hear some wacky things from there from people like crazy, crazy things. I was really shocked to hear that this conversation would happen.”

H/T to Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.Co for the transcription

Stephanie McMahon is not expected back with WWE after announcing an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month.

Last week, McMahon tweeted that she is stepping away from the majority of her duties with the company. She cited the need to spend more time with her family as the reason for her hiatus.

The news was kept secret from other high-ranking WWE executives who did not know anything until her tweet was sent out. PWInsider reported:

“There were lots of high-up executives who had no inkling this was coming until it very quickly spread across the company after she tweeted.” 

– Mike Johnson, PWInsider

Despite the secrecy surrounding Stephanie McMahon stepping away, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that she had been planning the move for several months.

She is not expected back any time soon as evidenced by the company’s decision to swiftly seek a replacement.

Triple H recently returned to work at the WWE office, but industry observers are in disbelief how much the expected “line of succession” for WWE’s future has changed. At point, it was considered a foregone conclusion that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would be running WWE for decades to come once Vince McMahon steps down.

We’ve seen WWE President Nick Khan’s power grow year after year and the chances of an eventual sale are more likely than ever.

Stephanie McMahon’s Replacement

It’s been speculated that Nick Khan will take on a lot of Stephanie McMahon’s duties. WWE posted a job listing for one of McMahon’s roles, ‘Director of Brand and Marketing.’

The ideal candidate will be “an important contributor to the growth and success of the WWE Premium Live Events” according to their listing.

Stephanie McMahon has worked for decades in multiple roles for WWE, starting off as a model in WWF Merchandise catalogs.

In 1999, Stephanie became an on-screen character and joined forces with Triple H that December.

The McMahon-Hemsley regime dominated the WWE for much of 2003 and the couple married for real in late 2003.

• Wrestling World Reacts to Stephanie McMahon Stepping Away from WWE

Following Stephanie McMahon announcing that she was taking a leave of absence from WWE to focus on her family, WWE is now looking to fill her role. 

The company posted a job listing for a Director of Brand and Marketing for the executive position on Tuesday.

It’s been reported that Nick Khan would be taking over many of McMahon’s direct duties until the company finds a replacement. The listing is described as follows: 

The Brand and Marketing Director will be an important contributor to the growth and success of the WWE Premium Live Events, WWE linear programming and the WWE brand. This professional will lead cross-functional promotional plans for events such as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam, supporting creative execution across linear, social, digital and OTT platforms. In addition, the Marketing Director will contribute to the development of overall WWE brand assets and oversee the execution of WWE brand campaigns on WWE’s social media accounts. Creative ideation, attention to detail, marketing insight, strategic thinking, problem solving, and ability to pivot quickly are key. Candidate should thrive in a supportive team environment that prizes collaboration, innovation, and leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

* Lead promotional planning for WWE Premium Live Events and internal milestones

* Coordinate inputs and activities across multiple internal stakeholders including Media/Production team, Creative Services, Communications, Entertainment Relations, Community, and more

* Manage paid media agency relationships in support of Premium Live Events, tracking budgets and leading reporting and optimization

* Access, analyze, and disseminate internal and third-party research to improve WWE messaging, creative and promotional tactics

* Create clear and concise presentations that track promotional tactics across events and clearly indicate support plans, creative consistency and business objectives

* Brief, review and approve promotional creative (video, static, etc.), ensuring impactful messaging for WWE fans and consistency with WWE brand and event guidelines

* Support supplemental WWE activations around Premium Live shows, ensuring fan awareness and smooth execution on site

* Lead internal and external meetings with clear agendas and collaborative conversation

Qualifications:

* Minimum of 6 to 8 years of related experience, preferably at a league/team, media/creative agency, media company, or the marketing organization of a brand/property

* Experience with a combination of any of following: league or event sponsorship, digital/social media, linear or OTT networks, experiential, custom production, talent rights/endorsements

* Proven experience in understanding the relationship between brand marketing objectives and cross-platform media offerings needed to help drive & achieve a brand’s business goals/results

* Ability to create cohesive 360 marketing programs

* Understanding of social media dynamics, paid media tactics, and reporting

* Experience designing and writing PowerPoint decks

* Comfort with ideating collaboratively or as an individual

* Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate clearly in both writing and speech

* Demonstrated ability to stay organized and prioritize in an extremely fast-paced environment

* Passionate, driven, and personally accountable with a commanding presence and energy

* Experience leading and mentoring a team a plus

* Ability to travel domestically for WWE events and production; approx. one time per month

* Bachelor’s Degree required

Stephanie McMahon’s decision to take a leave of absence from WWE surprised not only the fans but people within the organization as well.

PWinsider provided some updates on the situation and revealed the potential reason as well as the internal reaction to this news.

According to the site, the word-making round is that McMahon has decided to take this break to focus on her family. The belief is that she will return somewhere down the line but there is no timetable for it.

This likely means that someone else will take over her duties as the Chief Brand Officer of WWE in the meantime. Though there is no word on who that may be.

Update: Brandon Thurston is now reporting that WWE president Nick Khan will be taking over most of McMahon’s duties:

• Wrestling World Reacts To Stephanie McMahon Stepping Back From WWE Duties

Internal Reaction To Stephanie McMahon Taking Time Off

Except for the most inner circle, nobody within the promotion was aware of this announcement from Stephanie McMahon. Per the report, most people were ‘completely shocked and taken aback’ by the news.

The former Raw General Manager has been working with WWE full-time for over two decades. She made her on-camera debut in the late 90s and has assumed a number of different roles since then.

Who do you think should take over the duties of Stephanie McMahon until she comes back? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Stephanie McMahon has taken a leave of absence from WWE and the wrestling world has responded.

Stephanie shocked many fans with the announcement on her Twitter page. The WWE Chief Brand Officer cited wanting to spend more time with her family as the reason for her stepping away from most of her duties at this time.

They say your reputation precedes you, and it appears Stephanie has a ton of supporters.

Here are just some of the reactions to her leave of absence:

Stephanie McMahon has announced she’ll be stepping away from most of her duties within WWE for now.

The WWE Chief Brand Officer took to her Twitter account to make the announcement.

“As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE. WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family.”

As mentioned in the quote, Stephanie talked about spending more time with her family. Her husband, Triple H, was forced to retire from in-ring action due to a significant heart issue.

Triple H needed to have a defibrillator put in his chest. Many wonder if he’ll even be fully back in the swing of things behind the scenes.

It’s possible that Stephanie is taking a step back to handle more at-home responsibilities with Triple H still having some health problems.

The news is sure to come as a surprise to fans given that Stephanie is the daughter of Vince McMahon. With that said, clearly, there are more important matters to address.

Tyson Fury has received some warm messages from WWE legends ahead of his showdown with Dillian Whyte.

Fury will put his WBC and The Ring Heavyweight Titles on the line against Dillian Whyte today (April 23). The action will be held inside Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Tyson Fury Receives Good Luck Messages

Through WWE on BT Sport, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and The Undertaker have sent Tyson Fury some good vibes going into another title defense.

Stephanie got things started, saying the buzz is giving her Summerslam 1992 chills all over again.

“Tyson, it’s Stephanie McMahon and of course, Triple H from WWE. You know, I remember the last time WWE had a big stadium event in Wembley and it was Summerslam 1992. But I’ll never forget what it felt like, the electricity. 94,000 strong there to see you in your homecoming knock the block off of Dillian Whyte.”

Triple H then used one of Fury’s favorite insults, calling Whyte a big “dosser.”

“‘Gypsy King.’ The true king of boxing returns home to Wembley. 94,000 people are gonna be there and we’ll be watching just like the rest of the world. Watching you blow the roof off of Wembley Stadium and knock that big dosser out.”

Finally, The Undertaker pulled out a Muhammad Ali quote to get the “Gypsy King” fired up.

“Hey, champ. The Undertaker here. It’s about that time again, my friend. You’re going to the big house, Wembley Stadium to put on a show. Remember, you are the ‘Gyspy King’ and it’s time to conquer another kingdom.

“Dillian Whyte, he ain’t got the skills to pay any kind of bills you’re about to bring towards him. Remember, my friend float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.

“Take care of business, Tyson. I’m still here just in case you need me to dig a hole to fill a soul. Alright my man, April 23rd take care of business and I’ll see you on the other side.”

There’s been a lot of speculation on what Tyson Fury will do after this fight. He initially said he would be retiring from pro boxing matches but he has appeared to walk those comments back.

Many have also speculated that a showdown inside the WWE ring with Drew McIntyre is a possibility. The two have teased sharing the squared circle.

Please H/T SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article.

Stephanie McMahon says she has many fond memories of working with the Rock. Recently in an interview with Talk Sport, she noted that perhaps her favourite was at WrestleMania 31 when she performed in a segment with both The Rock and Ronda Rousey.

“I have lots of fun memories on screen with The Rock,” McMahon said. “I think I slapped him the hardest I’ve ever slapped him at WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium. It was a good one, it was a good one. It felt like I laid it in [laughs]. I was almost like ‘oooh, that was a little too hard!’ But then he brought in Ronda Rousey and ultimately she broke my arm and everything so ultimately, he got back at me.”

“Always fun going back and forth doing promos with The Rock. He always won, of course, but that’s alright,” McMahon continued.

Ronda Rousey recently addressed whether or not she is still under contract with WWE recently. While streaming video games on her Facebook page, someone asked Rousey if she was still under contract with the company. Rousey explained that she doesn’t really know if she is or not.

“I don’t think I am. But who knows? That’s a question for the lawyers,” Rousey said. She would also say that she still keeps in touch with Stephanie McMahon.

H/T to Post Wrestling for transcriptions of Ronda Rousey’s comments.

Stephanie McMahon and Triple H’s oldest child has begun in-ring training. According to comments Stephanie made to Talk Sport recently, Vince McMahon’s granddaughter has big ambitions in the sports entertainment business. Not only has she begun in-ring training, apparently she wants to be the boss of the whole company someday.

“We have three daughters, Triple H and I do, they are 15, 13 and 11,” Stephanie said. “Our oldest said when she was eight years old ‘Momma, I don’t want your job. Daddy, I don’t want your job. I want Pop’s [Vince McMahon] job.”

“So, just like her grandfather, she wants to be the boss so we’ll see what happens with my oldest daughter who has already started training in the ring.”

Stephanie continued to say that their youngest daughter is also very interested in getting into the business.

“My youngest daughter is also very interested but she is all about the personality [laughs]. Oh my goodness, I can’t wait to see what she is going to do.”

Stephanie also noted during the interview that her husband is doing great following a cardiac event back in September. Triple H was recently spotted touring the new location for WWE headquarters as well. More on that story below:

The State Farm Arena in Atlanta has posted that the scheduled WWE Smackdown show from the venue on 9/17 has been canceled.

“Friday Night Smackdown on September 17 will no longer take place in Atlanta. Refunds are available at all points of purchase,” the website’s update reads.

WWE Ticket Sales News

WWE ticket sales for the company’s return to the road have not been selling as well as expected. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, some shows do have good numbers, however. For tonight’s show in the Toyota Center, the venue is sold out and 14,000 fans are expected. Money in the Bank has almost 10,000 tickets sold. The RAW show in Dallas on July 19th has 7300 tickets sold as of this writing.

In a recent interview with Variety, Stephanie McMahon spoke about WWE going back out on the road.

“I think I can speak for everybody that touches the WWE Universe — whether it is our fans, our Superstars, our employees, or our partners — we absolutely cannot wait to get back together and come back home where we belong,” she said. “And even though we never went off the air and we continue to produce our content, even though we brought in nearly a million virtual fans over this time period through the ThunderDome with over 70 plus live shows, there’s still just such a huge component missing without fans physically in attendance.”

Stephanie McMahon is promising fans that live shows will feature a different look and feel when it comes to production and creative.

During an interview with Variety, McMahon explained how excited WWE is to get back to live shows, stressing how important fans are to the wrestling experience.

“I think I can speak for everybody that touches the WWE Universe — whether it is our fans, our Superstars, our employees, or our partners — we absolutely cannot wait to get back together and come back home where we belong,” McMahon told Variety. “And even though we never went off the air and we continue to produce our content, even though we brought in nearly a million virtual fans over this time period through the ThunderDome with over 70 plus live shows, there’s still just such a huge component missing without fans physically in attendance.”

WWE’s Chief Brand Officer also revealed how the company’s stint inside the Thunderdome taught the crew many lessons, describing how WWE plans on using those lessons to create change at the upcoming live shows.

“In the ThunderDome, we were able to experiment with different types of technology,” stated McMahon. “And we needed to over-deliver for our partners and our fans watching at home. But now we have the ability to apply all of those learnings to the live event experience with our fans. So from a production and storytelling standpoint, it will look and feel different.”

McMahon continued, “We’re going to have a new set design, a new presentation of our talents, different locations, and arena setups. We’re going to be utilizing augmented reality in a way that we never have before. We experimented with it a lot during Thunderdome, but it is now going to be incorporated into our talent entrances. There’s also going to be animated graphics. It’s going to be so exciting and so different than anything we’ve done before.”

The interview could be alluding to other interviews where Stephanie McMahon has stated that WWE has some surprises in store for SummerSlam. It’s also been rumored that WWE will have special “themed” live events to drive ticket sales.

In May, WWE announced they would return to live events beginning in July 16 with a 25-city tour, starting with the return’s debut at the Toyota Center in Houston for SmackDown.

SummerSlam is going to be the first of the big four WWE shows after their return to road. The company is looking to make the show huge. This includes some exciting surprises for the fans, as promised by Stephanie McMahon.

The WWE chief brand officer recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated. She talked about the planning for the upcoming event in detail.

Discussing how special the event is for them, McMahon mentioned how it’s only the second time they will be holding the PPV in a stadium. She said that she can’t wait to show off their surprises:

“SummerSlam is special, It’s the first time we’re going to an NFL stadium [for SummerSlam], and it’s only the second time we’ve ever been in a stadium. It’s about bringing people together and celebrating these huge moments.

This will be our biggest pay-per-view with full capacity [since Elimination Chamber in March 2020],” said Stephanie McMahon, “and we can’t wait to show off our surprises, too.”

This isn’t the first time the WWE official has promised big surprises for the upcoming show. She had told fans to expect other surprises while declining the possibility of a potential in-ring return for herself last week.

WWE SummerSlam this year will be taking place from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, August 21. There are some interesting matches rumored for the show and you can check out a report about them here.

• Vince McMahon, Triple H & Stephanie Named In Lawsuit Against WWE Over Saudi TV Deal

WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon confirmed that there will be some surprises at SummerSlam this year. Speaking to Yahoo Finance, McMahon also said that there are currently no plans for her to back into the ring herself anytime in the near future.

“Ever since Ronda Rousey broke my arm, I have a little PTSD” Stephanie McMahon stated in-character, remembering her WrestleMania 34 match with Kurt Angle, Triple H and Ronda Rousey.

“I’m not sure you’re going to see me in the ring anytime soon; but I guarantee for SummerSlam, there is going to be a lot of surprises” McMahon confirmed.

Stephanie McMahon on SummerSlam Surprises

It’s not clear exactly what the surprises may entail, but we do have some indication as to what WWE is planning.

It was reported in the last few months that Cardi B is being considered as the ‘host’ of SummerSlam. This hasn’t been officially confirmed by the company, but there were multiple sources including the Mat Men podcast who stated that WWE are working hard to get her on board.

The other potential surprise would arguably be John Cena returning to WWE, although this would be announced prior, so it’s difficult to see this as a ‘surprise’ of sorts. Cena would be returning for a match against Roman Reigns, which has been heavily touted over the past few weeks.

What surprises would you like to see at WWE SummerSlam 2021? Let us know in the comments

WWE Network’s move to Peacock in a deal that’s reportedly worth more than a billion has a lot of positives but some negatives for the company as well and Stephanie McMahon recently discussed both.

As part of the Leaders Week, the company’s chief brand officer appeared as a speaker at the Leaders business event, where she opened up about the massive transition of their content library.

Stephanie discussed both the up and downsides of the deal. She explained that it allows the company to focus on what they do best, though it means they are getting less data to analyze:

“From a benefit perspective, it really allows us to focus on what we do best, which really is the content production and the story telling, It’s consistent that we’re still getting our data.

Not as much data so maybe that’s a little bit of a downside there, but when you think about the economics scale and reach and of course,” said Stephanie McMahon, “the added value for our fans,”

The WWE executive continued by mentioning how the people who want to continue with the $9.99 deal for WWE Network can do so or they can choose from the many other plans.

Per Stephanie McMahon, the deal between the two companies adds value for the fans. It allows the company to extend its reach to bring more people into the fold.

• Stephanie McMahon Explains Meaning Behind New WWE Slogan

WWE recently updated its famed “Then, Now, Forever” slogan to include a fourth word. The official slogan is now “Then, Now, Forever, Together.”

Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with Forbes about the significance behind the change.

“Ultimately what the signature does is it recognizes our fans. It recognizes our community, and the message of inclusivity is so important,” Stephanie McMahon said. “WWE has always been about inclusivity. … We are all about bringing people together, putting smiles on people’s faces and creating moments and memories that last a lifetime.”

Stephanie would continue to talk about the significance of WrestleMania 37 during the interview. It was the first time WWE had welcomed back fans since the onset of the global pandemic.

“Standing on the stage for WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium looking out at history being made in that moment was absolutely the shining moment that brought it all together.”

She would continue to say that WWE’s goal is to make every fan feel like family.

“No matter who they are, no matter what they do for a living, no matter where they live, no matter how much money they make, they belong, they are a part of WWE and that’s the inclusive nature of our community and the bigger WWE family.”

In an interview with Adage last year, Stephanie spoke about efforts WWE is taking in this regard.

“You need to make sure diversity is real. And it’s not just representation, but that those voices are really heard, and that those voices matter.”

Stephanie McMahon recently appeared on the Bill Simmons podcast to promote WrestleMania 37 this weekend. During the discussion, Simmons wondered allowed if Becky Lynch would be returning to the company at Mania.

“Who Knows?” Stephanie said. “Anything can happen.”

Stephanie then revealed that she’s been in contact with Becky throughout her time away and talked about an angle Lynch pitched to her following the birth of her child.

“It’s funny, I kept talking to Becky all during her pregnancy and then after, she was actually pitching somebody jumping her in the maternity ward.”

“Maternity ward match!” Simmons yelled with enthusiasm.

“Oh yeah, that’s coming. It’s the second part of the women’s evolution,” Stephanie joked.

Stephanie also spoke about how much credit Triple H deserves for the women’s evolution.

“It’s something that I’d always been fighting for a very long time. Not just me, but a lot of people,” she said.

“It started with the way we started recruiting and training our female stars in the Performance Center. So really a lot of the credit goes to my husband. He started recruiting elite athletes both male and female. He would give the women the same amount of match time as the men, he was training them the same as the men,” Stephanie continued.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed another unbelievable story during the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show podcast.

During Angle’s rookie year he was involved in a love triangle storyline with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Kurt Angle would end up kissing Stephanie backstage whilst she was ‘concussed,’ and Angle revealed how Vince McMahon had to direct the scene.

“This was ridiculously weird,” Angle began on the podcast. “To come backstage with Stephanie and have to do a pre-tape that was going live so we weren’t going to tape it, it was going to be one take. I think Vince did that on purpose so we only had to kiss once.”

Kurt Angle Talks Vince Backstage

“We got backstage and Vince wants to direct it” Angle continued. “I was like holy s–t, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon’s father is going to direct me kissing her during a pre-tape.”

“I was nervous as hell” Kurt Angle added. “Vince was four feet way, his eyes were open and I was like ‘this is so weird man. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.’ I went down to kiss her and we caught eyes and then we went to kiss and I stuck my lips out, I didn’t want to go with an open mouth because Vince was there and I didn’t want to disrespect Triple H or Stephanie.”

• Triple H Explains Why He Turned Down WrestleMania Match Against AJ Styles

“After the pre-tape she goes ‘you kiss like a fish.’ I was like ‘what’d you expect Stephanie? Your Dad is here watching, he’s directing and your dating Triple H. What did you want me to do?’”

Triple H apparently put the ixnay on that storyline shortly after, but this has never been confirmed publicly.

credit to WrestlingINC for the transcription

Former WWE star RVD recently had an interview with The Dropkick Podcast where he talked about things such as finding success as a singles star and more.

During the interview, the hardcore star also talked about his early days in WWE and revealed an interesting angle that was planned for him before it was nixed.

According to the former ECW champion, the officials had planned a romantic storyline between RVD and Stephanie McMahon but it had to be nixed because of his girlfriend at the time:

“Something that comes to mind is when I first got there they wanted me to do a bit of a romance angle with Stephanie and myself. And my evil ex was like the most insecure b—h on the planet and I was like thinking, ‘oh my God, this gonna cost me so much grief at home.’

We had a talk, me and Stephanie, and she said, ‘you know, just think of this like you’re an actor’. I was like, ‘that’s cool, except you call me Joe Blow because I’ve been Rob Van Dam for the last ten years’.”

• RVD On Who Should Induct Him Into Hall Of Fame

The former TNA star first became famous during his 5-year stint with the original ECW from 1996 to 2001 before the company folded. He was part of the company’s final PPV Guilty as Charged in 2001.

RVD was signed to a short-term WWE deal several months after the folding of ECW. He went on to have a long run with the company after impressing the officials which lasted till 2007.

Stephanie McMahon recently spoke to Digital Spy. As part of the interview, McMahon stated how the company is looking to hire more female writers to give WWE programming a different feel and perspective.

“Hiring in the writing room is really important” Stephanie McMahon began. “Because it has previously been a fairly male-dominated writing room and there are big efforts right now to change that.”

Stephanie McMahon on Writer’s Room Representation

“I don’t have the stats off the top of my head” McMahon continued. “So I’m not sure how many women we’ve hired since we started but I know it’s several, including a senior ranking VP (Christine Lubrano) who’s in charge of many different aspects of making sure that the creative and partnerships and all lines of business are all working together.”

• Intercontinental Title Match Set For WWE Fastlane

Stephanie McMahon finished by saying that the company are looking to ‘improve’ their storylines. “So there’s a been a huge movement. And for both men and women we are always looking to improve our storylines no matter what and improve our character development.”

WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon recently had an interview with TVinsider where she talked about things like the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV and more. Discussing how they announced the details of three upcoming WrestleManias together, the WWE official said that they wanted to give fans some hope during these challenging times.

When asked about the announcement of WrestleMania returning to the standard one night schedule from next year, Stephanie McMahon suggested that the decision is not permanent. She explained that their approach is to wait and watch what happens:

“We want to maximize the value. The two nights are unique to the times. [We have plans] to go back to one night for future WrestleMania events, but of course we will see what happens this year. We want to deliver the best possible value we can for our fans who are hopefully able to attend and for those watching all around the world.”

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the company to close its doors for the public and while fans will finally be returning for WrestleMania this year, a lot of people believe that the live event business will never be the same again.

• Stephanie McMahon: Vince McMahon ‘Listens To The Fans’

Stephanie McMahon On The Future Of Live Events

The former Raw General Manager was also asked where she sees the future of live events going. Replying to the question, Stephanie McMahon explained that the fans are the secret sauce of their recipe:

“Our fans are our secret sauce. When we pivoted to the ThunderDome, we brought our fans back [virtually] as well as the lights, the lasers, the pyro. There is an intersection of technology and live attendance.

It happened faster than I think anyone anticipated, but we are absolutely looking to merge those worlds together the biggest and best way we possibly can. I know that our audience will be very vocal in telling us what they do and don’t like, which is certainly appreciated.”

Apart from this, Stephanie McMahon talked about things like filming the WrestleMania commercial with Triple H and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.

It’s been almost two years now since Ronda Rousey has wrestled a match in WWE. Her last time in a WWE ring was in the main event of WrestleMania 35. Stephanie McMahon recently addressed Rousey’s possible future with the company during an interview with TMZ.

“Ronda’s been very public that she would like to start her own family,” McMahon said to TMZ. “Once she does that, our doors are absolutely open, our arms are open. We are very hopeful that Ronda will come back home to WWE.”

Stephanie also answered a question during the interview about a possible Roman Reigns vs the Rock match at WrestleMania.

“I suppose there is any chance that we are working on anything at anytime, to answer your question. It would be a phenomenal story to find out who truly sits at the head of the table. You know, when you think about Rock and his family and Roman Reigns and his family. Just the heritage and the lineage in our business of that family. (It is a) huge story and I do hope we get to see it play out one day.”

Stephanie McMahon’s comments about Ronda Rousey can be viewed in the player below:

Stephanie McMahon sent in a letter to SEScoops addressing the blockbuster news that the WWE Network is moving to the Peacock streaming service (in the United States).

WWE executives have not addressed the financial terms of the agreement, but the Wall Street Journal and Sports Business Journal are reporting that the 5-year agreement with NBC Universal is expected to generate a more than billion dollars in revenue for WWE.

You can read Stephanie McMahons letter on the WWE Network Peacock deal below:

Good morning,

I’m excited to share that this morning WWE and NBCUniversal announced a multi-year agreement that will make Peacock the exclusive home to WWE Network in the United States.

WWE was one of the first to launch a SVOD service, WWE Network, in 2014 to super-serve our most passionate fans with WWE’s most premium content as well as an incredible library of in-ring and original programming that has grown over the last seven years. Since launching last year, Peacock has amassed an incredible catalog of iconic movies and TV shows, along with the best of live news and sports, to which WWE Network will be a perfect complement.  

WWE and NBCU have been partners for nearly 30 years, and we consider this to be a natural extension of our long-standing relationship. Peacock will enable WWE to showcase our most significant events, including WrestleMania, which was previously available on WWE Network for $9.99 per month, to Peacock’s 26 million subscribers for $4.99 per month and for free to the millions of Comcast and Cox homes across the country, helping to better serve and grow our global fanbase.  

We are thrilled to bring WWE Network to Peacock beginning March 18, and to continue to create best-in-class sports entertainment content that will not only put smiles on people’s faces, but provide our fans with an experience worthy of their passion. 

Steph

Stephanie McMahon | Chief Brand Officer
WWE | 1241 E. Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902
Office: 203.352.1103 | LinkedIn: StephMcMahon