The Over Exposure Of Stephanie McMahon

[Low_Ki]

In the grand scheme of things this is purely a rant/open question/debatable topic.

I don't post very often as I usually find reading other opinions much more enlightening than my own, but I just feel like after the Rumble this went a tad overkill.

Stephanie has spent a lot of time on screen, berating other make wrestlers/Kurt Angle, without so much of a hint of retribution.

She went away after her table spot (okay small retribution), then came back and it felt like she'd never been gone, in a bad way.

Taking credit for this women's evolution is pure vanity on her part. Sure, she has probably had quite a hand in it, but I've always looked at it like she needs to let the women in those spots take the plaudits as they are the ones who put their bodies on the line, including two talented women who stepped into a cell, a group of women who risked their bodies climbing ladders, and then again last night.

Instead she put herself front and centre in a Royal Rumble that didn't have her as a participant, and instead of watching with her pride backstage, she had to sit on commentary further overexposing herself to the television masses.

What are your thoughts? Is she outstaying her welcome in front of the cameras? What are your opinions of her as an on air personality?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I think she's a terrific authority heel and playing the marks to no end. I don't know if it is going anywhere but it is enjoyable. Maybe more enjoyable than reading grown men getting their panties in a bunch over something not that bad or significant.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I get what you're saying because I fell the same way about this. At the end of the rumble I felt it was more about starting stephanie's mania program then asuka and asuka felt like an afterthought after the match. That's why ever since the women's rumble was announce, I called it stephanie's royal rumble. At less she didn't do what I feared the most and be and actual participant and win the rumble, so that's a plus.

In the end, while she is a great heel authority figure, It's always been at the detriment of the other performers and it does hurt everybody else that as a hard enough time getting over without having Steph pull the rug right from under them every time she's on camera.

 

[Urry88]

Stephanie likely is responsible there is even a revolution on the main roster though, we all know Vinces sexism towards the women and we all know what HHH was achieving with the women of nXt.
It's my belief it was Steph and HHH pushing for it, granted they couldn't of done it without the talent but the talent couldn't of achieved it without someone fighting their corner behind the scenes.

Steph as heel authority figure on the other hand wouldn't be so bad if she went the Mr mcmahon route and actually got her comeuppance every once and while.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Steph is in the worst position possible and it really does hurt the company at times... EVERY time she does an interview, she has to parrot how she plays a "bad guy" and that it's an act... It's a VERY bad look for the company and Wall Street hate it... Shane has at least had time in a boardroom outside of WWE, so when the time comes Wall Street will be more comfortable with him in charge.

What I am seeing here is the transition of Steph away from being an on air character... if she is EVER going to run the company or be in a 3 person management team with Hunter and Shane, she can't be on air as a character... Remember how Linda was used SO sparingly back in the day? There was a reason as at least one member of the management needed to be "outside the TV bubble" for the company to be taken seriously. Vince for years hid behind anonymity as only the smartest fan knew the commentator owned the company... once Mr. McMahon came out the whole next 20 years was dominated by the concept of the aggressive, bullying boss character, one that in 2018 isn't going to fly anymore, especially post Weinstein.

While the OP calls it overexposure, it's actually worse... being an on air character, or rather the character she has had is now damaging Steph's potential to lead WWE going forward... Her commentating (god that was awful) was designed to start moving her away from that heel role... the handshake with Ronda, she's now been seen to do "what's best for business" and over the coming months Steph will retreat further and further back. It was almost the reverse of Vince, start with commentating and fade out. From her perspective, she's done all she can as an on air character, she's got kids and I am sure she'd like to spend more time with them as they get older, rather than being on camera getting in some dude's face for the 50th time.

Her taking "credit" for the Women's Revolution IS fair, as it would have taken her AND Hunter to convince Vince to go in that direction and to make it stick to the point where they could even do a Rumble. It's not a short term thing either... it will have taken years even to get Vince to drop the name Diva for Women, much less sanction them closing a PPV or to spend the money on someone like Ronda.

So now they're giving Steph some "out of the ring plaudits" to go with her couple of fake titles... (yes that does say titles...) to help build that "legacy" she takes into the boardroom and away from the screen. We'll be getting far less Steph than we've been used to going forward, last night proved it.

It also is signalling the end of the "GM"/Authority Figure era... Like I said the idea of a manipulative boss isn't going to fly when it's causing so many issues in the real world. The time is coming where there WILL be an authority figure ala Jack Tunney again, someone who shows up when a big decision is needed... my money is on Mark Callaway. But the storyline stuff with GM's and bosses is gonna end... it's 20 years old and stale as hell.

 

[brahuma_bull]

The signing of Rousey makes money as a pure wrestling fan not thrilled but I get it. Steph's commentary was AWFUL and for an overall match the Men's Rumble was WAY better but again they deserved it and it will get massive coverage and closing with Rousey made more sense then doing it in hour 3. I just hope Rousey is used as more of building up people like Brock has helped Braun's build up and not go Goldberg with her and bury the whole revolution.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Steph is in the worst position possible and it really does hurt the company at times... EVERY time she does an interview, she has to parrot how she plays a "bad guy" and that it's an act... It's a VERY bad look for the company and Wall Street hate it... Shane has at least had time in a boardroom outside of WWE, so when the time comes Wall Street will be more comfortable with him in charge.

Stephanie's primary job for several years has been to hype the WWE brand. She gives a LOT of interviews and that's a big part of her job, she also is responsible for forging and continuing a lot of WWE's community outreach programs as part of hyping the WWE brand, such as all the various reading challenges at elementary schools, partnerships with Make A Wish and Susan G. Konnen, scholarship programs, etc. Her comments on how she "plays" a "bad guy" doesn't seem to have hurt WWE when it comes to Wall Street when you consider the company's stock has never been higher, it's stock is somewhere around $35 per share right now and has a market cap of about $2.7 billion. Investors know that pro wrestling isn't real, any adult with average intelligence knows it, so whatever Stephanie is or isn't doing, it's not hurting the company.

I get annoyed when I read some of her interviews at times, especially when she says that WWE always listens to the fans because we know that simply isn't the case. Fan perspectives have to be taken into consideration, of course, but it's ultimately down to what Vince McMahon wants; it's ultimately about what he thinks is...well best for business. That's just not a line that was come up with to use with the Authority. Sometimes he's right, sometimes he's not and as a fan, it's frustrating to hear her parrot some of what Vince tells her but, at the same time, what's she supposed to say? It's not like she's gonna shoot on a guy who's both her boss and her father just like Triple H doesn't because he can't if she wants to keep her job and influence within the company. Using Triple H as an example, there have been reports for years of Triple H's sometime frustration with Vince because of Vince's micromanaging, flip-flopping on decisions multiple times, some of his outdated views and his stubbornness but you know he's not going to throw Vince under the bus during interviews, even though he might personally want to at times. I mean...whether it's an interview with a podcast, ESPN or Rolling Stone, Trips isn't gonna come out and say something like "Yeah, NXT is better than the main roster. You know why? Because I run it my way. I listen to ideas and suggestions from the talent instead of creating an environment where they feel like they have to walk around on eggshells all the time. I pay attention to who and what the fans are responding to, I've had my fingers on the pulse of modern fans for years now and that, along with great creative writers and some of the best talent in the world, is why NXT has consistently kicked the main roster's ass for years."

What I am seeing here is the transition of Steph away from being an on air character... if she is EVER going to run the company or be in a 3 person management team with Hunter and Shane, she can't be on air as a character... Remember how Linda was used SO sparingly back in the day? There was a reason as at least one member of the management needed to be "outside the TV bubble" for the company to be taken seriously. Vince for years hid behind anonymity as only the smartest fan knew the commentator owned the company... once Mr. McMahon came out the whole next 20 years was dominated by the concept of the aggressive, bullying boss character, one that in 2018 isn't going to fly anymore, especially post Weinstein.

While the OP calls it overexposure, it's actually worse... being an on air character, or rather the character she has had is now damaging Steph's potential to lead WWE going forward... Her commentating (god that was awful) was designed to start moving her away from that heel role... the handshake with Ronda, she's now been seen to do "what's best for business" and over the coming months Steph will retreat further and further back. It was almost the reverse of Vince, start with commentating and fade out. From her perspective, she's done all she can as an on air character, she's got kids and I am sure she'd like to spend more time with them as they get older, rather than being on camera getting in some dude's face for the 50th time.

Her taking "credit" for the Women's Revolution IS fair, as it would have taken her AND Hunter to convince Vince to go in that direction and to make it stick to the point where they could even do a Rumble. It's not a short term thing either... it will have taken years even to get Vince to drop the name Diva for Women, much less sanction them closing a PPV or to spend the money on someone like Ronda.

So now they're giving Steph some "out of the ring plaudits" to go with her couple of fake titles... (yes that does say titles...) to help build that "legacy" she takes into the boardroom and away from the screen. We'll be getting far less Steph than we've been used to going forward, last night proved it.

It also is signalling the end of the "GM"/Authority Figure era... Like I said the idea of a manipulative boss isn't going to fly when it's causing so many issues in the real world. The time is coming where there WILL be an authority figure ala Jack Tunney again, someone who shows up when a big decision is needed... my money is on Mark Callaway. But the storyline stuff with GM's and bosses is gonna end... it's 20 years old and stale as hell.

I'm bored with Stephanie because I'm just bored with the heel authority figure in general. It's not so much her as the concept itself because, as you pointed out, it's been done to death and WWE's not going to add some sizzle to it because Vince is all about avoiding controversy whenever he can. As for her performance in the role, I think she's extremely good because she knows how to manipulate marks, and by marks I'm talking about all of us because we're all marks whether we want to admit it or not. I mean, we invest our time, energy, money and attention watching a fictional sport populated by people portraying fictional personals who engage in fictional feuds culminating in fictional fights so, yeah, we're most definitely marks. Non-fans most definitely have much more colorful, hateful and downright hurtful words for us but you get where I'm going with this.

 

[Kamala316]

Before I go on my rant, let me state he obvious: I never have been a fan of Steph (or HHH-like attracts like) because I hate politicians, and fake/arrogant people who act entitled, and don't earn their keep. Although Shane is back, at least he went off and did his own thing for a while. He proved that he can earn a living, and be a "big boy". On the other hand, you have Stephanie. She's never left Daddy's side, "worked her way up" the corporate ladder, and is ready to be handed the reigns to the business. You would think because she's "marketing the brand" now, Steph would 'push' the performers, let them progress in their storylines, etc. Instead, many a Raw begins with the Stephanie McMahon 20 minute ramble, only to be followed by a Stephanie appearance later, then again, and again, etc. What irks me is the increase is Steph time during the Road to WrestleMania, as, once again, talent is pushed to the side so the McMahon family (HHH included) can figure out who has the most momentum, and can start a storyline with them so they can have their "WrestleMania moments". Case in point - last night's Royal Rumble. Asuka wins the first ever women's Royal Rumble. Instead of letting the ladies have their moment, what happens? Stephanie has to have her entrance, has to be front and center at the announcer's table, and then proceeds to, right after the match, start her storyline with Ronda Rousey leading up to WrestleMania. And just like that, Stephanie puts herself in front of Asuka, who just had a defining moment in "her" company's history. At the end of the day, Stephanie will always be a McMahon. She learned it from her father because she never left her side because she knew Daddy would always take care of her, and she knew it. Is she over exposed? Absolutely. And it isn't going to change anytime soon.

 

[Navi]

Before I go on my rant, let me state he obvious: I never have been a fan of Steph (or HHH-like attracts like) because I hate politicians, and fake/arrogant people who act entitled, and don't earn their keep. Although Shane is back, at least he went off and did his own thing for a while. He proved that he can earn a living, and be a "big boy". On the other hand, you have Stephanie. She's never left Daddy's side, "worked her way up" the corporate ladder, and is ready to be handed the reigns to the business. You would think because she's "marketing the brand" now, Steph would 'push' the performers, let them progress in their storylines, etc. Instead, many a Raw begins with the Stephanie McMahon 20 minute ramble, only to be followed by a Stephanie appearance later, then again, and again, etc. What irks me is the increase is Steph time during the Road to WrestleMania, as, once again, talent is pushed to the side so the McMahon family (HHH included) can figure out who has the most momentum, and can start a storyline with them so they can have their "WrestleMania moments". Case in point - last night's Royal Rumble. Asuka wins the first ever women's Royal Rumble. Instead of letting the ladies have their moment, what happens? Stephanie has to have her entrance, has to be front and center at the announcer's table, and then proceeds to, right after the match, start her storyline with Ronda Rousey leading up to WrestleMania. And just like that, Stephanie puts herself in front of Asuka, who just had a defining moment in "her" company's history. At the end of the day, Stephanie will always be a McMahon. She learned it from her father because she never left her side because she knew Daddy would always take care of her, and she knew it. Is she over exposed? Absolutely. And it isn't going to change anytime soon.

I don't even know if you are being serious here or not. Are you saying that Vince McMahon's kids shouldn't ever have had anything to do with the business? That both of them should have done what Shane did and leave to make their marks elsewhere only to come back later? What sort of rubbish is that.

Stephanie has a ready made job working for her father. I'm sure that any parent would do them same thing for their kids. Let's face it, even if she sat at home every day by the pool and did nothing but live off the WWE profits, it's her right as it's her family's business. But she doesn't do that, she works her butt off for all intents and purposes.

Stephanie is a great heel character and yea while she gets a bit much TV time on occasion, she works it. Add that to the fact that she just might be partially responsible for actually starting the women's revolution. Vince is stuck in the past and he would never have let the women do what they are doing now. I mean shit, when was the last time the women headlined the Royal Rumble, other than last night that is.

With HHH and NXT the women have come leaps and bounds the last couple of years and I see it continuing. If we have to put up with Stephanie on the TV screen for a few minutes each week, so be it. I can always leave the room or mute it until her segment is over. She is the daughter of the man that own's the company, so get used to seeing her around for years to come.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I don't even know if you are being serious here or not. Are you saying that Vince McMahon's kids shouldn't ever have had anything to do with the business? That both of them should have done what Shane did and leave to make their marks elsewhere only to come back later? What sort of rubbish is that.

Stephanie has a ready made job working for her father. I'm sure that any parent would do them same thing for their kids. Let's face it, even if she sat at home every day by the pool and did nothing but live off the WWE profits, it's her right as it's her family's business. But she doesn't do that, she works her butt off for all intents and purposes.

Stephanie is a great heel character and yea while she gets a bit much TV time on occasion, she works it. Add that to the fact that she just might be partially responsible for actually starting the women's revolution. Vince is stuck in the past and he would never have let the women do what they are doing now. I mean shit, when was the last time the women headlined the Royal Rumble, other than last night that is.

With HHH and NXT the women have come leaps and bounds the last couple of years and I see it continuing. If we have to put up with Stephanie on the TV screen for a few minutes each week, so be it. I can always leave the room or mute it until her segment is over. She is the daughter of the man that own's the company, so get used to seeing her around for years to come.

I feel It's unfair to say that Vince would never have the women do what they are doing now. Don't you forget he was in charge when lita and Trish main evented raw. He was in charge when they had the first women's revolution way back in the early 2000 So I feel we don't give Vince enough credit for some of the stuff he did.

I feel like the women's revolution as a whole as become just a punch line or a excuse to put the women's in the same gimmick matches as the man and It's never about the performers. I also feel that this is more to make Stephanie look good and in the a way the company as a whole because they push the women's in place that they wouldn't be normally without rime or reason. Yes,they main evented last night but in the end who cames out of all this with the big spotlight, it wasn't the performers, it was stephanie and Ronda. In the end, they use the whole women's revolution and the first women's rumble as a excuse to advance stephanie's story and made the whole thing an afterthought.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the girls having the same opportunities as the man, but have it make sense in the end and stop using this historic moment just to make Stephanie look good. It's like if nakamura would have won the rumble last night and you had HHH hug aĺl the spotlight and started his own storyline with somebody else. This just make no sense and it make every performers the worked their butt off to make the match feel important and entertaining like if they we're not important and It's counter productive and that's what's stephanie taking credit on tv for the whole women's revolution is, making those women's feel like less then nothing.

 

[FlashMarston]

I think it's all story line. But even if it's not.. It's technically their company. So she can do whatever she wants, right? I see what you mean though. On my part, I enjoyed the rumble through and through though.