Does Stephanie McMahon Actually Hinder Raw?

[Dave]

This past week on Raw, I seen a very big change in the attitude of the Commissioner. Not only did she have very limited screen time, she was actually... Pleasant. This has been in stark contrast to what we have seen her be in the last few weeks. It seems, to me at least, that Stephanie is trying to build herself into the next Mr McMahon. She is trying so hard to be the big, bad authority figure that her father was that she isn't allowing any of the talents to get one over on her and, thanks to that, is smothering the talents room for potential.

In recent weeks, we have seen Stephanie give massive verbal takedowns to a number of talents. For me, this is totally wrong. I get that Stephanie is the commissioner of Raw and has a right to be there. But the fact of the matter is that she has taken up far too much screen time over the last few weeks, screen time that could go Raw Superstars to build some better feuds, rather than being used to serve her ego.

Maybe it's just me. But I'm sick of seeing her talk down to everyone on the Raw roster, even Mick Foley. I know she's a heel but what good is it actually doing for her to do this? None, as far as I can see.

But what about you? Do you think that Raw is being smothered by Steph and her ego?

 

[ShinChan]

In one word, Yes!

Stephanie and the whole Authority storyline has been stale since long. It all should've ended at Wrestlemania 30 where Bryan overcame all the odds plotted by the Authority.

If WWE wants to keep Shane and Stephanie McMahon onscreen then there's no need for general managers in form of Bryan and Foley.

Shane is still somewhat interesting as he hasn't been here for 7 freakin' years.

But Stephanie has totally been overexposed on TV. Atleast Triple H does take a break but Stephanie is always there because she's a McMahon and we are supposed to care about them everytime.

 

[Wald]

She has done for years and mostly, I think, because she has let the (justified) criticism that she was just handed creative by her dad and made a complete mess of it get to her. She used to understand that it was okay for her to belittle babyfaces because they would always get her back (think Jericho or Trish) in the end but for years now she just does her "I have ladyballs" thing and doesn't allow any retort. She even did it to Daniel Bryan and, to an extent, Sting for god's sake.

She can be a great heel, that's what is so frustrating about all of this, but honestly WWE would be better off without her.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Emasculates talent, makes herself one of the focal points of the show, is a heel but makes baby face choices decisions when there's a Foley right there. Yes. Fire the woman.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

She should only show up once every three or four weeks to talk with Mick. The General Manager Mick Foley's job on RAW seems completely pointless while Steph is growling at him or wrestlers backstage. Foley should have one little comedy/GM decision every second week and that's it. Any other time they can be mentioned as coming up with decisions...ex: "I was just talking to Mick, and I'm the one getting that title shot! You stupid idiot!"

 

[George Steele's Barber]

She's fine. The Authority doesn't really exist any more. She plays an oddly undefined character but one that has not completely ditched her roots. Her relationship with Mick is interesting and has promise. At some point it will implode. She is far from Raw's biggest problem.

I think people are just mad that they can't complain about "20 minutes promos" any longer.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Having both a Commissioner and a General Manager is redundant. I think the Commissioners should only be in charge of the Championship Title Belts, the Champions, and their respective challengers. The General Managers should be in charge of the rest of the show. This gives the Commissioners the most important part of the brands, while giving the General Managers the majority of the responsibility of running the shows.

 

[ztwhite]

Several months ago, I remember reading an article about how the presence of a McMahon was something NBC wanted on the show. That's ultimately one of the reasons Shane was brought back so there could be one on each show, Raw and Smackdown. Obviously, it's not on a weekly basis, at least for Shane.

And on a personal level... I do not mind getting a glimpse of Stephanie on a weekly basis.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The reason SD is working so much better is because it's as wrestling NEEDS to be now... Authority figures (if you REALLY must have them) basically working together for the benefit of the show and the fans.

The concept of a heel authority figure or figures who work against or don't quite trust/gel has long since had its day. The longer Stephanie is in that mould, the harder it is for her to ever transition out of it.

Reality is these are the "auditions" that are nailed on to pass for the company figurehead role. There might be an element of legit competition but most are of the conclusion now that the best allround scenario is Shane takes Vince's role as overall figurehead and oversees the business, Stephanie takes Linda's role, equal power but moves more behind the scenes and Trips runs the talent/TV side of things with perhaps someone like Regal as his #2.

As good as Steph has been as a character at times, there is quickly becoming a point where she has to move away from onscreen work if she is to take either of her parents role... People buy Vince being a character AND a real life business magnate seperately because he did the business stuff first and built his rep, as did Linda... Steph has always been a character and it would be very difficult for Wall Street in particular to accept her suddenly with the keys to the kingdom.

Shane has at least gone off and run relatively successful business ventures, he got the connections in China (funny how everyone poo pooed me when I brought it up) but he comes back and suddenly they have those inroads into China and is seen as a "safe pair of hands" he isn't quite as tainted by the "craziness" or the McMahon name... He's got the ear of influential business types around the world and at Sports Agencies etc...and perhaps most importantly, he has respect of the talent AND the fans. The boys would be happy with Shane as their boss cos he has been in the trenches with them, he never NEEDED to take those bumps but wanted to and trained the right way, put the right effort in and never got the prima donna attitude.

That puts him instantly above Trips, who however much good he has done in his latter career will always have that rep, with Steph of being a pair of status climbers...

Trips running TV makes sense, running creative and hiring... Steph does the corporate stuff Linda does/did to keep the thing afloat and Shane overseas as Chairman, perhaps a little less dictatorial than Vince... but if you had to give one of the 3 the "power", Wall Street, the fans and the talent would prefer it in his hands than either of the other two, or them together.

In short, Steph's heelness is quickly becoming part of the problem, not part of the future or solution... if they don't throttle it back, she will be damaged goods by the time Vince does retire/die... also bear in mind that Dixie Carter's follies may also be a concern... it would be easy for Steph to make a mistake and be tarred with the same brush.

 

[LBGetBack]

She has done for years and mostly, I think, because she has let the (justified) criticism that she was just handed creative by her dad and made a complete mess of it get to her. She used to understand that it was okay for her to belittle babyfaces because they would always get her back (think Jericho or Trish) in the end but for years now she just does her "I have ladyballs" thing and doesn't allow any retort. She even did it to Daniel Bryan and, to an extent, Sting for god's sake.

She can be a great heel, that's what is so frustrating about all of this, but honestly WWE would be better off without her.

She destroyed Bryan for a long time.....and it only made him more and more popular. He won the title at Wrestlemania over HHH. So there was a huge payoff. I guess she got the last laugh storyline wise because Bryan got hurt and had to forfeit the title, but obviously that wasn't the plan. The injury was unfortunate, and they made the best of it by having Kane "take him out" with Stephanie using it as proof that he was too weak to be champion. Problem was they couldn't repeat that storyline or find a way to use her insane heel heat at the time to get the next person over. It certainly worked with Bryan though. That angle got the best consistent fan reactions on a weekly basis over a long time period since Austin vs. Vince.

 

[LBGetBack]

No, she doesn't hinder it IMO. She's one of the better talkers on the roster, and can be used in many situations to make things feel more important.

I am confused on the direction of her character at the moment. She's kind of a tweener lately. She, like Vince, is most useful as a super evil heel. Not really sure what to make of things with her right now but I don't think she's hindering anything.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I think she does. She's one of if not the main reason I don't watch RAW anymore despite most of my favorites being on there.

Any time I think about tuning in I read how Stephanie up to her same old crap and I say no. She needs to stay off TV. She's been a constant character for so long doing the same thing I just don't care.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

It looks like I'm in the overwhelming minority that appreciates when Stephanie McMahon graces us with her presence on WWE television and I don't think that will ever change. She is unquestionably a star and probably has had more memorable onscreen moments than any female in the history of the company.

I do agree with the sentiment that onscreen authority figures have somewhat gotten out of hand but a feud with Steph these days is much like a feud with her father in the old days: it helps get people over as faces. Everyone on the internet will agree Roman has been the most viciously booed wrestler in the world for over a year now, but him spearing Stephanie at WrestleMania 32 earned a huge pop. She doesn't hijack the show with 20 min promos she just says her piece and develops storylines and remains very over with the WWE Universe.

 

[GameOver]

It looks like I'm in the overwhelming minority that appreciates when Stephanie McMahon graces us with her presence on WWE television and I don't think that will ever change. She is unquestionably a star and probably has had more memorable onscreen moments than any female in the history of the company.

I do agree with the sentiment that onscreen authority figures have somewhat gotten out of hand but a feud with Steph these days is much like a feud with her father in the old days: it helps get people over as faces. Everyone on the internet will agree Roman has been the most viciously booed wrestler in the world for over a year now, but him spearing Stephanie at WrestleMania 32 earned a huge pop. She doesn't hijack the show with 20 min promos she just says her piece and develops storylines and remains very over with the WWE Universe.

She can be obnoxious, boring, overbearing and stale. But i agree atm out of the 4 "general managers" she is unquestionably the star, she is looking like she's sticking with the fan fav role for now.

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon are doing zero for Smackdown along with booking, it's like they suddenly can't act or don't care probably the later. and Mick has gone downhill fast, thinking he should quit while he still has a shred of dignity. Holey Foley was pretty average and his current onscreen role along with his lack of mic skills that he use to excell at has made him look like a complete bufoon.

 

[Kamala316]

Ladies and gentlemen,
As you all know, Stephanie is "Daddy's little Princess." As long as Vince is calling the shots, Stephanie can do whatever she wants. Maybe that's why she stayed by Daddy's side all these years, maybe she knew Daddy would "take care of her", maybe this was the reason that Shane left, who knows. To me, it seems like Stephanie could care less about the WWE product, and is all about her self-promotion. The only person that I remember got over Stephanie in recent memory was Vickie Guerrero. Everyone else is at the mercy of her "this week, I'm going to be a heel; next week, I will be a face because I'm doing a speech for Susan G. Komen..." character. Thankfully, the obligatory "20 min opening promos" have stopped, but they will be sure to return when somehow, Mick Foley is dismissed from his duty and HHH takes his spot so he can continue his "slow burn" storyline for WrestleMania with the hottest "face" of the year (Seth Rollins this year). Stephanie has positioned herself to take over when Vince is gone, and the propaganda will get even worse. I can't wait for the Divas Revolution DVD to come out, and see how much "credit" Stephanie is given on it. Less Stephanie McMahon = Better Raw show.