Stephanie McMahon on Her Best Power Slap, Working with Her Husband and Father, Attitude Era, More

– Stephanie McMahon did a fan Q&A with the Quora website to promote WWE’s WrestleMania 32. Below are highlights:

What is it like to be portrayed as the “bad guy” on TV? Also considering, that your real life character is quite the opposite.

Growing up as Vince McMahon’s daughter, I’ve always had to fight perception of being a “princess” and not earning my place. On WWE programming, I get to project that villainous persona and play into who the audience wants me to be. And I have to admit, it’s a lot of fun. It’s not difficult to explain to our daughters because we compare WWE’s storylines to the Disney movies they love to watch. In every great story there is a good guy and a bad guy. If the good guy didn’t have anything to overcome then you wouldn’t care about them as much. I tell my children that Mommy’s character is no different than Maleficent or Ursula, and just like the movies, what we do on TV isn’t real life.

Do you miss the “attitude” era? Is the parental guidance era more profitable for the business?

WWE programming has been PG for the past eight years (as rated by our network partner, NBCU). This was a strategic move for WWE to reach more families, grow our business and partner with blue-chip brands and yes, it has been successful. The biggest challenge is to write compelling programming that appeals to all members of the family; it requires a different degree of sophistication. In terms of the McMahon-Helmsley era I would say that the Authority puts it to shame. Our characters are a lot smarter now and they are up to all kinds of antics :))). My favorite memory from that era would be the very beginning, the night I “turned” on my father at Armageddon and joined forces with Triple H.

What is it like to work with your father and husband so closely?

Working in a family business certainly has it’s challenges. The biggest advantage is being able to share the passion we have for WWE professionally and personally.

How do you feel after fans negatively react to a major pay per view event?

If we haven’t delivered a program worthy of our fans passion, then it is a huge disappointment.

If you had the opportunity to venture outside of WWE, what would you have probably done?

News anchor, dance choreographer, marine biologist, or poet.

Who was the recipient of your best power slap so far, stirred by emotion rather than script?

Hands down my best power slap so far was when I cracked The Rock last year at WrestleMania. I had so much adrenaline from the crowd and from the setup of where we were going with Ronda Rousey, that the slap may have had a little more sizzle than was originally intended.

What is your favourite part of your job at WWE?

WWE’s mission is to put smiles on people’s faces the world over whether it is through our programming or by giving back to the community. Whether it’s the reaction of our fans in the crowd, meeting families backstage, or getting hugs from the children at schools or hospitals we visit, interacting with our fans is the best part of my job.

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