Lillian Garcia welcomes Stephanie McMahon to the show.
Garcia asks McMahon if it was always her dream to take on so many responsibilities within WWE. McMahon informs that from a very young age she was a fan of her family’s business, and she always wanted to work for WWE because she looked at it as a way to give back to her family. She began working for WWE before she even became a teenager, and she doesn’t regret a second of it.
McMahon points out that one of her favourite things about working for WWE is being able to work with Children’s Wish Foundation and various other charities. She calls those experiences very humbling and she considers it such a privilege to be part of WWE; she’s grateful for it every single day.
McMahon informs that she made her WWE television debut in a Piper’s Pit segment and she remembers being very excited to be a part of it. Her parents were still building the business at that time and a lot of the production elements from WWE’s product at that time originated from her home. She was thrilled to be around it at all times while she was growing up.
From there she began working as an intern in several different WWE departments while she finished high school. Her father really wanted her to know the details of the business inside and out and she knew the value of that as well, so it was very important to her that she worked in various roles and understood how each different department worked.
She points out that there was never any pressure from her mother or father to follow their footsteps in the wrestling business. She recalls her father sitting her down one day as she neared the end of high school and asked her what she wanted to do in life. She looked at him as if he had three heads and told him that she always wanted to work for WWE, and that’s what she was determined to do.
McMahon felt that the women’s revolution in WWE was long overdue. She credits Triple H with recruiting legitimate athletes, training the women the same as the men and giving them the same match lengths so they can get the same reps as the men. She also points out that the fans were a huge force in making this happen, noting that her father absolutely responded to the online demand to give women a chance a couple of years ago.
She admits that it caught her father off guard when the “Give Divas a Chance” hashtag started, but she adds that he’s the best at listening to fans and adapting to situations like that. He got behind this right away. She points out that some fans might criticize WWE for not listening to fans, but they’re always listening. Sometimes it might take some time for things to play out in storylines on television, but she guarantees that WWE is constantly listening to fans.
McMahon was very happy about announcing the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. She informs that the women didn’t know what she was going to say that night when she got in the ring, so all of their reactions were legitimate. Garcia admits that she had tears in her eyes when Stephanie made the announcement that night.
McMahon says there’s no denying that she’s had more opportunities because she was born into the McMahon family, but that doesn’t mean that it’s ever been easy working for WWE. Her father made sure that she had to earn everything that she has in the business, and she was even almost fired on several occasions. She points out that it hasn’t always been pretty, but every mistake brought with it a learning experience.
McMahon speaks about cyberbullying, and the negative effects of social media. She informs that she reads her own Twitter feeds and sometimes the comments are awful. She understands that she’s a heel, but sometimes it’s tough to ignore some of the things she reads on there. She urges people to ignore the negativity and block people who try to bring negativity into your life.
McMahon informs that Triple H was actually hoping for girls when she got pregnant, and now he has three of them. Garcia says having the girls softened Hunter, but Stephanie says she always saw that side of him so that didn’t really changed in her eyes. She says Hunter’s an incredible father and husband who she loves very much.
She also says that she couldn’t be more proud of her mother and the work she’s doing right now in the United States Senate. She feels that her mother has still been able to be productive in spite of the chaos that surrounds the Presidency right now. Her mother’s goal is stimulating small business for minorities and veterans and that’s something that all American’s can get behind.
McMahon informs that she’s thrilled to have Ronda Rousey involved in WWE moving forward, adding that it’s been a big dream of Rousey’s for a while. Garcia asks her if it’s possible we may see her and Rousey square off at WrestleMania, to which Stephanie responds, “Anything can happen in WWE”.
Garcia asks McMahon about the status of her long-rumoured book. McMahon informs that she still intends to write a book but it won’t be released in the near future. She made the decision to delay her book until some of her father’s stories are told, because she thinks that order of release would make more sense. She informs that Vince is not writing a book right now, but she hopes some of his stories can make their way into the public eye in the next few years.
That sums up today’s episode of Chasing Glory. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap.
