Stephanie McMahon Received Locker Room Heat After WWE Women’s Title Win

Stephanie McMahon first appeared in WWE as an on-screen character in 1999. Almost a year later, her father, Vince McMahon, made a controversial decision that led to her facing criticism from within the company as she won the WWE Women’s Championship.

After her debut, Stephanie won the WWE Women’s Championship by defeating Jacqueline and held the title for about five months before losing it to Lita. While speaking on his Something to Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard revealed how the locker room reacted to Vince’s decision to put the title on his daughter, despite her being new to the business.

Prichard noted that Stephanie was receiving a lot of backlash from fans who felt she didn’t deserve the championship. However, he emphasized that this “heat” was beneficial for business and proved the financial success of the move.

“She was getting heat from the audience. So, heat from the audience. Heat in the locker room. I don’t give a sh*t where the heat is coming from. She’s getting heat and it was money-drawing heat. So, I thought it was absolutely the right move because of that, the jealousy, the fact that the audience is saying, ‘She doesn’t deserve that.”

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Prichard explained that Stephanie’s controversial title win led to backstage heat on her in the locker room, as many wrestlers were unhappy with the decision. Still, Prichard maintained that it was ultimately a smart business choice. He pointed out that the negativity surrounding Stephanie actually drew attention and money, making it a successful move for WWE.

“And then that goes on into ‘whatever real life’ if you wanna call it of talent saying, ‘She doesn’t deserve that. Who deserves it? Who did you beat? Who did you beat to become the champion?’ Now, of course, when you won the title it was real. When you lost the title it was a work. No, man, come on. What’s best for business? That was best for business. That was good stuff and it was the right thing to do.”

As for Stephanie McMahon right now, she resigned from WWE last year after Vince McMahon returned but following his departure, she has made sporadic appearances on television. In fact, even Vince Russo claimed that Stephanie McMahon could have a more important role behind the scenes at WWE than many people realize. He mentioned that he has heard from various sources that McMahon is actively involved in the company again, although WWE is keeping this information under wraps. Regardless, we’ll have to see whether McMahon will begin working in WWE again in a backstage role, as fans simply want her to be part of the company again.