Original subtitles

you as one of the principal owners of WWE.

Take away the money and the education and I am just like all of you.

My character is the spoiled, rotten, rich girl.

Stephanie McMahon flaunts her wealth. She flaunts her power. She uses her

for bad.

Surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, or I will fire your

wife. I always feel the need to put everybody else down.

You're pathetic.

You're weak.

You're a failure, and you're a disgrace.

Your father is the boss, so she has power to make or break people's lives.

children are ashamed of you.

Stephanie is the ultimate villain. No matter how hard people try to defeat

Stephanie McMahon will never be destroyed.

Making business personal.

That's something you know all about, Dad, isn't it? Being a villain is a lot

more fun.

Oh, my Lord!

You're going to be testing!

When you're born into a nefarious empire, you learn from the best on how

the worst.

I was about four or five years old, and I was at the Philadelphia Spectrum.

I was walking backstage. It was my first time at a live show.

And I remember linoleum floors, the whitewashed walls, the cement blocks.

The very harsh fluorescent lighting.

It wasn't at all what I had expected.

And I wandered off down the hall a little bit because, you know, my parents

working. And all of a sudden, this group of kids came screaming around the

corner. I mean, running for their lives.

And hot on their heels was one George the Animal Steele.

And he turned his attention to me and started coming towards me in character.

And I ran as fast as I could up my dad's leg. I wrapped

my arms around him. I buried my head in his neck. And my dad started to laugh.

And that struck me as a little kid. And then he introduced me to the man, Jim

Myers.

It was my first sort of understanding of what it means to be a performer.

I've just grown up in this larger -than -life world.

Every person I've ever really known has had this persona, this charisma. I've

watched it. I've studied it.

I've learned what it means to become the character, maybe a little bit.

more clearer than others and maybe a little faster.

Following in the imposing footsteps of the McMahon family patriarch is an

unenviable task to say the least.

And there he is, ladies and gentlemen, before 14 ,387.

Starting from almost nothing, Vince McMahon transformed a struggling

wrestling operation into a billion -dollar publicly traded corporation.

Along the way, The sinister Mr.

McMahon fully embraced his reputation as the evil owner of WWE.

I enjoy destroying lives. It turns me on.

Vince is a natural heel. He's a natural, just evil, evil man.

Oh, my God! Mr. McMahon has lost it! My dad is all of the evils of the world

wrapped up into one human being.

Hell, I'll fire your ass!

His character is motivated by greed, by money, by power, by holding the little

man down.

He just has it all, and he wants you to know it, and in fact, he wants to stick

it straight up your ass.

It's all about me. No more Mr.

Nice Guy.

Raised by Vince McMahon is a master class in greed and evil.

You can't help but absorb that being born and raised around it.

Even though I grew up in our business and I always wanted to be a part of it,

never saw myself in the ring or as a part of our show.

I remember I had graduated college and I was in this sort of unique internship

position shadowing my dad.

And I remember sitting at the table, listening to the writers pitch him this

story. It was an idea to use me.

And I remember sitting there, like, in shock.

I was to be used basically as a pawn in this storyline.

What's the ministry doing out here?

Big man.

I know you're back there watching.

There's a little secret that I need to inform you of, Vince.

That tonight, there's a beautiful young woman who will become

one with my ministry.

Give me more security.

I don't care what you've got to do. You give me more security and give it to me

now. The Undertaker was tormenting me and ultimately he got to me.

Where to, Stephanie?

My God, the Undertaker! I've got to take Stephanie McMahon!

Stephanie!

Stephanie!

Stephanie! Stephanie!

Stephanie, where is she? Let her go!

The Undertaker had essentially captured the damsel in distress, Stephanie

McMahon, and was going to wed her.

The Undertaker!

Stephanie McMahon.

Oh, my God.

She's trapped on that center. The Undertaker and the Ministry have brought

Stephanie McMahon to the ring. That's the boss' daughter. You can't kidnap the

boss' daughter. This is absolutely heinous.

This is so sexy.

Who has the courage to come out here and stop this?

Let the ceremony begin.

There was really only one man that could help.

That was Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was the arch nemesis

of Mr.

McMahon.

Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared to save the day for the damsel in distress.

It turns

out it was all a setup.

The Undertaker was working for a higher power who orchestrated Stephanie's

abduction.

I present the higher power.

Who could it be?

It's me, Austin!

Oh, son of a bitch! It's me, Austin! It was me all along, Austin!

Mr. McMahon orchestrated his own daughter's kidnapping.

just to lure his arch nemesis into a trap.

It doesn't get much more evil than that.

Vince knew that Stone Cold Steve Austin would go out and go against the epitome

of pure evil and rescue Stephanie, because even Stone Cold Steve Austin

see the devious undertaker could not marry this pure, innocent little girl.

What a sick human being!

What kind of man would do that, would use his daughter and make his daughter

believe she was abducted, believe she was being forced to marry this evil,

unholy character?

Austin, now you know there is no price I will not pay.

Mr. McMahon would do that. And it brought out ultimately every bit of dark

that I had within me.

I really didn't want to have to do it.

But you know, Stone told Steve Austin, I had to teach you a lesson that

you would never, ever forget.

Stephanie, you didn't know.

How could you be so cruel to me?

We really weren't trying to hurt you, Stephanie. You see, it's just business.

My father actually used me as a pawn, and that was the moment my character

realized.

that it's time to play this game.

Love doesn't have anything to do with it. It's just business. We still love

Stephanie.

The relationship between Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon is complicated

because Vince is complicated.

Vince has shown over and over that he is devoted to sports entertainment 24

hours a day, 365 days a year. That's not a normal like dad -daughter

relationship. But that dynamic is fun to watch play out.

playing the damsel in distress, Stephanie McMahon began to formulate her

villainous plan to become one of the most evil characters in WWE history.

I, in a storyline, was supposed to get married to a wrestler by the name of

Tess. On Raw, Tess proposed to Stephanie McMahon, and she accepted just a few

days later on SmackDown.

I remember my father had said, okay, if anybody interrupts this wedding that

isn't family.

then they're going to get fired on the spot.

We are gathered here tonight to celebrate one of life's greatest

moments. Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple

should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever

hold their peace.

And out on stage comes Triple H, the biggest bad guy possible. At the time,

dad wasn't a story with Triple H, and he said, you know, Vince, I know you said

that if you weren't family that you'd get fired, so allow me to show you a

little something.

Vince, you should take a look at this.

Hunter, will you take Stephanie for your wife?

Oh, I do.

Stephanie, will you take Hunter for your husband?

Oh, yes, I do.

Hey, get a nice shot.

Brand new. Mr.

and Mrs.

Hunter Hurst helps me.

Triple H has married Stephanie McMahon.

Triple H, he was feuding with Vince McMahon so much that he wanted to take

daughter and marry her in secret, videotape it, then send the videotape

Monday Night Raw?

No, I start.

my dad's so angry.

As a member of the immediate family, dad is... Oh, my God!

Triple H defying Vince more than even Stone Cold did by taking his daughter

marrying his daughter against his wishes.

The storyline plays out over the next couple of weeks, and ultimately it comes

to the opportunity to have our wedding annulled. If your dad...

Well, if my dad can beat me at Armageddon, the

wedding is a no. But if I beat him, then I get my shot at the title.

I think I can have that arranged.

It's already crazy enough. So then we get to Armageddon.

Well, if this wins, Stephanie and Triple H's marriage will be annulled. You got

Greg Vinson, man. Then we got Triple H.

And then you have the Boston daughter.

You knew something was going to happen. You knew somebody was going to get

screwed over, and there was nothing you could do about it.

I was given a front row seat as a wedding present.

How nice.

It is a disaster.

They are absolutely beating the tar out of each other.

Tell me what you're feeling inside watching your daddy get his ass kicked.

Finally, my dad somehow gets Triple H down, and he picks up Triple H's

sledgehammer. I read

that

sledgehammer up like I'm just going to rock Triple H's world.

And I can't do it.

Man, I just, I can't do it. I can't hit him with it.

It's all my fault.

It's all my fault. I know it's my fault. Oh my God, is he even okay?

I hear the crowd start to roar as Triple H is

raising that sledgehammer.

As if he is going to hit me.

She's just like, man, how many terrible things could happen to one absolutely

innocent person?

Turns out all along, she was playing us all

like a fiddle.

All like a fiddle.

Stephanie McMahon turning on her father.

It was, to me, one of the biggest shocks in wrestling history.

Being taken by The Undertaker and then finding out your father was the guy

pulling the strings and making all the decisions.

The plan goes back that far. That's crazy.

And I think Stephanie became probably a bigger villain.

then Vince McMahon, and then somehow made Vince a sympathetic figure. What

of greatness must you have to make Vince a sympathetic figure?

One of the greatest field terms in history.

WWE has been a family -run business from day one.

And Steph had just come in and was part of this family business.

And so for Steph to turn on her ultimate...

mentor and father that was like the most unspeakable thing that could happen

like this girl is pure evil i decided i was tired

of being a pawn in my father's story i was going to write my own story and you

know what i'm hitching my wagon to the most evil villain of all time triple h

Obviously not the same Stephanie McMahon.

You hurt me.

Oh, you look confused, like you don't remember.

I guess it's been a long time. It's been almost a year since you had me

abducted and carried down to this ring to be sacrificed to the Undertaker in a

wedding. Simply so you could screw Stone Cold Steve Austin.

And what's the best way that I can hurt you back?

By marrying the man that you hate the most.

I'm not daddy's little girl anymore.

Betraying her almighty father was just the first step towards reshaping the WWE

in her own image.

Stephanie

then

devised a plan to conquer her father's empire from within.

gaining popularity in front of the camera. It was also benefiting her to be

thinking her claws in behind the camera as well.

Not only in the creative department, but other departments. She would dig in,

learn what she could, and move on.

That approach definitely makes her a well -rounded businesswoman that knows

probably just below her father the most about the WWE.

As Stephanie gained more power within the corporate headquarters, she felt

more emboldened to spread her wings before the WWE Universe.

Daddy's little girl was all grown up now.

You're just a mean old bastard.

What?

What did she say to her father? She went against everything that Daddy was

saying and what everyone thought of her.

She got a legitimacy being with Triple H that she never could have gotten on her

own. She always would have been on the other side of the fence to everybody in

the WWE. Now she's on the inside.

She got an amazing reaction because she was really charismatic.

And people wanted to root for her. You wanted to pull for this.

Beautiful young woman, but she was also very good at pissing people off.

Where I'm from, boys and girls treat their parents with honor and

respect.

One of the reasons why my character was always a little bit special was because

I didn't get in the ring every single week. Because I wasn't, you know, a

wrestler by trade. I was the boss's daughter.

But like her father...

and her brother before her at some point stephanie would have to step into the

ring i was never the greatest athlete so to put me in the ring was a big step

for me but ultimately i had to evolve and getting in the ring wasn't about

wrestling it was about perception of power

My first training was not pretty.

My trainer basically told me to just throw myself on the ground and take a

back bump.

That is like the key move to know.

First time that I did it, I felt like I had been in a train wreck the next day.

I was really not good at it.

So when I was going to have my first match, that's when I really got scared.

Stephanie's in -ring debut proved she was as selfish as her dear old dad.

The unproven billion -dollar princess placed herself in a title match against

one of the most popular champions in her division, Jacqueline.

While Triple H distracted the referee, his henchmen attacked Jacqueline.

And Stephanie stole the victory and the title.

Given the crowd reaction, there was really no doubt that I was

meant to be a heel.

Being in the ring, that wasn't about the wrestling. It was about power.

Steph decided she wanted to be women's champion.

And not having to do one wrestling move, not having to take a punch, not having

to have a finger laid on her, Steph walks out the women's champion.

She has an entire empire at her disposal. She could call shots and get

wants. Like, I point at the thing I want, and then I get it. Nobody else can

that.

One of the hardest things in the world to do is become a professional wrestler.

You can't just roll out of bed and do what they do. That's why he was so

upsetting to see Stephanie McMahon being able to win the title.

After that match, we see just what Stephanie McMahon was capable of, and

was anything.

God sakes, what has happened to this young woman?

as Stephanie's power continued to grow.

Stephanie struck her mother down!

Her father was back in the picture with another sinister plot to solidify the

McMahon's authority within the WWE for years to come.

This is our show.

With the WWE evolving and expanding, Raw and SmackDown split into two separate

entities.

I think the Vince and Stephanie relationship is so complicated, it puts

succession to shame. Being the ruthless, evil billionaires that they are,

there's still this element of respect, even after they've stabbed each other in

the back. So just when you think you understand their dynamic, you don't.

So this is when I think she really started getting into that authority

when she was like, I will slowly make that transition to this corporate

this person that's alongside of her father.

When she's become the strong, powerful businesswoman, she definitely has pieces

of Vince in her. This is Vince's daughter. This is who he raised. And you

when she walks down the ramp in her power suit.

And she does not look happy.

Stephanie, she's very much like my dad. I call her the princess. She hated the

princess part of that, so I threw that in there as a little brotherly dig.

I think she's inherited that walk from her father.

When your father is one of the most despised people in the business, you've

instant credibility right there.

You respond from evil. Of course you're Miss Evil at that point. I'll be right

back.

I didn't bother knocking, but... Well, you never do, Dad. Because I don't have

to do it now.

It's interesting for me being a woman in this business.

You know, and I was often the only woman in a room full of men.

I was just always very comfortable around guys. I didn't find men

If anything, I feel like women have an edge or have an advantage in a room full

of men.

But you have to have the confidence, you know, to be able to be there.

You have two choices, Eric.

You can either walk your little self out of my building, or I will have you

thrown out.

The scariest villain is a beautiful, strong woman that has power.

That makes her special in her own right.

When you're in a male -dominated industry and you show that a strong

be a bad guy and unapologetically bad, it's one of the greatest things ever.

Empowered by her ever -growing authority, Stephanie's signature strut

a sign that someone is about to receive her trademark stamp of disapproval.

You call yourself a visionary?

It's a legit competition when you're in there with Stephanie.

There's a danger in working with Stephanie.

You are a vindictive bitch!

I think it degrades you as a human being when you get slapped.

You're lower than me. You're not even worth a punch.

I'm going to slap some sense into you, and I think that's why it works so good.

What are you going to do about it? You're going to cry?

You're going to cry like a baby?

My sister probably...

hits the hardest out of the entire roster of WWE with that slap.

That slap is no joke.

Stephanie was able to do it with a fly smile.

Stephanie was able to take grown men and bring them to their knees.

As often as the case, life began to imitate art.

Stephanie and Triple H's on -screen romance sparked a real -life love story.

Rumors circulated very early on once Steph and Triple H were paired on

Come to find out, there was a reason their chemistry was so great on camera.

It was life imitating art because behind the scenes, they started to have

feelings for one another.

What started as just a strategic move soon became a reality.

We were supposed to be a short -lived storyline, and I was not allowed to date

any of the wrestlers.

But there were ups and downs and twists and turns, both on screen and off, and

ultimately wound up really getting married.

I think once Triple H and Stephanie got married, it really threw a wrench in the

family dynamic as far as jockeying for power and position.

Because Triple H and Stephanie have different strengths, so together they

one mega power.

And then now there was just Shane. It was almost...

became a bit of a two -against -one dynamic.

Stephanie's ascension up the corporate ladder reached new heights when she and

Triple H seized the reins of WWE power as the authority.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the COO, as well as one of the principal

owners of the WWE, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

I took a step back.

from wrestling, and then my dad started to take more of a backseat, so he wasn't

on camera as much, and we really needed that authority figure.

I stepped forward as an owner, and along with my husband, Triple H, who was

positioned as the COO of the company, and we actually became the authority, is

what we called ourselves.

Anybody in that locker room that defies our authority!

will beg to keep their job.

We are now the bosses.

We are now in charge.

And power goes straight to your head. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and

did.

Last week, the big show struck.

My husband in the face.

But where is the big show now? He's unemployed.

He's fired.

They're bullies.

and they're throwing their weight around, and they're throwing their power

around, and that's what the authority was all about.

At this point, it started to seem like there was kind of a changing of the

happening. The expectation is that, you know, one day it's all going to be Shane

McMahon's company, but okay, no, actually, little sister Stephanie and

husband Triple H, they're going to take over. As a fan, it seems like Shane

could already see the writing on the wall, and then Shane left the company.

And let that be a lesson to anyone.

In the WWE locker room because insolence will not be tolerated.

So I think it was at that point that Steph really started to feel the effects

her power.

Security, please escort this man from the building.

No one likes anyone to abuse their power, much less, you know, a son and or

daughter of the boss.

You have Stephanie McMahon and Triple H side by side every week, literally

pissing people off for no reason. You work for me. I ask the questions.

So who the hell do you think you are?

This isn't a storyline.

They have weight. They have pull. They can do things. They can cause people

discomfort. How would it feel for your wife to look in your baby girl's eyes

explain about the beating that you took?

She's the power. The power that no other character, not even villain, has. And

no one ever can have.

It's her throne.

And you have to play on her level at all times or you're finished.

I love that.

Vicky, you're fired.

Leadership is not for everybody. Having the ability to dominate and control

others, it's very intoxicating because it goes to people's heads.

They embrace being evil. They love being evil.

It's their glow. It's their moment. They love that.

It's become iconic.

You're fired.

And when it's somebody we don't like, you'll get the nah, nah, nah, nah, hey,

hey, goodbye.

But when you are unapologetically firing someone you know people love, like

hardcore legend, first battle Hall of Famer, Mick Foley.

Foley, get out once and for all.

That's ruthless.

That's being plain evil.

At that point, people were nervous that...

Steph and Triple H had too much power because there's elements of truth. Like,

Stephanie is really out there with her husband, and she pretty much can call

shots. And there's nothing anyone could possibly do about it.

The McMahon family drama is like no other.

Behind the scenes and on camera. Oh, no, look at that!

Oh!

With all that wealth at stake, with so many egos to feed, with so many backs to

staff, there's always going to be some sort of turmoil in the never -ending

struggle for power.

There's always a pecking order inside a family.

You've got sibling rivalry.

And then you've got the siblings competing with their parents.

I said I could never, ever compete with your checkbook, but I can outsmart you.

I think we watch these shows like Succession. You're a coward.

Wow. Game of Thrones.

You're no son of mine. I've always been your son.

Because they are a really exaggerated version.

Of every family's hierarchy, every family's competition, we all find

in those characters.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you the recipient of the Vincent James

Legacy of Excellence Award to Stephanie McMahon!

Even though none of us know what it's like to have royal blood or...

you know, some incredible family business where maybe one day you'll be

heir. Most of us can't relate to that, but we can relate to family

relationships. We all can relate to wanting to impress mom or dad.

No one in the world deserves this award as much as you.

Congratulations. Thank you, Dad. It is our family's legacy, and I do just have

few.

After a seven -year hiatus, Mr. McMahon's prodigal son returned to claim

stake of the family emblem.

At the time, Steph and Triple H were being a unified power couple,

setting themselves up to be the successors to the WWE.

Out of nowhere, here comes Shane McMahon, and the crowd was on their

deafening.

didn't say a word for like 10 minutes. The crowd was so stoked. And you had to

think that Steph and Triple H were like questioning their security at that

moment. The Vincent Jane McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award.

Phenomenal idea. Amazing.

And should be bestowed upon someone who's a worthy recipient.

And that's not you.

The real life aspect of ownership, if you will, of the company.

Sure, you can get some real life emotion out of that.

Let me tell you something.

My husband and I have been successfully running a billion dollar business with

our blood, sweat and tears. Whether these people appreciate it.

There has to be some truth to any family dynamic power struggle in a family like

the McMahons.

Whether it's hostile or it's over the top or it's as big as we're seeing it,

there are questions.

The great thing is nobody really knows.

No one knows what happens at Thanksgiving.

No one knows what happens at Christmas.

You know, that's our whole internal thing. And, you know, people want to

They're like, can you imagine? Do you think that really is? What do you think

really goes on? It's always good to keep people guessing and think.

I think we've done a pretty good job of that because we're all still around, and

thus far, people want to see us.

You don't know what it means to be a success, Shane. How would you? You're

nothing more than a winner.

Now get the hell out of my ring.

Stephanie is a diabolical character, and she will do whatever it takes to be the

heir of the family business.

The reason you've been able to climb so high thus far is because I let it

happen.

And one thing's for sure, Stephanie, I never lost my place in line.

My brother is the good guy, the protagonist, you know, the baby face.

And I've even said this to the audience, like, why do you love Shane?

He has done nothing. All he does is pander to you guys.

Meanwhile, here I am, day in and day out, working my butt off to make sure

this business is here for you and your kids and your kids' kids, but yet you're

going to cheer him and you're going to boo me.

How is that even possible? How does that make any sense at all?

I expected by now that... One of you would have stabbed the other one in the

back or slit the other one's throat.

That's not what we have.

It's the oldest storyline literally in history.

The king will not live forever, and in order to be on their throne, I've got to

go through them.

It's power, it's money, it's fame, and it's the willingness to get it at any

cost. And so that idea of anything can happen at any moment because there's

one throne and only one person who can stand on it, but there are two kids of

Vince McMahon.

That's what we as fans love. And that drama and that tension is always being

teased at us. It is my duty to inform you the new commissioner of the

juggernaut, the flagship, the three -hour flagship of WWE, Monday Night

Commissioner Stephanie McMahon.

It reminds me of the fact that

Sharks eat each other in the womb.

And she's one of the sharks that made it out.

The authority back in control.

I think Stephanie McMahon has been face forward as far as like decisions that

get made. I obviously know her brother's involved as well, but we don't think of

him. First off, we think of Stephanie McMahon and we think of Triple H and

they're sort of become the face of the decisions.

And I, for one, enjoy that.

What fans see when it comes to Stephanie McMahon and her possibly taking

over is Stephanie and Triple H as a unit.

of evil traits. You have the guy who's been in the ring and the businesswoman

who's been behind the scenes her entire life, them together as sort of this, you

know, let's say a WWE power couple. I think there's an appeal there to a lot

fans. Our ring, our house, our show, this

belongs to us.

The thing with Stephanie is that she...

plays her role of being the ultimate bad girl to a T.

There's nobody that plays that role better than her. She is totally open and

willing to let her character go as far as her character needs to go because she

understands that her family's legacy, family's business, is at stake.

Shut up!

Shut up!

No, no, Dad, Dad, Dad, it's okay.

You're animals!

dad you know what quite frankly i don't want their support and i certainly don't

want their compassion or their sympathy because i would rather be feared or

respected than felt sorry for because i am a leader and all of you know

it i think it's fair to say that steph has no intentions of leaving the family

business and is planting the seeds to just secure that spot for a lifetime and

generations to come.

Absolutely, I would let my daughter join the business, but they're going to have

to earn it.

Just like you did.

Even more so.

Forget who you're talking to. I'm a McMahon.

Nobody does crazy better than us.

The McMahon family will always be synonymous with doing whatever it takes

expand the family legacy.

As for Stephanie, she entered the WWE as being handed everything.

But she has proven herself to be even more unforgiving.

More scandalous.

More unscrupulous and more powerful than anyone could have anticipated.

AJ, you are the genius champion.

But please remember that I can take all of that away from you.

No one really enjoys that entitled, self -indulgent princess, if you will.

And she just happens to suit that role pretty well.

She's the boss, and she jams it down everybody's throat, and people don't

that. All walks of life, no one really, really wants their boss.

Someone to jam something down their throat just doesn't taste good.

When the going got tough, what did Shane McMahon do? What did he do? He

abandoned every single one of you for seven years.

That's a leader. That's someone you want leading this company. What's going to

stop Shane from doing that all over again?

Stephanie McMahon being a villain. It's timeless. It's something that everybody

understands. And I think the drama laughs because it's real.

And what's real is what resonates with the audience. And when the audience sees

Stephanie McMahon on their screen, they're not looking for a cushy, lovey

-dovey, happy -go -lucky moment. They're looking for the to hit the fan.

I think Stephanie McMahon actually might be even

more vicious than her father.

Because throughout her career and throughout her life, she's been treated

certain way. She's had to fend for herself and fight for herself in very

different circumstances in a world full of snakes and serpents. So she knows how

to do it better than anybody else. And she knows how to do it with a smile on

her face.

Does that make her evil?

Well, she is a McMahon.