Stephanie McMahon-Levesque

Stephanie Marie McMahon-Levesque (born September 24, 1976 in Hartford, Connecticut) is the daughter of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Chairman Vince McMahon. She is a former in-ring performer, and the current Vice President of Creative Writing.

World Wrestling Entertainment (kayfabe)

Stephanie McMahon-Levesque first appeared on WWE programming as part of a Roddy Piper vignette in her early teens. She moved into the spotlight in early 1999, when she became involved in the onscreen conflict between her parents, Linda and Vince McMahon. Stephanie was originally a face. After Linda and Stephanie sided with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vince's nemesis, Vince responded by having The Undertaker kidnap Stephanie. The Undertaker attempting to marry Stephanie in the middle of the ring in a "Unholy Wedding" ceremony, but Stephanie was saved by Austin.

Stephanie began a relationship with wrestler Test which led to a heated feud between then babyface, Test and her brother, the then heel Shane. The couple were eventually engaged, but, in late 1999, Stephanie was drugged and taken to Las Vegas by Triple H, where they were married. This effectively ended the relationship between her and Test. Stephanie abhored Triple H at first, but eventually sided with him, turning on Vince in the process by slapping him in the face.

The McMahon-Helmsley Era

In 2000, with Vince McMahon absent as a result of injuries inflicted upon him by Triple H at the 1999 "Armageddon" Event, Triple H and Stephanie became the onscreen owners of WWE, a period known as the "McMahon-Helmsley Era" and dominated by the "McMahon-Helmsley Faction". Triple H held the WWE Championship, and Stephanie held the World Women's Championship. Stephanie reconciled with her father and brother at WrestleMania 2000 when they helped Triple H defend his title against The Rock, leaving Linda McMahon as the only face McMahon. Linda and Stephanie would exchange slaps throughout the summer of 2000. Throughout 2000, Stephanie would use heel wrestlers to try and eliminate her enemies: The Rock, Chris Jericho and Lita. Jericho in particular enraged Stephanie by calling her a "Filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, bottom-feeding trash bag ho", leading to a series of matches between him and Triple H.

In late 2000, a love triangle angle began featuring McMahon-Levesque, Triple H and Kurt Angle. This angle was never satisfactorily resolved, and McMahon-Levesque remained as Triple H's onscreen wife. Stephanie and Triple H were separated in early 2001 when Triple H was badly injured.

The internal disputes between the McMahons led to Shane siding with his mother against Stephanie and Vince. Linda was in a coma-like state due to the stress of being asked for a divorce by Vince, and Vince took the opportunity to have a public affair with Trish Stratus. Stephanie briefly feuded with Stratus, defeating her at No Way Out 2001, but eventually both settled their differences and sided with Vince. Over the next few weeks, Vince made it clear that he favoured Stephanie over Stratus, even allowing Stephanie to "slop" (cover with filthy water using a mop) Stratus in the middle of the ring. At WrestleMania X-Seven, Shane defeated Vince in a Street Fight. In the course of the match, Stratus slapped Vince and chased Stephanie from ringside, apparently upset with Vince's constant misogynistic treatment of her.

The Invasion

Stephanie later "betrayed" Vince on July 9, 2001 by revealing that she had purchased Extreme Championship Wrestling and intended to bankrupt the WWE (in reality, the ownership of ECW assets at this time was highly disputed). She was made unemployed when her wrestlers were defeated by the WWE, as she had sold her "WWE stock" to Ric Flair. She returned in 2002 as a face when Triple H made a comeback, but the couple began having problems (Triple H was now a face, and no longer needed a manager). The couple "divorced" after Stephanie (falsely) claimed to be pregnant in order to trick Triple H into renewing their marital vows. The split was acrimonious to say the least; Triple H literally complied with the "fifty-fifty" divorce settlement by giving Stephanie the front half of her Corvette, and Stephanie claimed that Triple H had abused his Bulldog, Lucy, in order to gain custody to spite him (Lucy was later run-over by a limousine, much to the distress of Triple H). Stephanie sided with her old enemy then heel, Chris Jericho, then the Undisputed Champion, in order to gain revenge upon Triple H, but Jericho lost to Triple H at WrestleMania X8, and Jericho and Stephanie later lost a handicap match to Triple H with the result being that Stephanie once again had to leave the WWE.

General Manager

On July 18, 2002 Stephanie returned to the WWE as the General Manager of SmackDown!. She stole talents such as Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker from the RAW brand, but lost Triple H, Chris Jericho, Christian, Lance Storm and Test. She feuded with Bischoff throughout 2002, though the enemies inexplicably shared a kiss at a Halloween party at which Stephanie was dressed as a witch and Bischoff was disguised as her father. Stephanie was also given credit for the return of Hulk Hogan, and eventually became a face once more.

Stephanie was ousted from her position after losing an I Quit Match to to her father, Vince McMahon on October 19, 2003 at No Mercy. Vince was a heel once again; though he originally been the one to appoint Stephanie as the General Manager, he began to resent her attempts to stop him pursuing an affair with Sable, and decided that he wanted her to quit. Stephanie did not say "I Quit", but lost when her mother, Linda, at ringside threw in a towel on her behalf. The vacant position would later be filled by Paul Heyman, Kurt Angle, and, most recently, Theodore Long.

Stephanie has made few onscreen appearances since. On March 13, 2004 she attended the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and on September 23 she appeared on SmackDown! and talked about her favorite SmackDown! moments.

Backstage Roles

In addition to her on-air character, Stephanie (like others in Vince McMahon's immediate family) is deeply involved in the business operations of WWE. She began her backstage work as a model for merchandise items before progressing to working in the WWE advertising department. In 2000, she became one of the individuals chiefly responsible for the creative direction taken by the television programming. It is widely believed that Stephanie is being groomed to replace her father when he retires or passes away along with real-life husband Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H.

The efforts of the creative team, headed by Stephanie since 2000, have often been criticised. Stephanie has been accused of favouring her husband, Triple H. She is also unpopular as a result of unsavoury angles containing elements of necrophilia and rape. This criticism intensified when, in 2003, she removed Paul Heyman from his position as head writer of the SmackDown! brand (Heyman is popular among smarks, who enjoyed his tenure as head writer).

Personal Life

McMahon-Levesque is a graduate of Boston University, as is her brother Shane McMahon (she holds a degree in Communications). On October 24, 2003, she married Paul Levesque [1] (better known by his in-ring alias of Triple H) and now goes by the name Stephanie McMahon-Levesque [2].

Finishing/Signature Moves

• Stephanie Slap
• Bulldog

Titles and Accomplishments

• 1-time WWE World Women's Champion

• Stephanie won the PWI Woman of the Year Award in 2000. She was also involved in the 2002 Feud of the Year (vs. Eric Bischoff).

External link

• Stephanie McMahon-Levesque at the Internet Movie Database
• Steph Net for photos, videos, information etc.