Stephanie McMahon Talks About Growing Up In Wrestling, When She Got “Smartened Up,” How The Business Has Evolved

Peter Rosenberg of WWE, ESPN & Hot 97 is back with another big interview in the lead-up to WrestleMania weekend. After speaking with WWE COO Triple H earlier this week, Chief Brand Officer and RAW commissioner Stephanie McMahon was a guest on the latest installment of the Cheap Heat Podcast. On a side note, Rosenberg mentioned that he’ll be filming another episode of Bring it to the Table from WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, FL.

Here are some highlights of what Stephanie McMahon said about:

Did she always know she wanted to be part of WWE?

“I guess it’s never just ‘the family business’ when it’s WWE. Yes, I have always wanted to be part of it all my life. Not only have I been a fan growing up, but it was also a way for me to be with my family. My parents were busy building this business when I was growing up and I really had a pretty amazing childhood. All I ever wanted to do was be with them and be a part of it. I never really considered everything else.”

The WWE personalities she remembers having a bond with as she was younger:

“I think you learn from everyone all the time. Especially when you are younger, you learn without realizing you’re learning. Even just watching our show, in terms of watching matches, I found myself studying them and studying the reactions. I always had a strong affinity for the heels, as you can imagine. The integral role they play in helping to create the babyface and just how important that role is. The psychology of it and how everybody would respond.

But in terms of people around me, and I know my brother would say this name as well, is Pat Patterson. He was really my dad’s booking partner, which in wrestling, you book, you book your attractions then you build the storyline around those attractions. Very rarely does it happen where it’s the storyline first, though it does work that way sometimes. Pat was very influential in my life. Of course, my father and my mother [were strong influences]. My brother just stretched me every chance he got, so I guess I got to learn from that. There were so many incredible influences around me.

It’s so interesting from my perspective. I knew all these great big tough guys as a little girl and they always treated me differently. I remember Harley Race, one of the toughest competitors ever, one of the toughest people ever, period. When my first daughter was born, I was told by his wife that he went and personally hand picked a pair of earrings for my baby girl.

You look at the Grand Wizard Ernie Roth, who was quite the character in his heyday, and I grew up knowing him as Uncle Ernie. [Laughs] I learned what ribs were and I learned how to take them. I learned how these incredible people were part of this business, not only were they larger than life on-screen personalities, but they were these incredible people behind the scenes in their everyday lives. They were so fascinating. All different walks of life. Growing up, I was exposed to so much and so many types of people, it sort of gives you a different perspective.

Does she remember ever being “smartened up” to the business?

“I sort of smartened myself up. I do remember when I learned carny though. It was actually Pat’s [partner] at the time, Louie Dondero, who taught me carny by the pool when I Pat was booking with my dad. Oh my god, were my dad and brother upset when I learned carny at about 8 years old, because then they could no longer say things that they didn’t want me to understand around me. It was pretty awesome, I loved it. My oldest daughter is always trying to learn carny and she thinks she knows how to speak it, but she doesn’t, and hopefully we won’t be smartening her up any time soon.”

How the business has evolved from previous eras:

“I’m blown away every day in WWE because it grows at such a rapid rate. Our fans suspend their disbelief. It’s no different from a movie or television show. It’s not like in the 80’s when my dad coined the phrase ‘sports entertainment’ and everybody freaked out like, ‘You’re going to kill the business.’ No, he’s going to make the business bigger than it’s ever been before. But he had to prove that out and I certainly understand people being scared of that.

If you look at what the business has become, and it takes all those things, proliferating platforms, it takes digital and social media, launching your own subscription service, and also having having traditional linear television product, all of these business models, it takes this incredible executive team that we have as well as these incredible talents.

I think the talent themselves have evolved. Not only are they incredible athletes but they are also businessmen and women and they recognize that they are their own individual brands. They take every advantage, well, the smart and successful ones do, take every advantage to build their brand and their connection to the audience because they recognize that if they do that, it only enhances their popularity and what they mean to the WWE Universe.”

Stephanie also spoke at length about WWE’s charity work and community service efforts.