Stephanie McMahon is the daughter of WWE CEO and owner Vince McMahon. Stephanie and her brother Shane would become the fourth generation of the McMahon family to be involved in the wrestling promotion, following in the footsteps of their father, Vince Kennedy McMahon, grandfather, Vince James McMahon, and Jess McMahon.
Stephanie has filled a variety of roles in WWE, starting from the very bottom and working her way up. Along the way, she got married to Triple H and have three children together. According to Stephanie, their youngest daughter has already begun training to become the fifth generation of the family to get involved in professional wrestling.
10 Pre-WWE Stephanie
Growing up as the daughter of Vince McMahon would have been an interesting experience, to say the least, though not according to the Billion Dollar Princess. Despite rubbing shoulders with wrestling royalty, including Andre the Giant. Stephanie also got to meet other wrestling legends when she was growing up, as Vince McMahon would often invite some of the top stars in the WWE to eat at his house.
However, Stephanie described her childhood as completely normal otherwise, saying that she would watch television with friends, including The Golden Girls.
9 Model Photos
Despite being the “billion-dollar princess” for much of her career, she certainly didn’t have the most glamorous start to her career. Long before she became an on-screen figure, Stephanie McMahon helped her parents out by working as a model for WWE wrestlers’ merchandise.
Photos of Stephanie McMahon wearing a baggy Rockers t-shirt, and another photo of the young McMahon wearing a t-shirt with the British Bulldogs’ mascot Matilda on it. The photos appeared in WWE’s magazine and would have gone out to thousands of wrestling fans.
8 Television Debut
Stephanie McMahon would make her on-screen debut at 23 years old as the innocent daughter of Vince McMahon. At the end of the Backlash pay-per-view, Stephanie McMahon was kidnapped by The Undertaker during the latter’s feud with Vince McMahon.
Stephanie was all set to be crucified and married to the Undertaker before being saved by Stone Cold Steve Austin. This would not be the last time that Stephanie McMahon got married on WWE television.
7 Accompanying Triple H
It was during Triple H’s feud with Vince McMahon, that Stephanie turned heel for the first time and aligned herself against her family. Following a hellacious fight between Triple H and Vince McMahon at 1999’s Armageddon pay-per-view, Triple H and Stephanie hugged in the middle of the ring to symbolize that the two had planned her betrayal all along. It was during this storyline that Triple H and Stephanie began dating in real life as well.
While Triple H’s ex-girlfriend and fellow WWE wrestler Chyna claimed that the two started an affair behind her back, the couple maintain that their relationship started after Triple H and Chyna had already broken up.
6 Women’s Champion
In March 2000, Stephanie McMahon became the third McMahon to hold a WWE Championship following in the footsteps of her brother, Shane McMahon, who held the European Championship, and her father, Vince McMahon, who briefly held the WWE Championship in September 1999. Stephanie would hold the title for over 140 days before losing the title to Lita on an episode of Raw is War.
Despite Stephanie often being seen over-shadowing the women’s division in WWE, this was the only time she ever held the title. However, this wasn’t the only time she challenge for a title, as she participated in a match for the Undisputed Championship in a Triple Threat match that also involved Chris Jericho and Triple H.
5 SmackDown GM
Shortly after winning the Women’s Championship, Stephanie moved into a more on-screen authority figure. Initially, during the Invasion Angle, Stephanie was revealed to be the new owner of ECW and joined her brother Shane in the Alliance against WWE. After the Alliance ended, Stephanie would return as the SmackDown General Manager in 2002, though this time as a face for the first time since her initial appearances in the late 90s.
During her tenure as SmackDown General Manager, Stephanie introduced the United States Championship to WWE, continuing the legacy of the WCW version of the title, and the WWE Tag Team titles, as the Intercontinental and World Tag Team titles were exclusive to Raw. Stephanie was forced to step down as General Manager after losing an I Quit match to Vince McMahon at the No Mercy 2003 pay-per-view.
4 Pregnant Steph
Aside from a brief period between 2008 to 2009, Stephanie McMahon was largely absent from WWE for 10 years between the end of her stint as SmackDown General Manager until she returned to WWE as a part of the Authority storyline. During her hiatus, Stephanie McMahon officially got married to Triple H, despite having been married and divorced for years in the storyline.
During her hiatus, Stephanie also gave birth to the couple’s three daughters Aurora Rose, Murphy Claire, and Vaughn Evelyn. While Aurora has started training to become a professional wrestler, Stephanie McMahon’s stated that her eldest daughter is aiming to take her grandfather’s job.
3 The Authority
In 2013, Stephanie McMahon returned full-time to WWE screens for the first time since she was Raw’s General Manager in 2009. Stephanie would return as a heel, interrupting Daniel Bryan and defending Triple H’s actions at SummerSlam, stating that Bryan was not good enough to be the face of the WWE. During the Authority stable storyline, Stephanie would be involved in a feud involving the Bella’s, specifically Daniel Bryan’s wife Brie Bella.
2 Undercover Boss
In 2018, Stephanie McMahon appeared on an episode of Celebrity Undercover Boss. As a part of the episode, McMahon helped an aspiring wrestler, an aspiring WWE photographer, and an auction for WWE’s Conor’s Cure charity. The episode saw Stephanie McMahon don a blonde wig, glasses, and a prosthetic face mask to avoid recognition by wrestling fans. The episode also featured appearances from Jeff Hardy and the Big Show.
1 Post WWE Life
In January 2023, Stephanie McMahon announced via her Instagram account that she was recovering from ankle surgery. The surgery took place only a few days after she stepped down as Co-CEO of the WWE, a position she shared with Nick Khan since the retirement of her father Vince McMahon. Stephanie’s brief reign as co-CEO was received positively by both fans and behind the scenes with backstage morale reportedly falling after she departed the position.
Since her departure, Stephanie has not returned to WWE, though her husband Triple H still has an active position in the company.