Rants, slaps and power - The Stephanie McMahon effect
At this moment, nobody is a better heel than Stephanie McMahon. She has attained such a level of heeldom that she is basically untouchable. Of course, it helps that she has full creative control over her character. In an era which boasts of having so many polarized characters, in an era where a great heel will always have a camp of people cheering them on in the arena, Stephanie McMahon has certainly stood out. And if we are to go by her history of heel-ness and the matches she’s been part of, her probable match at Summerslam will not disappoint.
Filling the void left by Vince McMahon
Talking about the best heels in the WWE, can any ardent fan forget or not include Mr. McMahon in that list? That will be a mistake most foul. If there was no Mr. McMahon then there won’t have been the phenomenon that was Stone Cold Steve Austin. Okay, Stone Cold would still have been a badass, but his feud with McMahon catapulted business to new heights. In a very twisted sort of way, they completed each other.
Every McMahon family member was quite a character in their own right. While Vince McMahon had his trademark ‘You’re Fired’ shtick, Stephanie has made an art out of slapping throughout her career. That shtick never gets old. That’s why it was a surprise that Brie Bella got to put a handprint on McMahon’s face, a deed which hasn’t been committed by anyone to the best of my knowledge. That was the moment I was sure that this angle is going to continue and the seeds of a potential match was planted then and there through the slap that was probably heard all around the arena that night.
Nobody epitomizes the word Authority in the WWE today as much as the ‘Billion Dollar Princess’. Stephanie McMahon is to Daniel Bryan what Vince McMahon was to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Stephanie McMahon has continued the ‘evil boss’ gimmick that her dad began. She has been as dictatorial as she can be and has abused power as much as she can.
Putting a talent over
As much as Triple H has been accused of burying talent, Stephanie has escaped such allegation, maybe because she has been in just a handful of matches. But ever since she turned heel, she has turned every storyline she’s been involved in to wrestling gold. She was extensively involved in making life hell for the Rhodes Brothers and their father Dusty Rhodes. That turned out to be one of the best feuds, build ups and match. Daniel Bryan was already on her radar and that made his rivalry with Triple h all the more interesting. How can anyone forget Stephanie’s tirade the moment Bryan won his Wrestlemania match against her husband?
I mean, she was partly instrumental in making a perennial heel like Vickie Guerrero get cheered by an entire arena. Going back in time, Trish Startus’ career got quite a boost after her feud with Stephanie. Stratus was then not even an iota of the wrestler we came to know later on. Lita defeated Stephanie for her first Women’s title and that’s really when Lita got her first brush with a main event. None of McMahon’s matches have a 5 star classic or a technical genius but they have all still delivered in a big way. They have never disappointed. And now it is Brie Bella’s turn to get the best out of this feud.
Worth The Wait
And now we wait. For Stephanie to respond to her arrest last week which happened to the delight of the entire arena last week. We wait to see how she’s going to make Brie Bella pay for that embarrassment.
I hope she continues the tradition of being the best heel possible.