Major WWE name would not have allowed for recent layoffs - Reports
Following the merger between WWE and UFC last week, the Stamdord-based promotion released over 100 employees. While several superstars may be on the verge of being let go, none have yet to face it.
It is a morale killer for any working environment. In the global juggernaut, many of the staff that have been part of the company for years are now left unemployed. Per PWInsider via Bodyslam, this would not have happened if Stephanie McMahon was still around.
"One thing that’s been talked up by current and now-former WWE employees we spoke with over the weekend is that this “wouldn’t have happened” under Stephanie McMahon’s watch," wrote PWInsider.
The report also stated that The Billion Dollar Princess worked very hard to "build morale and instill pride" among the workers. This was during the time between Vince McMahon's exit from mid-2022 to early 2023. Be that as it may, though, the report also added that she couldn't have prevented the sale.
Former WWE SmackDown General Manager recounts when Stephanie McMahon apologized to him
Teddy Long recently shared with WSI that Stephanie McMahon once apologized for booking him in a six-man tag match. The former SmackDown GM teamed up with Chris Nowinski and Rodney Mack in a losing effort against Bubba Ray, D-Von, and Spike Dudley at the Insurrection 2003 event in the United Kingdom.
According to Long, it was Stephanie McMahon who had an interest in the contest, but Vince McMahon apparently did not like the former's plan, and ultimately, the latter made his decision:
"Them beating me up or putting their hands on me, then that's gonna take my heat immediately," Long said. "He [Vince] was really hot about that. He really didn't like that. I think he talked to Stephanie about it. I remember Stephanie coming to me and apologizing to me about doing that. She said, 'My daddy didn't like that,' so that's how that went down."
Long was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on February 13, 2017, while Stephanie McMahon announced her resignation from the Stamford-based promotion on January 10, 2023, after her father rejoined.