I agree with my fellow PWP Nation colleague Eron Ramadanov; WWE does have a problem, and it has plenty to do with their Chief Brand Officer and on-screen Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon. I also agree with Bruce Hart when Charlotte disrespected her father, the legendary “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, on worldwide television like that.
But the one thing I find hypocritical is the fact that during the Invasion angle, Stephanie did the EXACT same thing to Vince McMahon, her dad.
To me, hypocrisy is the biggest root of this angle with Charlotte and Stephanie McMahon, because Charlotte is proving to the world that she doesn’t need her dad to win matches, and Stephanie is extremely disgusted about her tossing her father to the curb like that.
Like the majority of fans, I was pissed when Ric Flair was unceremoniously fired by his own daughter. To the folks in Stamford, it was a way to bring in Dana Brooke as an enforcer to Charlotte while taking Ric out of the picture. It was humiliating to a man who has become an icon in this industry.
I echo what Bruce Hart has said:
“No knock of Charlotte, but in my humble estimation, if she wasn’t Ric Flair’s daughter, it’s doubtful she would be wearing the WWE women’s world title today – or, for that matter, it’s a good bet that none of us would have ever even heard of her. Virtually all of her fame and acclaim is due to her legendary father.”
In a promo that was supposed to be one of her defining moments as a top heel in the WWE Women’s Division, it came across as a comedy and it was totally painful to watch. While WWE is building the Women’s Division around Charlotte, many feel this is a huge mistake. There are plenty of talent that they can build around, not just one woman. In fact, the ENTIRE women’s locker room walked out on Charlotte’s Women’s Championship celebration because the champ had a snobbish attitude and of course an ego problem.
The following week, Stephanie walked up to Charlotte and let loose how she feels after the disrespectful act. Stephanie’s verbal berating of the champion was EXTREMELY over the top in my humble opinion. Stephanie wouldn’t even let Charlotte defend herself during the segment. It felt like a real life backstage rant against her and that’s not a good sign. That segment made Charlotte look like a chump and it made Stephanie look like she’s still throwing the weight around.
To be completely honest, it also was hypocritical of Stephanie to call Charlotte a disgrace as a champion and a waste of talent for disrespecting her father. This is the Stephanie McMahon who slapped her own mother in a WWE ring causing her to fall and cry; the same woman that married Triple H to spite her father; and the same woman that couldn’t wait for her dad to die during the Invasion angle.
These issues happened and even if they happened a long time ago, wrestling fans STILL remember that. Few remember the small details, but the most people know the whole story. It was hypocritical of Stephanie and just another thing to get the WWE Universe to like her, but it won’t work that way. I had forgiven her during her run as SmackDown General Manager, but during the Authority storyline, forgiveness had been thrown out the window. I wish Stephanie would have said it differently, but those words are still stinging.
Here is what I agree with Eron about Stephanie:
“This might come across like I dislike Stephanie McMahon. I do like the person, Stephanie McMahon; I dislike the character heavily. Not because she’s a “heel” (or whatever she’s suppose to be), but because her character constantly and consistently buries and undermines new and young talent on national TV like it’s her freaking job. It’s almost like she lives for it.”
And I agree with it.
Hypocrisy in this industry is bad for business and no matter how it’s done, fans still remember it vividly. I think it’s tough to say that if I ever did those things to my mother if she was alive, I would have my teeth down my throat right about now. But with this issue of hypocrisy and disrespect is so rampant, it’s best to leave those issues behind closed doors and utilize the talents who bust their butts in the ring, not executives who bury their talent.
