The one wild card in the recent events involving Triple H, Seth Rollins and the new Universal Heavyweight Champion, Kevin Owens, is Stephanie McMahon. The heiress to the McMahon throne could be caught between a rock and a hard place – or in other words her husband and the self-proclaimed unfulfilled champion in Rollins.
What McMahon’s role in this debacle, should you want to call it that, is unknown right now.
WWE pulled a fast one on all of us when Triple H emerged from the shadows last Monday night to put Owens over as the champion. In the process, he stirred the echoes of fans who have wanted to see a confrontation between mentor and pupil for some time.
The look of shock on her face was worth the price of admission alone as the company finally had a cliffhanger it needed to engage fans for the remaining three months of the year.
What is McMahon’s role and how will the woman who runs Raw balance the roles of wife and owner at the same time? How will her “angle” in all of this affect the outcome and who in the end wins the war now that the battle has started?
Some would say WWE needs to continue to put the foot on the throttle and treat this like some kind of invasion angle or an overthrown dictatorship. The fact Triple H was not there on Monday night to defend his actions left me and millions of fans a little empty inside.
You cannot make an impact like that and not defend your actions – that’s not how all of this works.
There are loose ends which need to be tightened up with the outcome of a Triple H-Rollins headliner in the works. If that is not the goal, all of this means nothing. With that in mind, how does the company keep McMahon active in this feud? Here are five ways she plays a pivotal role in its success.
She Does Nothing – There is plenty of reason to believe she could just let Triple H and Seth Rollins do their own bidding. We saw on Monday night that Mick Foley made the matches for Night of Champions and Stephanie could make the Raw general manager the heavy in this feud.
It would not shock me if Stephanie assumed the role she is already in and doesn’t take a stand either way. By doing this, she can support the winner of a match between the two, setting up the next angle for Raw.
Sides with Triple H – This would be the most logical solution, but after the confrontation (if you can call it that) between these two at the end of the Fatal Four Way Match, it doesn’t appear that can happen. Triple H and Stephanie have been connected at the hip since the Authority Angle was conceived.
It wouldn’t make sense to break that up now. A united front against Rollins brings the Authority Angle back to life and makes Rollins the new babyface of the company. Fans may not want to see another scene like this one.
Sides with Seth Rollins – If the company wants to explore the continual saga of a McMahon in-fighting, Stephanie will stand by Rollins and oppose any move made by her husband. I said this before in another piece, the best way to keep the angle fresh is there to be some kind of conflict with the happily married couple with Rollins in the middle of it.
The fact Rollins and McMahon have been so chummy leads me to believe there could be some traction in that kind of move. Triple H is demonstrative and McMahon is headstrong, which makes for an interesting dynamic if they disagree on how to handle this situation.
Supporting Rollins ultimately, just ticks Triple H off.
Brings Daddy into the Angle – Oh, we know this is coming, we just don’t know when. The Chairman of the Board will once again show up on Raw and have a few choice words for everyone involved. If one McMahon is dangerous, think of what two McMahons are like in this kind of war.
Does it lead to a Survivor Series-type match where control of the show is won by the team that wins the Survivor Series match? How does a Vinnie Mac-Triple H battle of wills play out? Does daddy do his daughter’s bidding? And in the off chance of another shocking moment, does Vince side against his daughter?
Throws Her Support Behind Someone Else – I see this happening, which produces a whole over angle maybe we haven’t thought of. If Stephanie doesn’t not get behind either men, would she ask for help from someone else – like Chris Jericho?
Jericho’s friendship with Owens, coupled with his kissing up to management is the perfect twist.
This might also lead to another run with a company title for Jericho, who is doing some of his best work right now in and out of the ring. It also sets up nicely for a complete face turn for Rollins and a head-to-head feud between Owens and his best friend.
