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Stephanie McMahon has been part of WWE since she was a teenager. In that time the former women's champion has climbed her way up the ranks both on and off-screen.
As the daughter of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Stephanie obviously has a considerable amount of power with the company. This may have caused conflicts with several members of the roster over the years.
Stephanie McMahon has been one of the biggest advocates for the women's division and she pushed the Women's Revolution forward. Nevertheless, the chief brand officer has had several issues with women who previously work with WWE.
Here are just five current and former WWE stars that Stephanie McMahon had heat with.
#5. Paul Heyman clashed with Stephanie McMahon during his first run with WWE
During Paul Heyman's first run with WWE, he clashed with Stephanie McMahon several times. The two stars were both parts of the company's writing team at that time.
Heyman's issues with Stephanie overshadowed his first run with the company from 2001-2006 The notorious mouthpiece pointed it out as part of an interview back in 2008.
"They weren’t rumours, Stephanie and I clashed heavily through most of my tenure in WWE. And I don’t think it should be a surprise that we did. I came into WWE just as Stephanie was taking over the writing team."
Former WWE commentator and WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross, even commented on Heyman's 2003 removal from SmackDown on Grilling JR back in 2019.
“I’m not surprised, but I couldn’t probably pass a quiz on it before we started talking about it. I know that she and Heyman had a lot of philosophical differences. And I’m sure that Paul got close to the edge on how far to take the argument before he backed away. Because he just was hellbent on getting his way. He was very defiant. Not that she wasn’t, but she had the right last name and he didn’t. And that’s how it is … So anyway, they didn’t get along to any major degree, but I never really fully — she never came to me and said, nor did she have to or maybe need to. But she and I never had a discussion about Paul being a pain in the ass, even though I knew she felt that way, we never talked about it other than maybe the occasional eyeroll, or her headshake or something like that. "
Despite their differences, both Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman have become focal points of WWE programming in their own right. They are still part of the company at present.
#4. Gail Kim Blamed Stephanie McMahon For Not Pushing A Women's Revolution Sooner
Gail Kim made a name for herself with WWE but later went on to become an icon with IMPACT Wrestling, where she started a revolution years before WWE. Kim left the company back in 2011 and she has been outspoken about the McMahon family ever since.
In particular, she has aimed her disdain towards them at Stephanie McMahon. Kim once tweeted that Stephanie McMahon had the power to make the Women's Revolution happen much sooner but had no interest in it.
As a guest on Women's Pro Wrestling Weekly back in 2018, Gail Kim was able to expand on the point that she was attempting to make about WWE's women's division.
"WWE always thinks in a business mindset. For them, they are thinking, 'ok this woman's revolution is becoming hot, Ronda Rousey, this 'Me Too' movement'; so of course to be honest I'm going to say this, because I've said it on Twitter, Stephanie McMahon could have been fighting for us a long time ago. She was there every single time I worked there and she had zero interest in fighting for the women back then. So, for them, everything is business motivated. So, them having this women's revolution, and it's from the fans as well… the fans did demand it through social media and Vince heard it and made it happen. And I think finally the girls are getting treated the way they want to get treated."
Gail Kim retired from wrestling in February 2018. She has made it clear that she would have never returned to WWE following her 2011 exit.
#3. Rob Van Dam blamed Stephanie McMahon because he didn't win the world championship in 2002
Rob Van Dam became a huge star with both WWE and ECW, but this was despite some interference from Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Rob Van Dam was reportedly set for the biggest push of his career following a world championship win in September 2002. However, plans changed and Triple H was given the championship win instead.
This was one of the huge turning points in Van Dam's career that led to his grievances about the creative restraints with WWE long after his departure. At the time, McMahon and Triple H were in a real-life relationship and Stephanie held the role of Director of Creative Television. So, some believe that McMahon shot down the idea to give her partner another title run.
Vince McMahon even pitched for RVD and Stephanie McMahon to be part of a romantic angle and Rob Van Dam flat out turned it down. That's because McMahon believed that RVD was one dimensional and he needed to add more depth to his character.
RVD finally got his chance to win a world championship in 2006, but his reign came to an end when his marijuana use became public. This was reportedly something Stephanie knew all about but told him to be discreet about it.
#2. Kaitlyn lost her Divas Championship because of Stephanie McMahon
Kaitlyn dominated the women's division back in 2013 before she made the critical mistake of interrupting WWE Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon, backstage.
Reports suggest that McMahon was deep in a private discussion with someone else at the time and didn't take kindly to Kaitlyn making her presence known. McMahon had a serious conversation with the Divas Champion about this before there was then an exchange on television where McMahon told Kaitlyn to never interrupt her again.
It was a strange segment that didn't seem to have any place in the storyline. Apparently, it was added as a way for Stephanie McMahon to display her power over the women in the company.
Kaitlyn lost her Divas Championship to AJ Lee following the altercation. It's unclear if this is connected but it appeared to be a continuation of events.
Kaitlyn interestingly opted to leave WWE merely months later. She returned to participate in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, but she didn't rejoin the company afterward.
#1. AJ Lee and Stephanie McMahon had several different opinions
AJ Lee was one of the most popular female wrestlers in the company throughout her time with WWE, but she also made several enemies. Ahead of Lee's retirement back in 2015, the former Divas Champion called out Stephanie McMahon on Twitter to complain about WWE's lack of equal pay.
The comment seemingly came from out of nowhere. Still, many fans believed that Lee made a point even though the comments shouldn't have been made on a public forum.
The Wrestling Observer later reported that Stephanie McMahon was furious with AJ Lee for tweeting her publicly about the situation. However, WWE couldn't punish AJ for the comments without creating bad PR for WWE, which meant that the two women just continued to have a difference of opinion.
Lee retired from wrestling back in 2015 and she hasn't returned to the ring since. The former Divas Champion has stated that she misses her friends in the business several times but is yet to tease any kind of return.
