Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come across as “self-serving,” says WWE veteran (Exclusive)

Former WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon was surprised at last month's Wrestlepalooza event. The 49-year-old was announced as the first inductee in the 2026 class of WWE's Hall of Fame by long-time family friend and former wrestler, The Undertaker.

Former WWE head writer Vince Russo recently reacted to Stephanie's induction into the Hall of Fame. She is set to headline the Class of 2026 and will be inducted by The Undertaker, with the rest of the inductees being included in the buildup to WrestleMania 42. This is a way for the company to reward the former wrestler, given her off-screen efforts, which helped channel the women's revolution.

Russo was speaking on the latest episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, where he criticized Stephanie and her husband, Triple H. He said that while Vince McMahon always put talent first, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come across as self-serving, given The Game's role in the Unreal documentary and Stephanie's podcast.

"They just sometimes, man, they just come across as so self-serving, man. It really does. I mean, from, you know, with surprising Triple H and then now you're surprising Stephanie and seeing Triple H all over Unreal and Stephanie's got her own podcast. I'm just so used to working with Vince when it was talent first. It was always, always, always talent in front of the camera, talent out there. And this is just a completely different mindset, man," Russo said.

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With her upcoming inclusion, she becomes the first member of the McMahon family to be inducted into the Hall of Fame since her grandfather, Vincent J. McMahon. Interestingly, Triple H headlined the Class of 2025 and was accompanied by The Undertaker's wife, Michelle McCool, who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed