Stephanie McMahon was the best part of Raw last night.
The Seth Rollins heel turn was expected. Maybe not specifically Rollins, but one of The Shield had to do something to keep the feud with Evolution fresh, especially after Batista’s departure earlier in the show. The Wyatt Family put on an amazing performance against the always annoying on the mic but great in the ring Uso brothers. Luke Harper was the second bright spot of the night — both his in-ring performance and mic work with the absence of Bray Wyatt — and Ziggler versus Del Rio was solid and sad as always. The rest of Raw is a muddled mess in my mind.
The Stephanie McMahon segment just sticks out in my mind. It not only piled onto the Daniel Bryan feud but it made John Cena entertaining for a couple minutes. Stephanie McMahon is becoming an amazing heel performer, possibly even better than her old man or brother Shane.
Stephanie McMahon’s recent evolution into a great heel
Stephanie McMahon is a great heel. Not surprisingly, she displays many of the traits that make an unlikeable force in the WWE. Here’s a few:
Her quick wit
Last night, when trading barbs back and forth with John Cena — which isn’t hard considering Cena cracks one joke then talks in circles like a handicap wheelchair on short circuit — Stephanie McMahon proved she’s come a long way from her screaming into the mic days. Fine, she still screams into the mic a lot, but Stephanie made jokes about herself (and her amazing rack) and was still able to keep on point with the storyline.
A few fans hated the fact she went joke for joke with Cena. Why? She should always be on equal footing with the wrestlers when it comes to talking. It’s all she’s got. She can’t spin around and throw a haymaker if a WWE superstar pisses her off. Every classic heel was a great talker — Flair, Piper, The Rock — and Stephanie needs a sharp tongue because she can’t back up her words with a stiff jab.
On the flip side, WWE superstars are powerless against her because they can’t physically assault a woman who also happens to be the head of the company. Heels can be incredibly infuriating characters when they’re untouchable.
Her real authority
Stephanie McMahon is both the real and fictional face of the company. Vince hasn’t been on TV and ages (but it’s probably coming soon), and Triple H isn’t blood related, so Stephanie is the only McMahon currently running the WWE product in the eyes of the fans. She actually is the authority, so no matter what the face does, Stephanie will automatically win. She can recreate matches, change stipulations, force wrestlers to to her bidding and back people into a corner until they react or act.
On Raw last night, Stephanie couldn’t take out her anger on Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan so she did the next logic thing — she screwed with Brie’s sister and future brother-in-law by unleashing Demon Kane on Cena and forcing Nikki into a two-on-one against Foxsana.
Stephanie signs the checks, and just like in real life, management wins every time.
Her ace in the hole
Let’s look back at these first two points and think “what happens if Stephanie doesn’t get her way?” She immediately pulls out the biggest ace in the hole in the WWE — Demon Kane.
This would actually be a perfect way to use Kane after his run against Daniel Bryan comes to a close. Glenn Jacobs is getting up in age and probably can’t take the bumps and bruises of 200+ shows. Demon Kane is still a powerful, and popular, force in the WWE and Jacobs does a ton on the PR side for the company. To keep him around, Kane should become what 3 Minute Warning was to former WWE General Manager Eric Bischoff. A force of power hanging in the back that Stephanie can unleash when things aren’t quite going her way.
It’s Stephanie’s way or a ride on the demon express.
‘Payback’s a bitch and so is she’
With Triple H and Evolution renewing their feud against The Shield, Stephanie looks to be the main throne in the side of Daniel Bryan for the foreseeable future. This isn’t a bad thing at all. It will not only elevate Bryan’s “against all odds” persona but build Stephanie McMahon into one of the greatest heel characters in WWE history.