Awesome / Stephanie McMahon

• Stephanie has had a really impressive run in 2013 and 2014 as the head of The Authority, enough to get her Rescued from the Scrappy Heap for a few more cynical fans.
• At Payback 2014 she has a segment where she's trying to convince Daniel Bryan to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship ^note  Daniel was legit injured at the time, but the hope was to stall him having to relinquish the title long enough he could heal up . Being Chicago, a huge CM Punk chant breaks out - and without missing a beat (or even changing expression), Steph works it into the segment, telling Bryan "See? These fans want you to give up, just like Punk did." In one move, she shuts the crowd down totally, mocks Bryan AND Punk, and gets a ton of heat on herself.
• At Summerslam 2014 she actually stepped into the ring for the first time in a decade, and put up a surprisingly athletic, well-executed match with Brie Bella. Her performance was so good, she got a rare "you still got it" chant from the crowd after being one of the most hated heels in the company for the past year. And she actually won this match, thanks to Nikki Bella selling out to the Authority and turning on Brie. Also her really cool outfit from that match, which later got auctioned off for a decent amount to go to charity.
• Two moments building up to aforementioned Summerslam match are also memorably awesome: her brawl with Brie after Brie twisted her arm into agreeing to the match (among other demands), particularly her playing the Wounded Gazelle Gambit, then slapping an unsuspecting Brie hard enough to knock her off the ring apron, and snarling, "I'm gonna make you my bitch," before dropping the mic; and her attacking both Bellas at the contract signing while Triple H all-too-happily assisted, culminating in Stephanie Pedigreeing each twin.
• Many of Steph's promos may count, seeing as how the woman is easily one of the best mic workers in the company. For smarks who can't stand Creator's Pet John Cena, her verbally cutting him to shreds via "The Reason You Suck" Speech on October 27, 2014's RAW stands out as a vicious, shining moment for them and for Stephanie.
• Every time she slaps someone, because holy shit Stephanie can slap a bitch. ^note ...Unless that bitch is Sting, anyway.
• Stephanie giving John Cena a vicious "The Reason You Suck" Speech on the 3/2/15 edition of WWE Raw by claiming how the WWE doesn't need Cena but Cena needs the WWE and how the WWE can survive a mania without him. And the fans loved every moment of it despite her status as the heel GM.
• Giving Hubby a hand - er, hammer - against Sting. Holy crap, she looks like the embodiment of evil.◊
• Despite the fact that most people have become so used to Stephanie eviscerating and emasculating performers in promos that they became desensitized to it or frustrated by it, the short speech she gave to Roman Reigns on the Raw after Battleground about how he "lost it for all of us" and how he's "not a good guy, not a bad guy, just a loser" was certainly more welcome than not, particularly because it was largely seen as true in a kayfabe.
• She deserves credit for the table bump she took at WrestleMania 33. Some comeuppance, and she's not known for those bumps. Maybe she learned from her brother.
• Similarly the beatdown she took from Ronda Rousey in WrestleMania 31, especially since it seemed openly set up as a Karma Houdini Warranty for the countless bitch slaps the male roster could not retaliate towards.
• That time she picked Ronda Rousey up and slammed her through a table.
• Her WrestleMania 34 mixed tag match with her husband against the team of Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle is most likely the greatest match Stephanie has ever been in. It was Ronda's coming-out party in the WWE, of course, and much of the credit has to go to how well she lived up to expectations, but all four performers did their part, including Stephanie with her fantastically on-point heeling and selling of Ronda's offence (and she was even willing to let Angle briefly put her in the Ankle Lock). While some critics complained that she got a bit too much offence in against a trained MMA fighter like Ronda to be believable, the fans didn't so much eat the entire match up with a spoon as gobble it down with a ladle, and when Ronda forced Stephanie to tap out by breaking her left arm they rejoiced as she finally received years worth of long-awaited comeuppance all at once.
• Another great match early in Stephanie's career is one she had against Trish Stratus at No Way Out 2001; a pretty good brawl and Cat Fight that played to both women's strengths. Trish apparently still got compliments about it after her rise to the top as Women's Champion.
• A pretty good match considering her opponent was is against Sable of all people at Vengeance 2003. Sable in her first run with the company had it written into her contract that she couldn't bump or be disfigured in any way. Stephanie takes her to her limit, having again a good brawl and Cat Fight that is very enjoyable.
• Stephanie made a surprise return on night 2 of WrestleMania XL, earning her one of the biggest pops in her career. The last time she'd been involved with WWE in any capacity was her briefly stepping up as co-CEO of the company following her father's retirement in 2022, which abruptly ended with her stepping down and laying low when Vince (briefly) returned as chairman in 2023. With Vince leaving again in January 2024, this time for good, speculation over where Stephanie could be ran rampant, with many believing this may end up being the first WrestleMania without a McMahon... so it came as a pleasant surprise that she returned to kick off the Show of Shows in grand fashion, delivering one of her most hype promos ever in ushering a new era for WWE.
  Stephanie: So, if I may steal a line and ask you a question, Philly: Are you ready? (crowd erupts in cheers) No, no, no, Philadelphia, I said, from around the world! ARE? YOU? READY?!

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