10 Most Infuriating Stephanie McMahon Moments

7. It's OK Though - Brie Bella Will Hand Out Her Comeuppance...

Stephanie McMahon slaps Roman Reigns
WWE.com

...only, no, she won't.

Stephanie had been running roughshod over the entire roster in the opening year of the Authority angle. Belittling everybody around her, she was well overdue to do what heels have sustained the wrestling business doing for decades - receive her comeuppance and give the fans the catharsis they'd been waiting for.

That's how any right-minded individual would have booked her match against Brie Bella at SummerSlam 2014, anyway. The build-up was going so well, too. Brie had orchestrated Stephanie's arrest, called her a b*tch, and stood up to her in a manner which the WWE Universe had been crying out for.

As the fans' surrogate, and a former Diva's champion, Brie should have gone on to squash non-wrestler Stephanie in a short match. This vengeance was a year in the making. The angle with Nikki's heel turn, though, was a groan-inducing cop-out; it ensured that Brie would fail in the eyes of the audience, and it was barely even necessary.

Steph more than held her own in what was a competitive back-and-forth 11:06 match, before going on to wrestle precisely no more matches. If there were no plans to have her step through the ropes again, why did she insist on rag-dolling Brie around the ring?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!