10 Wrestling Storylines Where Evil Won

8. Stephanie McMahon Vs. Mick Foley

stephanie mcmahon brie bella
WWE.com

This was as weird as it was depressing as it was boring as it was, in the end, thoroughly anticlimactic.

In 2016, Mick Foley was installed by Stephanie McMahon as the General Manager of Monday Night RAW. Foley, loveable folk hero, operated as a fair authority figure, which annoyed Stephanie McMahon, the heel. But then again, what didn't?

She expressed annoyance with the babyface Dean Ambrose (scruffy) and the heel Charlotte Flair (nasty to her dad) across two episodes of the programme. Her character, simply, was that of an insufferable and impossible to please Commissioner who made up the rules as she went along. Foley was the dunce for his inability to follow them.

Also: why did she hire a nice bloke when her M.O. was to protect her own, nefarious interests? Also: in what world is watching two management figures have passive aggressive conversations centred on administration the sort of escapism that puts smiles on people's faces?

She'd say things like "What do you have to say for yourself?" as if Foley was an insolent toddler. Foley in response would meekly concede that Stephanie was right and can he still have a job pretty please?

It was an oppressive viewing experience with no entertainment value nor, in the end, any catharsis. This power struggle wasn't settled in the end with Foley and Steph selecting wrestlers to fight for control of the programme.

Foley was simply bounced out unceremoniously, wasting almost an entire year of TV on ridicule and misery.

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!