50 Absolute Worst Things WWE Has Done In The 21st Century
42. Pretended Big Show Was Stephanie’s Childhood Hero (2013)
Insulting your audience's intelligence is never a good idea. That didn't stop WWE from trying it in late-2013 as part of The Authority's ongoing quest to crush spirits of those who hoped to see Daniel Bryan become a sustainable main eventer. Ultimately, things panned out for the best on that front, but not before Stephanie McMahon weirdly forgot her own age. Or Big Show's age.
Or something.
Steph aimed to get Show onside as an Authority heavy by reminding him how much of a hero he'd been to her growing up. This caused a few eyebrows to raise. After all, Show was born in 1972 and McMahon in 1976. In other words, there was just around 4 years difference between them. It was as though WWE wanted everyone to pretend that Paul Wight was Andre The Giant; a guy who had been around when Stephanie was a toddler hanging off her father's leg backstage in the 1980s.
Show didn't even debut as a wrestler until 1995, so this was far-fetched at best and downright insulting at worst. The guy who'd later claim "No More BS" went along with things though. Show started crying like he was doing his best Ric Flair impression, but his water works fell short of the mark. Fans didn't buy into it, because the math wasn't math'ing.
When Stephanie was a 6-year old child behind the curtain at WWF events, Show would've been 10-ish. This logic loophole was never going to be one WWE could close, and that made Show's tortured good guy act fall flat as a pancake live on air.