8 Times Stephanie McMahon Actively Damaged Women In WWE

6. Directing The Divas

Vickie Guerrero Stephanie McMahon
WWE.com

Sat in front of a pile of cash and flanked by countless voiceless women, Vince McMahon couldn't have looked more super-villainous for trying as he launched the single most destructive initiative in WWE women's history.

His daughter giddily presided over it.

Whilst McMahon and John Laurinaitis scouted their 'Athletic Tens', Head Of Creative Stephanie McMahon aided a systematic undermining of a division in preparation.

Trish Stratus, Jazz, Victoria, Molly Holly and several others had worked alongside underrated backstage force Fit Finlay to drastically improve the status of the Women's Title following Chyna's 2001 abdication and exit. The match quality improved on an almost weekly basis, sharpening the skills of Stratus et al as it went.

A barren Monday Night Raw between 2002 and 2003 was at times saved by the league - a minor miracle in an era still largely beholden to T&A, HLA, and other toxic acronyms.

The winds of change blew through all that with the Diva Search though. Thank goodness that Stephanie had both the catbird seat and her surname to stem the tide. Did she use her power for good? Did she f*ck. Against the battle-worn efforts of the wrestlers wrestling, the Diva tag destroyed women's wrestling for a generation that were fortunately motivated to try and rebuild it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett