At the core of the WWE, if not the wrestling world as a whole, is the McMahon family. While that might be in the process of changing, it's impossible to deny how influential they have been on the business, for better or worse. And that extends well beyond Vince McMahon to both of his children.
Stephanie McMahon has arguably been the more consistently visible member of the McMahon siblings over the years. As such, she has had a lot of very public successes as well as her fair share of failures, some of which have had a large impact on WWE.
10 Reputedly Pushing Shane Out Of WWE
During the Attitude Era, both Stephanie and Shane got a lot of screen time on WWE programming. Shane actually gained a reputation as a bit of a daredevil who was willing to pull some pretty big stunts. While she filled several roles, Stephanie was best known as Triple H's partner in crime and an on-screen authority figure.
But Shane was gone from the WWE for several years. It has long been rumored that this was the result of a power struggle between him and Stephanie which may have contributed to his departure from the company.
9 Kissing Eric Bischoff On TV
For many years, Eric Bischoff was the bane of WWE's existence. WCW presented one of the biggest challenges WWE had ever faced as a company. As such, it kind of blew wrestling fans' collective minds when he started working for the former competition.
While a lot of great moments came out of him joining WWE, kissing Stephanie McMahon on TV was most certainly not one of them. No one wanted that image in their heads, least of all Triple H. The strange part was that it was never mentioned in any capacity ever again. Apparently, WWE wanted to forget this as badly as the fans did.
8 Everything That Happened With Chyna
Wrestling definitively has more drama backstage than it does in front of the cameras. It doesn't matter which company or era is being discussed. Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan always seemed to have something going on. And the odyssey of Matt Hardy, Edge, and Lita resulted in some absolute nonsense at the time.
But Stephanie reputedly stealing Triple H from the late Chyna remains one of the biggest gossip situations in modern wrestling history. It reputedly caused problems backstage and may have even been a contributing factor in WWE losing such a major talent.
7 May Have Caused AJ Lee's Departure
Without question, AJ Lee was one of the most popular members of WWE's Women's Division of all time. She worked with WWE in various capacities from 2009 to 2015 and was a three-time WWE Divas Champion.
Fans were worried that she would leave when her significant other, CM Punk, suddenly departed the company. She hung around for about another year. Reputedly, issues with Stephanie were a big part of her decision. AJ could have been a huge part of the Women's Division over the past few years if she hadn't left.
6 Her Part In The Invasion Storyline
After WCW came to an end and was bought out by WWE, the company launched the Invasion storyline. It featured the combined forces of WCW and ECW trying to destroy WWE from within. Calling this angle an absolute dud might be one of the greatest understatements of all time.
Stephanie played a huge role in the story as the leader of ECW's troops. She didn't fit the part at all and only helped to make it worse. WWE should have pulled the pin on the whole thing a lot earlier but Stephanie and Shane's involvement only extended it.
5 Trying To Keep Daniel Bryan Down
The birth of the Yes Movement and the build-up to Daniel Bryan's legendary performance at WrestleMania XXX is one of the best WWE stories in the last decade. It all hinged on Stephanie McMahon and Triple H not believing Bryan was a main event player.
Reputedly, that was based on reality. Stephanie McMahon and her husband did not believe that he had what it took to be the top dog in the company. If Stephanie had her way, Bryan might have left the company in frustration years ago. Fortunately, he overcame all the odds when forces marshaled against him.
4 Not Pushing The Women's Division Sooner
There has been a lot of talk about the Women's Division in WWE over the past several years and for good reason. It went from barely being an afterthought to the main event of WrestleMania. But it didn't have to take so long.
WWE has long had incredible talent on its roster. There was no reason not to push the division sooner. Some wrestlers, including AJ Lee, have asked why Stephanie didn't wield her backstage clout to raise the profile of the division before fans started calling for it on social media. This potentially cost fans a lot of great matches.
3 Taking Way Too Much Credit For The Women's Revolution
Once the Women's Revolution kicked into high gear, there was no slowing it down. The division might not always be properly booked, but it still remains a key component of the overall WWE product.
Fans look at the beginning of the Revolution as the point that the Four Horsewomen of NXT, now WWE, got rolling. Stephanie has consistently placed herself in the middle of that, giving herself credit for the success in some not-so-subtle ways. Making those kinds of claims undercuts the successes of the women who worked for it.
2 Taking A Spot At WrestleMania Against Ronda Rousey
Immediately after Asuka won the first Women's Royal Rumble match, Ronda Rousey made her hotly anticipated debut in the WWE. This led to a tag team match at WrestleMania 34 that pitted Stephanie and Triple H against Kurt Angle and Rousey.
The match itself was reasonably good, particularly when Rousey took the fight to Triple H. But there had to be a better wrestler for that spot than Stephanie. No one watching it believed for a moment that she presented a legitimate threat to Rousey. Stephanie participating in that match cost another wrestler their WrestleMania moment.
1 Winning The Women's Championship
During the McMahon-Helmsley Era in 1999 to 2000, Triple H was an incredibly dominant player as was Stephanie. At one point, he held the WWE Championship while she held the WWE Women's Championship. But to accomplish that, she needed the help of Tori and D-Generation X to defeat Jaqueline.
It wasn't exactly an auspicious reign, to say the least. And given the number of skilled female wrestlers on the roster, the title could have had a much better home. It wasn't even a particularly good storyline, either.