All language subtitles for Evil - EP-06 - Stephanie McMahon

- I stand before you as one
of the principal owners of WWE.

[crowd booing]

But take away the money
and the education,

and I am just like all of you.

[dramatic music]

My character is
the spoiled rotten rich girl.

- Stephanie McMahon
flaunts her wealth.

She flaunts her power.
She uses her power for bad.

- Surrender the WWE World
Heavyweight Championship,

or I will fire your wife.

I always feel the need
to put everybody else down.

You're pathetic.
You're weak.

You're a failure,
and you're a disgrace!

- Her father is the boss,

so she has power to make
or break people's lives.

- Your children
are ashamed of you.

- Stephanie is
the ultimate villain.

No matter how hard people
try to defeat her,

Stephanie McMahon
will never be destroyed.

- Making business personal,

that's something you know
all about, Dad, isn't it?

Being a villain is
a lot more fun.

- Oh, my Lord!
- You gotta be kidding me!

[dramatic music]

* *

[siren wailing]

- When you're born
into a nefarious empire,

you learn from the best
on how to be the worst.

[tense music]

- I was about four
or five years old,

and I was at
the Philadelphia Spectrum.

* *

I was walking backstage.

It was my first time
at a live show,

and I remember linoleum floors,

the whitewashed walls,
the cement blocks,

the very harsh
fluorescent lighting.

It wasn't at all
what I had expected,

and I wandered off
down the hall a little bit,

'cause, you know,
my parents were working.

And all of a sudden, this group
of kids came screaming

around the corner, I mean,
running for their lives.

And hot on their heels was one
George "the Animal" Steele.

* *

And he turned his attention
to me

and started coming towards me
in character.

- Hey, man!
- [screams]

- And I ran as fast
as I could up my dad's leg.

I wrapped my arms around him,

I buried my head in his neck,
and my dad started to laugh.

* *

And that struck me
as a little kid.

And then he introduced me
to the man, Jim Myers.

* *

It was my first
sort of understanding

of what it means
to be a performer.

[upbeat rock music]

* *

I've just grown up
in this larger-than-life world.

Every person I've ever really
known has had this persona,

this charisma.

I've watched it.
I've studied it.

I've learned what it means
to become the character,

maybe a little bit
more clearer than others

and maybe a little faster.

* *

- Following
in the imposing footsteps

of the McMahon
family patriarch

is an unenviable task,
to say the least.

- And there he is,
ladies and gentlemen,

before 14,387!

- Starting
from almost nothing,

Vince McMahon transformed

a struggling regional
wrestling operation...

- Oh, there's his clothesline!

- Into a billion-dollar
publicly traded corporation.

Along the way,
the sinister Mr. McMahon

fully embraced his reputation
as the evil owner of WWE.

- I enjoy destroying lives.
It turns me on.

[crowd booing]

- Vince is a natural heel.

He's a natural just evil,
evil man.

- Oh, my God!
- Mr. McMahon has lost it!

- My dad is all of the evils
of the world

wrapped up
into one human being.

- Hell,
I'll fire your ass, pal!

- His character is motivated
by greed, by money, by power,

by holding the little man down.

- Oh, my.
- Oh, my God.

- He just has it all,
and he wants you to know it,

and in fact, he wants to
stick it straight up your ass.

- It's all about me.

You're fired!

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

- Being raised by Vince McMahon

is a master class
in greed and evil.

You can't help
but absorb that,

being born
and raised around it.

[tense music]

- Even though I grew up
in our business

and I always wanted
to be a part of it,

I never saw myself in the ring
or as a part of our show.

I remember I had
graduated college,

and I was in this sort of
unique internship position

shadowing my dad.

And I remember sitting
at the table,

listening to the writers
pitch him this story.

- Let's go
into Stephanie McMahon.

- It was an idea to use me.

* *

And I remember sitting there,
like, in shock.

I was to be used basically
as a pawn in the story line.

- What the heck's the Ministry
doing out here?

- McMahon, I know you're
back there watching.

There's a little secret that
I need to inform you of, Vince,

that tonight there's
a beautiful young woman

who will become one
with my Ministry.

- Get me more security.

I don't care
what you've gotta do.

You get me more security.

- Yes, sir.
- And give it to me now.

- The Undertaker
was tormenting me,

and ultimately, he got to me.

* *

- Where to, Stephanie?

- Dad!

- Oh, no!

My God, the Undertaker's
abducting Stephanie McMahon!

- Stephanie, Stephanie!

* *

Stephanie!
Damn it, where is she?

- I don't know!

- The Undertaker had
essentially captured

the damsel in distress,
Stephanie McMahon,

and was going to wed her.

* *

- The Undertaker abducted
Stephanie McMahon.

- Oh, my dear God.

- She's strapped
on that symbol.

The Undertaker
and the Ministry

have brought Stephanie McMahon
to the ring.

- That's the boss' daughter.

You can't kidnap
the boss' daughter.

- This is absolutely heinous.

This is so sickening.

Who has the courage to
come out here and stop this?

- Let the ceremony begin.

- Oh, for God's sake!

Here he comes!
Stone Cold!

- There was really only one man
that could help...

- Stone Cold and the
Undertaker going toe-to-toe!

- And that was
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin,

who was the archnemesis
of Mr. McMahon.

- Austin fighting
with all he's got!

- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
appeared to save the day

for the damsel in distress.

- The ceremony's over!

I guarantee you, he didn't
do this for Vince McMahon.

He's doing it because
it's the right thing to do!

- It turns out,
it was all a setup.

The Undertaker was working
for a higher power

who orchestrated
Stephanie's abduction.

* *

- I present

the higher power.

- Who could it be?

- It's me, Austin!

- Oh, son of a bitch.
- What?

- It's me, Austin!
It was me all along, Austin!

- Mr. McMahon orchestrated
his own daughter's kidnapping,

just to lure his archnemesis
into a trap.

- It doesn't get
much more evil than that.

- Vince knew
that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

would go out and go against
the epitome of pure evil

and rescue Stephanie,

because even
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

could see the devious
Undertaker could not

marry this pure,
innocent little girl.

- What a sick human being.

- What kind of man
would do that,

would use his daughter

and make his daughter
believe she was abducted,

believe she was being forced
to marry this evil,

unholy character?

- Austin, now you know

there is no price
I will not pay.

There is no depth
that I will not stoop

to make your life
here on Earth, Austin,

a total, complete living hell.

- Mr. McMahon would do that,

and it brought out, ultimately,

every bit of dark side
that I had within me.

* *

- I really didn't want
to have to do it,

but, you know,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin,

I had to teach you a lesson

that you would never,
ever forget.

[dramatic music]

- Wait a minute.
What is this?

- Stephanie?

- She didn't know.

- How could you be
so cruel to me?

- We really weren't trying
to hurt you, Stephanie.

You see, it's just business.

* *

- My father actually used me
as a pawn,

and that was the moment
my character realized

that it's time
to play this game.

- Love doesn't have anything
to do with it.

It's just business.
We still love you, Stephanie.

- The relationship
between Vince McMahon

and Stephanie McMahon
is complicated

'cause Vince is complicated.

Vince has shown over and over

that he is devoted
to sports entertainment

24 hours a day,
365 days a year.

That's not a normal, like,
dad-daughter relationship,

but that dynamic is fun
to watch play out.

- Look at this.

Test and Stephanie
hand in hand.

- After playing
the damsel in distress,

Stephanie McMahon
began to formulate

her own villainous plan

to become one of the most evil
characters in WWE history.

- I, in a story line,
was supposed to get married

to a wrestler
by the name of Test.

- On "Raw," Test proposed
to Stephanie McMahon,

and she accepted just a few
days later on "SmackDown."

- I remember my father
had said, "Okay,

"if anybody interrupts
this wedding that isn't family,

then they're gonna get fired
on the spot."

- We are gathered here tonight

to celebrate one
of life's greatest moments.

Should there be anyone
who has cause why this couple

should not be united
in marriage,

they must speak now
or forever hold their peace.

[rock music]

- Time to play the game.

* *

Time to play the game!

* *

- And out on the stage
comes Triple H,

the biggest bad guy possible.

At the time,
my dad was in a story

with Triple H, and he said,

"You know, Vince,
I know you said

"that if you weren't family
that you'd get fired,

so allow me to show you
a little something."

- Vince, you should take
a look at this.

* *

- Hunter, will you take
Stephanie for your wife?

- Oh, yeah, I do.

- And, Stephanie, will you
take Hunter for your husband?

- [as Stephanie]
Oh, yes, I do.

Hey, get a nice shot
of the brand-new

Mr. and Mrs.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

[tense music]

- Triple H has married
Stephanie McMahon.

- Triple H, he was feuding
with Vince McMahon so much

that he wanted
to take his daughter

and marry her in secret,
videotape it,

then send the videotape live
on "Monday Night Raw"?

- [sobbing]
I don't remember.

I start crying.

My dad's so angry.

- As a member of the immediate
family, Dad...

- Oh, my God!
- I hate you!

- Triple H defying Vince more

than even Stone Cold did
by taking his daughter

and marrying his daughter
against his wishes.

- The story line plays out

over the next couple of weeks,
and ultimately,

it comes to the opportunity
to have our wedding annulled.

- If your dad--
well, if my dad

can beat me
at "Armageddon,"

the wedding is annulled.

But if I beat him,

then I get my shot
at the title.

- I think I can have that
arranged.

- It's already crazy enough,
so then we get to "Armageddon."

* *

- If Triple H wins,

his marriage to Stephanie
stays intact.

But if Vince wins,

Stephanie and Triple H's
marriage will be annulled.

- We got the great
Vince McMahon.

Then we got Triple H.

And then you have
the boss' daughter.

You knew something
was gonna happen.

You knew somebody was
gonna get screwed over,

and there was nothing
you could do about it.

* *

- Oh, McMahon
has blinded Triple H!

- Hey, look out!
- Look out.

- Good God almighty.

Stephanie likes
what she's seeing now.

- I was given a front-row seat
as a wedding present, how nice.

- For the love of God,

McMahon is barely
able to stand.

- Come on, Dad!

It is a disaster.

They are absolutely beating
the tar out of each other.

* *

- Tell me what
you're feeling inside

watching your daddy
get his ass kicked.

- I hate you.

* *

Finally, my dad
somehow gets Triple H down,

and he picks up
Triple H's sledgehammer.

- A rat trapped in a corner.

McMahon is gonna hit--
wait, there's Stephanie.

Stephanie's stopping her dad.

Wait a minute.
She wants to hit him.

Stephanie's gonna
hit Helmsley.

Oh, my God.
Is this spousal abuse?

- I raise that sledgehammer up
like I'm just gonna

rock Triple H's world,

and I can't do it.

Man, I just--I can't do it.
I can't hit him with it.

- Hit him!

- She can't do it.
- Oh, no.

God almighty!

- It's all my fault.
It's all my fault.

I know it's my fault.
Oh, my God, is he even okay?

- You son of a bitch,
don't you hit her!

- What's he doing?
- Don't you hit her!

- I hear the crowd
start to roar as Triple H

is raising that sledgehammer
as if he is going to hit me.

* *

- You're just like,
"Man, how many terrible things

could happen to one
absolutely innocent person?"

* *

- What?
- King, what is this?

- Turns out, all along, she was
playing us all like a fiddle.

All like a fiddle.

- For the love of God!

- Stephanie McMahon
turning on her father,

it was, to me,

one of the biggest shocks
in wrestling history.

Being taken by the Undertaker

and then finding out
your father

was the guy pulling the strings
and making all the decisions.

The plan goes back that far.

That's crazy.

And I think Stephanie became

probably a bigger villain
than Vince McMahon,

and it somehow made Vince
a sympathetic figure.

What kind of greatness
must you have

to make Vince
a sympathetic figure?

* *

It's one of the greatest
heel turns in history.

* *

- WWE has been a family-run
business from day one,

and Steph had just come in

and was part
of this family business.

And so for Steph to turn on
her ultimate mentor and father,

that was, like,
the most unspeakable thing

that could happen.

Like, this girl is pure evil.

* *

- I decided I was tired
of being a pawn

in my father's story.

I was gonna write my own
story, and you know what?

I'm hitching my wagon
to the most evil villain

of all time, Triple H.

[crowd cheering]

[dramatic music]

* *

- Man, she's changed.

- Obviously not the same
Stephanie McMahon.

* *

- You hurt me.

Oh, you look confused,
like you don't remember.

I guess it's been a long time.

It's been almost a year
since you had me abducted

and carried down to this ring

to be sacrificed
to the Undertaker in a wedding

simply so you could screw
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

* *

And what's the best way
that I could hurt you back?

By marrying the man
that you hate the most.

* *

I'm not Daddy's
little girl anymore.

* *

- Betraying her almighty
father was just the first step

towards reshaping the WWE
in her own image.

- Instead of being
this innocent boss' daughter

that was getting used,

she found her confidence.
she found her power,

and now she's gonna
take control.

* *

- Stephanie then
devised a plan

to conquer her father's empire
from within.

- Steph wants to be the best
at whatever she does,

so while Steph was
gaining popularity

in front of the camera,
it was also benefitting her

to be sinking her claws in
behind the camera as well,

not only
in the creative department

but other departments.

She would dig in, learn
what she could, and move on.

That approach
definitely makes her

a well-rounded businesswoman
that knows,

probably just below her father,
the most about the WWE.

* *

- As Stephanie
gained more power

within the corporate
headquarters,

she felt even more emboldened
to spread her wings

before the WWE universe.

* *

Daddy's little girl
was all grown up now.

* *

- You're just a mean
old bastard!

- What?

What did she say
to her father?

- She went against everything
that Daddy was saying

and what everyone
thought of her.

- She got a legitimacy,
being with Triple H,

that she never could
have gotten on her own.

She always would have been
on the other side of the fence

to everybody in the WWE.

Now she's on the inside.

- What?
- She slapped her father!

Oh!
Now Shane got it!

- She got an amazing reaction,

'cause she was
really charismatic.

* *

And people wanted
to root for her.

You wanted to pull for
this beautiful young woman.

But she was also very good
at pissing people off.

- Where I'm from,
boys and girls

treat their parents
with honor and respect.

- One of the reasons

why my character was
always a little bit special

was because I didn't get
in the ring every single week,

'cause I wasn't, you know,
a wrestler by trade.

I was the boss' daughter.

- But like her father
and her brother before her,

at some point, Stephanie would
have to step into the ring.

- I was never
the greatest athlete,

so to put me in the ring
was a big step for me.

But ultimately,
I had to evolve,

and getting in the ring
wasn't about wrestling.

It was about
perception of power.

* *

My first training
was not pretty.

My trainer basically told me

to just throw myself
on the ground

and take a flat back bump.

That is, like,
the key move to know.

First time that I did it...

I felt like I had been
in a train wreck the next day.

I was really not good at it,

so when I was gonna have
my first match,

that's when
I really got scared.

* *

- So Stephanie
McMahon-Helmsley,

for the first time ever,

will step into the ring
here tonight.

- Stephanie is not a wrestler.

- Stephanie's in-ring debut

proved she was as selfish
as her dear old dad.

The unproven
Billion Dollar Princess

placed herself
in a title match

against one
of the most popular champions

in her division,
Jacqueline.

- Jacqueline goes one-one-one
with Stephanie McMahon-Helm--

- Where's Stephanie going?
- Where do you think?

Go home.
Go wait in your mansion.

- Referee Earl Hebner
demanding

that Stephanie get
into the ring.

- While Triple H
distracted the referee,

his henchmen
attacked Jacqueline.

- Oh!
Tori just planted Jacqueline!

- And Stephanie stole
the victory and the title.

- Wait a minute!

[bell rings]

[crowd booing]

- Given the crowd reaction,

there was really no doubt
that I was meant to be a heel.

* *

- Being in the ring,
that wasn't

about the wrestling;
it was about power.

Steph decided she wanted
to be women's champion,

and not having
to do one wrestling move,

not having to take a punch,

not having to have
a finger laid on her,

Steph walks out
the women's champion.

She has an entire empire
at her disposal.

She could call shots
and get what she wants.

Like, "I point at the thing
I want, and then I get it."

Nobody else can do that.

- One of the hardest things
in the world to do

is become
a professional wrestler.

You can't just roll out of bed
and do what they do.

That's why it was so upsetting
to see Stephanie McMahon

being able to win the title.

* *

- After that match,

we see just
what Stephanie McMahon

was capable of,
and that was anything.

- God's sakes, what has
happened to this young woman?

- For 74 glorious days...

- What the hell?

- I have been
your women's champion.

And I know that deep down,

I really have your support.

- As Stephanie's power
continued to grow...

- Stephanie struck
her mother down!

- Her father was back
in the picture

with another sinister plot
to solidify

the McMahons' authority
within the WWE

for years to come.

- This is our show.

* *

- With the WWE evolving
and expanding,

"Raw" and "SmackDown" split
into two separate entities.

[tense music]

- Allow me to introduce you

to the new general manager
of "SmackDown,"

Stephanie McMahon!

- I think the Vince
and Stephanie relationship

is so complicated,
it puts "Succession" to shame.

Being the ruthless, evil
billionaires that they are,

there's still
this element of respect,

even after they've stabbed
each other in the back.

So just when you think
you understand their dynamic,

you don't.

- Welcome to my show,

"SmackDown"!

- Stephanie McMahon
all business.

- So this is when I think
she really started getting

into that authority persona,
when she was like,

"I will slowly
make that transition

to this corporate entity,"

this person that's alongside
of her father.

- When she's become the strong,
powerful businesswoman,

she definitely has pieces
of Vince in her.

This is Vince's daughter.

This is who he raised,
and you see it

when she walks down the ramp
in her power suit.

- It's the Billion Dollar
Princess Stephanie,

and she does not look happy.

- Stephanie,
she's very much like my dad.

I call her the Vincess.

She hated the "princess"
part of that,

so I threw that in there
as a little brotherly dig.

- I think she's inherited
that walk from her father.

- When your father is one
of the most despised people

in the business,

you've got instant credibility
right there.

You were spawned from evil.

Of course you're Miss Evil
at that point.

- I'll have to call you back.

- I didn't bother
knocking, but--

- Well, you never do, Dad.

- No, 'cause I don't have to,
do I, now?

* *

- It's interesting for me,

being a woman
in this business,

you know,
and I was often the only woman

in a room full of men.

I was just always
very comfortable around guys.

I didn't find men intimidating.

If anything, I feel
like women have an edge

or have an advantage
in a room full of men,

but you have to have
the confidence, you know,

to be able to be there.

You have two choices, Eric.

You can either walk your little
self out of my building,

or I will have you thrown out.

* *

- The scariest villain
is a beautiful,

strong woman that has power.

That makes her special
in her own right.

When you're
in a male-dominated industry

and you show that a strong
woman can be a bad guy

and be unapologetically bad,

it's one
of the greatest things ever.

- Empowered
by her ever-growing authority,

Stephanie's signature strut
is usually a sign that someone

is about to receive
her trademark

stamp of disapproval.

- You call yourself
a visionary?

[rock music]

- It's a legit competition

when you're in there
with Stephanie.

There's a danger
in working with Stephanie.

- You are a vindictive bitch!

* *

I think it degrades you

as a human being
when you get slapped.

You're lower than me.
You're not even worth a punch.

I'm gonna slap
some sense into you.

And I think that's why
it works so good.

- What are you gonna do
about it?

You gonna cry?

You gonna cry like a baby, huh?

- My sister probably
hits the hardest

out of the entire roster
of WWE with that slap.

That slap is no joke.

- Oh!

Oh!

- Stephanie was able to do it
with a sly smile.

Stephanie was able
to take grown men

and bring them to their knees.

* *

- As often is the case,
life began to imitate art.

Stephanie and Triple H's
on-screen romance

sparked
a real-life love story.

- Rumors circulated
very early on,

once Steph and Triple H
were paired on camera.

Come to find out there was
a reason their chemistry

was so great on camera.

- It was life imitating art
because behind the scenes,

they started to have feelings
for one another.

- What started
as just a strategic move

soon became a reality.

- We were supposed to be
a short-lived story line,

and I was not allowed to date
any of the wrestlers,

but there were ups and downs

and twists and turns
both on screen and off,

and ultimately wound up
really getting married.

* *

- I think, once Triple H
and Stephanie got married,

it really threw a wrench
in the family dynamic

as far as jockeying
for power and position

because Triple H and Stephanie
have different strengths.

So together,
they formed one mega power,

and then
now there was just Shane.

It was--almost became a bit
of a two-against-one dynamic.

- Stephanie's ascension
up the corporate ladder

reached new heights
when she and Triple H

seized the reins
of WWE power as the Authority.

- Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome the COO

as well as one of the
principal owners of the WWE,

Triple H
and Stephanie McMahon.

- I took a step back
from wrestling,

and then my dad started
to take more of a back seat,

so he wasn't on camera as much.

And we really needed
that authority figure.

* *

I stepped forward as an owner
and, you know,

along with my husband,
Triple H,

who was positioned
as the COO of the company,

and we actually became
the Authority

is what we called ourselves.

- Anybody in that locker room
that defies our authority

will beg to keep their job.

* *

- We are now the bosses.

We are now in charge.

And power goes straight
to your head.

Absolute power corrupts
absolutely, and it did.

Last week, the Big Show
struck my husband in the face.

* *

But where is the Big Show now?
He's unemployed.

He's fired.

[crowd booing]

- They're bullies,

and they're throwing
their weight around,

and they're throwing
their power around.

And that's what the Authority
was all about.

- At this point, it started
to seem like there was

kind of a changing
of the guard happening.

The expectation is that,

you know, one day,
it's all going to be

Shane McMahon's company,
but okay, no, actually,

little sister Stephanie
and her husband, Triple H,

they're gonna take over.

As a fan, it seems like

Shane could already see
the writing on the wall,

and then Shane
left the company.

- And let that be a lesson

to anyone
in the WWE locker room,

because insolence
will not be tolerated.

- So I think it was at that
point that Steph really started

to feel the effects
of her power.

- Security,

please escort this man
from the building.

[crowd chanting]
No, no, no, no!

- No one likes anyone
to abuse their power,

much less, you know,
a son and/or a daughter

of the boss.

- You have Stephanie McMahon
and Triple H side by side

every week, literally pissing
people off for no reason.

- You work for me.
I ask the questions.

So who the hell
do you think you are?

- This isn't a story line.
They have weight.

They have pull.
They can do things.

They can cause people
some discomfort.

- How would it feel
for your wife to look

in your baby girl's eyes

and explain about the beating
that you took?

- She has the power,

the power
that no other character,

not even villain, has
and no one ever can have.

* *

- It's her throne,

and you have to play
on her level at all times,

or you're finished.

I love that.

- Vickie, you're fired.

- Leadership is not
for everybody.

Having the ability to dominate
and control others,

it's very intoxicating,

because it goes
to people's heads.

They embrace being evil.
They love being evil.

It's their glow.
It's their moment.

They love that.

- Mick Foley,

I've got two words for you.

You're fired!

- It's become iconic,
the long, "You're fired!"

And when it's somebody
we don't like, you'll get the,

"Na, na, na, na.
Hey, hey, goodbye."

But when you are
unapologetically firing

someone you know people love,
like Hardcore Legend

first bell
Hall of Famer Mick Foley?

- Foley, get out
once and for all.

- That's ruthless.
That's being plain evil.

- You're my bitch!

At that point,
people were nervous

that Steph and Triple H
had too much power,

because there's
elements of truth.

Like, Stephanie is really
out there with her husband,

and she pretty much
can call the shots,

and there's nothing anyone
could possibly do about it.

* *

- The McMahon family drama
is like no other,

behind the scenes
and on camera.

- Oh, no, look at this!

Oh, Vince, that's your son.
That is your little boy.

- With all that wealth
at stake,

with so many egos to feed,

with so many backs to stab,

there's always gonna be
some sort of turmoil

in the never-ending struggle
for power.

- You want me to take
Daddy's little girl

and crush it in my hand

and throw it on the mat
and leave it a bloody pulp!

- There's always a pecking
order inside a family.

You've got sibling rivalry.

- Oh, now Shane got it!

- And then you've got
the siblings

competing with their parents.

- I said I can never,
ever compete

with your checkbook,
but I can outsmart you.

- I think we watch these shows
like "Succession"...

- You're a [bleep] coward.

- Wow.

- "Game of Thrones"...

- You're no son of mine.

- I've always been your son.

- Because they are
a really exaggerated version

of every family's hierarchy,
every family's competition.

We all find ourselves
in those characters.

[dramatic music]

- It is my pleasure
to introduce to you

the recipient
of the Vincent James McMahon

Legacy of Excellence Award
to Stephanie McMahon!

* *

- Even though none of us
know what it's like

to have royal blood or,

you know, some incredible
family business

where maybe one day,
you'll be the heir--

most of us
can't relate to that,

but we can relate
to family relationships.

We all can relate to wanting
to impress Mom or Dad.

- No one in the world deserves
this award as much as you.

Congratulations.
- Thank you, Dad.

It is our family's legacy,
and I do just have a few--

- * Money *
- Here we go.

- * Here comes the money *

* *

- After a seven-year hiatus,

Mr. McMahon's
prodigal son returned

to claim his stake
of the family empire.

- At the time,
Steph and Triple H

were being
a unified power couple,

potentially setting
themselves up

to be the successors
to the WWE.

[tense music]

Out of nowhere,
here comes Shane McMahon,

and the crowd was
on their feet, deafening.

[crowd roaring]

* *

- He couldn't say a word
for, like, ten minutes,

the crowd was so stoked,
and you had to think

that Steph
and Triple H were, like,

questioning their security
at that moment.

- The Vincent James McMahon
Legacy of Excellence Award.

Phenomenal idea, amazing,

and should be bestowed
upon someone

who's a worthy recipient,

and that's not you.

* *

- The real-life aspect
of ownership,

if you will, of the company?

Sure, you can get some
real-life emotion out of that.

* *

Let me tell you something:
my husband and I

have been successfully running
a billion-dollar business

with our blood,
sweat, and tears,

whether these people
appreciate it or not.

* *

- I think there has
to be some truth

to any family dynamic
power struggle

in a family like the McMahons.

Whether it's hostile
or it's over-the-top

or it's as big
as we're seeing it,

there are questions.

- The great thing is,
nobody really knows.

No one knows what happens
at Thanksgiving.

No one knows what happens
at Christmas, you know.

That's our own internal thing,

and, you know,
people want to guess.

They're like, "Can you imagine?
Do you think that really is?

What do you think
really goes on?"

It's always good
to keep people guessing,

and I think we've done
a pretty good job of that,

'cause we're all still around,

and thus far,
people want to see us.

- You don't know what it means
to be a success, Shane.

How would you?

You're nothing more
than a quitter.

Now, get the hell
out of my ring.

- Stephanie is
a diabolical character,

and she will do
whatever it takes

to be the heir
of the family business.

- The reason you've been able
to climb so high thus far

is because I let it happen.

And one thing's for sure,
Stephanie.

I never lost my place in line.

* *

- My brother is the good guy,

the protagonist, you know,
the baby face.

And I've even said this
to the audience.

Like, why do you love Shane?
He has done nothing.

All he does is pander
to you guys.

Meanwhile, here I am,
day in and day out,

working my butt off
to make sure that this business

is here for you and your kids
and your kids' kids.

But yet you're gonna cheer him
and you're gonna boo me?

[crowd booing]

[crowd cheering]

[crowd booing]

[crowd cheering]

[crowd booing]

- How is that even possible?

How does that make
any sense at all?

* *

- I expected by now
that one of you

would have stabbed
the other one in the back

or slit the other one's throat.

That's not what we have.

- It's the oldest story line
literally in history.

The king will not
live forever,

and in order
to be on their throne,

I gotta go through them.

It's power,
it's money, it's fame,

and it's the willingness
to get it at any cost.

And so that idea of anything
can happen at any moment

because there's
only one throne

and only one person
can sit on it

but there are two kids
of Vince McMahon,

that's what we as fans love,
and that drama

and that tension
is always being teased at us.

- It is my duty to inform you,

the new commissioner
of the juggernaut,

the flagship,
the three-hour flagship of WWE,

"Monday Night Raw's"
commissioner,

Stephanie McMahon.

- Yes, yes, yes!

* *

- It reminds me of the fact

that sharks eat each other
in the womb,

and she's one of the sharks
that made it out.

* *

- The Authority
back in control.

[dramatic music]

* *

- I think Stephanie McMahon
has been face-forward

as far as, like,
decisions that get made.

I obviously know
her brother's involved as well,

but we don't think of him
first off.

We think of Stephanie McMahon,
and we think of Triple H,

and they've sort of become
the face of the decisions.

And I, for one, enjoy that.

- Tear his head off!
- Aah!

- Oh, yeah!

How's that feel?

- What fans see when it comes
to Stephanie McMahon

and her possibly
taking over for Vince

is Stephanie
and Triple H as a unit.

- Ah!
- How's that?

How's that, huh, huh?

- That balance of evil traits--

we have the guy
who's been in the ring

and the businesswoman
who's been behind the scenes

her entire life,
them together as sort of this,

you know, let's say it,
WWE power couple--

I think there's an appeal there
to a lot of fans.

- Our ring,
our house, our show!

This belongs to us!

- The thing with Stephanie
is that she plays her role

of being the ultimate bad girl
to a tee.

There's nobody that plays
that role better than her.

She is totally open
and willing

to let her character go as far
as her character needs to go,

because she understands
that her family's legacy,

family's business,
is at stake.

[crowd booing]

- Shut up! Shut up!

- No, no, Dad--
- No respect!

- Dad, Dad, it's okay.

- You're animals!

- It's all right, Dad.
You know what?

Quite frankly,
I don't want their support,

and I certainly don't want
their compassion

or their sympathy,
because I would rather

be feared or respected
than felt sorry for.

Because I am a leader,
and all of you know it.

- I think it's fair to say
that Steph has no intentions

of leaving the family business

and is planting the seeds
to just secure that spot

for a lifetime
and generations to come.

* *

- Absolutely, I would let
my daughters join the business,

but they're gonna have
to earn it.

- Even more so.
[laughs]

Did you forget
who you're talking to?

I'm a McMahon.

Nobody does crazy
better than us.

- The McMahon family
will always be synonymous

with doing whatever it takes
to expand the family legacy.

- Oh!
- Oh, my!

- As for Stephanie,
she entered the WWE

as being handed everything,

but she has proven herself
to be even more unforgiving...

- Stephanie's gonna--
- Oh, my God, no holds barred!

- More scandalous...

- Do you have any idea

how much power I have
in this city?

- More unscrupulous,
and more powerful

than anyone could have
anticipated.

- AJ,
you are the Divas Champion,

but please remember that I can
take all of that away from you.

- No one really
enjoys the entitled,

self-indulgent princess,
if you will.

And she just happens
to suit that role pretty well.

You know, she's the boss,

and she jams it down
everybody's throat,

and people don't like that.

You know, in all walks of life,
no one really,

really wants their boss
or someone

to jam something
down their throat.

It just doesn't taste good.

- And when the going got tough,

what did Shane McMahon do?

What did he do?

He abandoned
every single one of you

for seven years.

That's a leader?

That's someone
you want leading this company?

What's gonna stop Shane
from doing that all over again?

- Stephanie McMahon being
a villain, it's timeless.

It's something
that everybody understands,

and I think the drama lasts
because it's real.

And what's real is what
resonates with the audience,

and when the audience
sees Stephanie McMahon

on their screens,

they're not looking
for a cushy, lovey-dovey,

happy-go-lucky moment.

They're looking for the [bleep]
to hit the fan.

- Guys, lookit, from behind,
Stephanie McMahon.

- Grabbing the hair of Rousey!
[bell rings]

- I think Stephanie McMahon
actually might be

even more vicious
than her father,

because throughout her career
and throughout her life,

she's been treated
a certain way.

She's had to fend for herself
and fight for herself...

- Aah! Aah!

- In very different
circumstances,

in a world full of snakes
and serpents,

so she knows how to do it
better than anybody else,

and she knows how to do it
with a smile on her face.

* *

- Oh, my God!

- I'll take care of you!

- Stephanie's got her
locked in good.

Rousey's in trouble.

* *

- Oh!
- Oh, my God!

- Does that make her evil?

Well, she is a McMahon.