AEW announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has shared his opinion on Stephanie McMahon as an on-camera performer over the years in WWE.
During a recent episode of his Grillin JR podcast, Jim Ross and his co-host Conrad Thompson discussed an episode of Monday Night RAW from 2001. When the topic of Stephanie McMahon was raised by Conrad Thompson, Jim Ross was quick to praise the boss's daughter's ability as a heel performer.
Conrad Thompson asked Jim Ross if there was any hesitation from executives in WWE to place Stephanie McMahon as a prominent heel on WWE television. Jim Ross stated that Stephanie's performance was similar to the high level of her father, Vince McMahon, on WWE TV:
“Stephanie was a great heel, by the way, she’s got a lot of the old man in her and I had no issues whatsoever because she worked very diligently to improve, and because she had a major name to carry. She was more like Vince than Shane was like Vince, in my view, and Vince has even said that to me.”
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Jim Ross' comparison of Stephanie McMahon to Vince McMahon in WWE
Stephanie McMahon made her first appearance on WWE television in 1998 at the age of 22 years old. Move the clock forward three years and Stephanie McMahon was a prominently featured villainous character on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown in WWE by 2001.
During this period of time, Stephanie McMahon would become the on-screen owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling, bringing along previous owner Paul Heyman with her as part of her group. Stephanie would join her brother, Shane McMahon, who was the on-screen owner of World Championship Wrestling, and form the 'Alliance' of the two brands to challenge Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment.
Continuing to discuss Stephanie McMahon's ability as an on-screen performer in WWE, Jim Ross praised Stephanie as a "great heel" who followed in the footsteps of her father, Vince McMahon, as an exceptional character in WWE:
“But she became a great heel and just followed in the footsteps of her old man who was the hottest heel we had in the Attitude Era.”
What is your favorite Stephanie McMahon moment in WWE? Would you like to see Stephanie McMahon return as a regular on-screen character in WWE? Share your thoughts in our comments section down below. Thanks for reading!