Stephanie McMahon had locker room heat following controversial decision, says WWE executive

Stephanie McMahon debuted in WWE as an on-screen character in 1999. About a year later, her father, former Chairman Vince McMahon, made a controversial decision that resulted in his daughter getting backstage heat, according to a current executive of the Stamford-based company.

Nearly a year after her debut, Stephanie McMahon defeated Jacqueline to capture the WWE Women's Championship. She held the title for about five months before dropping it to Lita. On an episode of his Something To Wrestle podcast, WWE executive, Bruce Prichard, was asked about the locker room's reaction to Vince putting the title on his daughter, despite her being a rookie.

The 61-year-old pointed out that The Billion Dollar Princess was receiving massive heat from fans at the time as they claimed she did not deserve to hold the championship. However, he did note that it was a great business decision that had paid off financially.

"She was getting heat from the audience. So, heat from the audience. Heat in the locker room. I don't give a sh*t where the heat is coming from. She's getting heat and it was money-drawing heat. So, I thought it was absolutely the right move because of that, the jealousy, the fact that the audience is saying, 'She doesn't deserve that,'" he said.

Prichard further said that Stephanie also had massive heat in the locker room, disclosing that several superstars were unhappy with the controversial decision to put the title on the Billion Dollar Princess. Nevertheless, the current Executive Director claimed the decision was best for business.

"And then that goes on into 'whatever real life' if you wanna call it of talent [saying], 'She doesn't deserve that. Who deserves it? Who did you beat? Who did you beat to become the champion?' Now, of course, when you won the title it was real. When you lost the title it was a work. No, man, come on. What's best for business? That was best for business. That was good stuff and it was the right thing to do," he added. [55:04 - 56:05]

Check out his comments in the video below:

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Stephanie McMahon is no longer in WWE

The Billion Dollar Princess spent over two decades in the Stamford-based company. While she also performed on screen, the 48-year-old held several executive positions, including Senior Vice President of Creative Writing, Chief Brand Officer, and Co-CEO & Chairwoman.

However, Stephanie McMahon resigned from WWE last year following her father's return as Executive Chairman. Although Vince McMahon left again earlier this year, his daughter did not make an official comeback despite attending several shows.

Stephanie's husband, Triple H, recently clarified her status, he said that she currently held no official position in the company, pointing out that her appearance at WWE shows was because she loves the business. It would be interesting to see if she will ever return to the promotion in an official capacity.

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If you use the quotes from this article, please credit Something To Wrestle and embed the video, giving an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the above transcription.