COMMENTARY | In the kinder,
gentler WWE of 2013, Stephanie and Vince McMahon are very popular with
professional wrestling fans. Stephanie occasionally shows up on Raw to
defend her good guy husband Triple H and she can also be seen on the
road promoting the WWE's "Be A STAR" anti-bullying campaign.
Vince McMahon does not appear on WWE Raw as much as he did during the
Attitude Era, but like his daughter Stephanie, he too portrays a
babyface character. He is one of the few figures in wrestling who can
get over with fans as a face and a heel.
However, Vince McMahon is a legend as a heel. During the Attitude Era, McMahon was the perfect foil for 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. While fans were cheering Austin's rebellious behavior on Raw, McMahon played the role of the evil, hated boss to perfection. It is not a stretch to say that Vince McMahon is one of the best WWE heels in history.
That's why the June 3 edition of WWE Raw was such a refreshing change for adult fans who remember the Attitude Era. Stephanie began Raw proclaiming that her husband, Triple H, would not be wrestling Curtis Axel due to health concerns. When the WWE fans, as expected, booed her decision, Stephanie called the fans "selfish."
Then the fans gave Vince McMahon a huge pop when he joined Stephanie in the ring. But if they thought he would override Stephanie's decision, they were mistaken. Vince said, "The WWE is family entertainment. It's not a blood sport." Then Vince McMahon closed out his promo by saying the fans were "beneath" Triple H.
This surprise opening Raw segment was almost certainly an emergency effort to generate buzz on a night when the WWE faced stiff competition for the young adult male demographic. Stephanie and Vince McMahon were going head-to-head with Game 7 of the Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers NBA Playoff series.
Needless to say, Triple H wasn't happy about the McMahons' decision, but he acquiesced. Early indications are that Triple H will wrestle Curtis Axel on the June 10 edition of WWE Raw. I hope this storyline plays out throughout the summer on Raw because Stephanie and Vince McMahon are outstanding heels.
McMahon struck gold with his statement about the WWE being family entertainment because many fans from the Attitude Era aren't pleased with the change to TV-PG programming. If Stephanie and Vince McMahon continue to deliver heel promos based on this theme, they will get a ton of heat every week on Raw.
Meanwhile, Curtis Axel continues to benefit from this major storyline. Axel wrestled John Cena as a replacement for Triple H and the newest Paul Heyman guy picked up another huge win thanks to Ryback's interference. I am curious to see how Stephanie and Vince McMahon interact with Axel and Heyman in the upcoming weeks on Raw.
To see Stephanie and Vince McMahon's WWE Raw heel promo, click here.
Patrick Michael lives in New Orleans and has always been a big fan
of pro wrestling. Patrick's favorite wrestling promotion was Mid-South
Wrestling back in the 1980s. Patrick's favorite wrestling angle of
all-time was the NWO and his favorite wrestler is Roddy Piper. Follow
Patrick Michael on Twitter at patmichael84.
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