Stephanie McMahon was announced as the first inductee into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame during WrestlePalooza last week. While fans are happy for this achievement, Stevie Richards has made it clear that she doesnâ€t deserve a spot there at all.
While speaking on the Stevie Richards Show, Stevie Richards explained why he thinks Stephanie McMahon should not be in the WWE Hall of Fame. He said that as a writer, her work belongs in a Hall of Shame instead.
In his opinion, Shane McMahon deserves it much more because of his big matches, great promos, and exciting moments that go back to the Corporate Ministry era. Richards believes Shaneâ€s career clearly earns him a Hall of Fame spot long before Stephanie.
“Does Stephanie McMahon deserve to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? No. As a writer, she deserves to never be in the Hall of Fame. Iâ€m serious. That should be in the Hall of Shame. Shane by a mile deserves it more than Stephanie for just the performance and the memorable moments in his matches and how he still could cut a promo. He still did what he did even way back in the Corporate Ministry days. Shane would deserve it. Itâ€s still enough body of work where Shane deserves to be in the Hall of Fame long before Stephanie. Way before Stephanie.â€
Richards said Stephanie was good on TV for about a year, but after that she came and went. She was a General Manager for a while, disappeared for years, and later came back with Triple H in the Authority storyline. At first fans were excited, but weekly Authority promos quickly became boring and hurt the shows.
Richards explained that in her early days, when Vince McMahon was guiding things, Stephanieâ€s character often got what she deserved, which made her stories fun. But later Vince became too protective, and she stopped facing consequences. Instead, she became an overpowering figure, often slapping wrestlers on TV without ever letting them hit back.
Richards compared this to Vince, who always let himself look silly and take heat, which made his character stronger. He believes that Stephanie, Vince, or Triple H later took her character too seriously, making her seem untouchable and unstoppable.
“Stephanie was really good on screen for about a year and then she disappeared. Then she was the GM and then she was just there and then she sort of went back to mousy Stephanie and then she disappeared for years. Then she came back and then she was the B+ player version of Stephanie McMahon with Triple H that went, oh, those Authority promos that opened the show. And people the first week were like, ‘Oh my god, Stephanieâ€s back. This is so great.†Itâ€s like, boy, are you going to be disappointed when this is every single week. It was pulling teeth. They made the show worse.
Stephanie McMahon was great in the early days when Vince McMahon was basically directing, and at some point he got so overprotective of Stephanie that it went from she would get a comeuppance every single week to she would never get a comeuppance. Then all she is is this oppressive, looming figure with every wrestler under her thumb every single week. She slapped them—she slapped multiple wrestlers every single week—and they never got any heat back on her.
I remember someone once, years ago, when I said that, they were like, ‘Oh, didnâ€t you watch that WrestleMania?†I was like, ‘You mean where she tripped and fell over on her own steam, and it happens once every two years?†Vince McMahon—you couldnâ€t get enough heat on that guy or make him look stupid enough, and he got better every week because of it. Stephanie McMahon—just, I donâ€t know.
Someone started taking her character too seriously, whether it was her, whether it was Vince, or whether it was Triple H, saying, ‘No, you shouldnâ€t be doing all these things and you should be stronger and more important and more indestructible than everybody else,†as far as a character point of view.â€
While WWE praises Stephanie McMahon as a trailblazer worthy of the Hall of Fame, Stevie Richards strongly disagrees. Therefore, itâ€s clear not everyone is supportive of Stephanie McMahon in the WWE Hall of Fame and itâ€s not hard to see why.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
Do you think Stephanie Mc Mahon deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
September 26, 2025 12:35 pm
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