Stephanie McMahon To Receive Corporate Leadership Award

It was announced yesterday that Stephanie McMahon will be honored with the Corporate Leadership Award from the organization. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 30 at the 38th Annual Sports Luncheon, hosted by the March of Dimes Greater New York/New Jersey Market.

McMahon will be honored along with Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren, who is receiving the Sports Leadership Award. Longtime NHL player Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and 11-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix will honored with the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards.

The March of Dimes press release noted, “As Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon is responsible for ensuring WWE’s global brand strength and growth across all lines of business. Stephanie oversees WWE’s Brand, Marketing, Community Relations and Pop Culture strategies as well as WWE’s Global Sales and Partnerships Division. Among her many contributions, she has been the driving force behind WWE’s Women’s Evolution, which has given female performers an equal share of the spotlight both in and out of the ring. Prior to being named Chief Brand Officer in 2013, Stephanie was Executive Vice President, Creative and was the first woman to lead WWE’s Creative Writing, Digital Media, Talent Relations, Talent Brand Management and Live Events businesses. Over the years, she has been recognized by Forbes in the publication’s annual World’s Most Influential CMO list, and in 2020 she was named the world’s most influential female CMO and earned the #2 position overall. Additionally, Adweek has included Stephanie in their list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports for the past five years and previously chose her as a 2019 Brand Genius honoree.”

Happy Anniversary Paul and Stephanie

October 25, 2003

Stephanie McMahon Inducted Into International Sports Hall Of Fame

Stephanie McMahon was inducted earlier today into the International Sports Hall of Fame. She is the first female executive to be inducted. The ISHOF was established in 2012 to honor the world’s greatest athletes in all categories of sports.

“Humbled & honored to be the 1st female executive inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame with such a prestigious class,” McMahon wrote. “The key messages from all were passion, love, hard work, intention, & believing in yourself – #wordstoliveby. #ISHOF”

Other notable WWE connections who are in the ISHOF: WWE Hall of Famers Arnold Schwarzenegger (2012), Mark Henry (2012), Bruno Sammartino (2013), and Kurt Angle (2016). Also, Triple H (2015) and Ronda Rousey (2018).

Stephanie McMahon Makes Forbes 2021 List Of World’s Most Influential CMOs

The ninth annual ranking from Forbes is based on 30 digital and social channels analyzed by data science teams from Sprinklr and LinkedIn. The pool of candidates were drawn from more than 500 CMOs and brands from across a wide range of Forbes lists and external lists, such as the World Federation Of Advertisers and the Brand Finance Global 500. Candidates that were considered had to be active and in their role from at least January through May of 2021. The list was created with assistance of artificial intelligence, while the brand performance metrics were based on more than 4.5 billion social media engagements.

McMahon ranked #2 on the list, the same spot she claimed in 2020. She ranked #13 in 2019.

Forbes wrote the following on Stephanie for the 2021 list:

While she may be the only CMO with “professional wrestler” on her resume, Stephanie McMahon an influential marketer far beyond the WWE ring. Along with overseeing the creation of the bio-secure “ThunderDome” during the Covid-19 crisis, McMahon also helped drive fan engagement for live and streaming matches, navigated the return to in-person events in July and built one of the largest TikTok followings for a sports property.

McMahon has also led cross-company collaborations. To help Netflix promote its Army Of The Dead show, WWE had zombies circle the ring and become part of the show. And earlier this month, the WWE partnered with Connor’s Cure and The V Foundation to raise money for fighting pediatric cancer. She’s also helped The Ad Council with its vaccine marketing including PSAs for people to learn more about their options for getting vaccinated.

Happy Birthday Stephanie

Stephanie McMahon Levesque
September 24, 1976

Nick Khan Comments On Recent Releases

“There’s a collective of us, keep in mind at WWE their is one boss, that’s Vince as we all know. Between Bruce Prichard who oversees the entire creative process, Kevin Dunn, who oversees all of our production, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Levesque are all involved in these decisions, with ultimately Vince making the final decision on everything”

“I don’t know if there is one explanation for it, ultimately what’s looked at, ‘Is this person for us going move to the needle now or in the imminent future’. ‘We signed a dozen new talent, we’re always looking for what’s next. We live in the present, we live in the future, 7 don’t live in the past”

Jim Ross On Critics Who Say Triple H’s Success Is Due To Marrying Stephanie McMahon

The Heirs Apparent: How Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Have Taken The WWE To New Heights

When Vince McMahon dies, it's all but confirmed that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H will take over. But the two have already taken WWE to new heights...More?

source:  thesportster.com

Stephanie McMahon Confirms WWE’s Plans For New Set Designs Among Other Presentation Changes

WWE is returning to the road next week with what promises to be an unforgettable weekend. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned WWE’s way of life upside down, as the company has been forced to hold its shows in the Performance Center and the ThunderDome for more than a year. With this return to some semblance of normalcy. With that in mind, WWE is using this development as a motive to change things up.

In an interview with Variety, WWE’s chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon explained that the company fully intends to use the lessons it learned from the ThunderDome era in order to alter its presentation now that live fans are coming back.

“In the ThunderDome, we were able to experiment with different types of technology,” said McMahon. “And we needed to over-deliver for our partners and our fans watching at home. But now we have the ability to apply all of those learnings to the live event experience with our fans. So from a production and storytelling standpoint, it will look and feel different.”

She also confirmed that the company will use new set designs, which had previously been reported, in addition to new arena setups. Plus, WWE will also utilize augmented reality in new ways, as McMahon teased the distinct aspects of this new presentation.

“We’re going to have a new set design, a new presentation of our talents, different locations, and arena setups,” McMahon continued. “We’re going to be utilizing augmented reality in a way that we never have before. We experimented with it a lot during Thunderdome, but it is now going to be incorporated into our talent entrances. There’s also going to be animated graphics. It’s going to be so exciting and so different than anything we’ve done before.”

What WWE’s Vince McMahon was doing at a Dave Chappelle show: ‘Rare opportunity’

A rare opportunity” for a night out provided a glimpse into the Vince McMahon we don’t always see.

Comedian Donnell Rawlings posted a photo of him and the WWE chairman and CEO backstage at the Dave Chappelle and Friends show at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut on June 28 that made the rounds on the internet. The perception around McMahon is that he’s a work-a-holic, so it was surprising to see him in that atmosphere. McMahon was there with his daughter Stephanie, and son-in-law Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

The stars were perfectly aligned to make it work. 

“We all find Dave Chappelle, much like the rest of the world, I think, as incredibly entertaining and funny and we’re big fans,” Levesque told The Post while promoting WWE’s return to New York City. “And there was a rare opportunity where he was going to be in town, we all had an opportunity to have a few moments where we weren’t going to be working for a minute and we could also go see him. It sort of kind of was one of those things where we all went to each other at the same time — ‘Hey, I saw Chappelle is going to be doing some shows.'”

In his mind it was no different than what anyone else would do, looking to get out of the house and have a good time during a rare night out on a Saturday. WWE usually films its shows on Monday and Friday. Levesque did say McMahon is a work-a-holic, but added the perception of his father-in-law that’s out there is far from the whole person. 

“He’s a normal human being,” Levesque said. “The persona that people have placed upon him is funny, but he’s also very private, too. Often when he does do things, when he goes to a concert or he goes to things you don’t often see photos from it. In fact, we took pictures with a lot of people that night and that was the one photo that came out. I was kind of surprised myself.”

source:  new york post

Jim Ross: Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Should Run WWE If The Company Is Sold

Jim Ross is of the opinion that if WWE is sold, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon should run the company.

Speaking on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, Ross hypothesized about what happens if WWE is sold. The conclusion he came to was Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are the people best suited to run WWE. Here is the quote, courtesy of Fightful:

“Let’s say it sells. It has to be sold with the thought in mind that there are people in place to run it. It’s a unique genre and takes a special breed, background, and desire to make it work. Our audience now with social media are more educated. Wrestling fans have something to carry their flag around and people are paying attention in a great way. If I were going to sell WWE, who better to run it than Triple H and his wife? The DNA is there, the experience, Vince has given them a great opportunity to have more experience in upper management.

“The key thing is talent and television. One without the other doesn’t make any money. If they do sell, it’d be a huge win for all involved, especially the family. It’s no guaranteed that (if they sell), Triple H and Stephanie have to find new jobs. I assume they’ll be running it.”

WWE’s McMahon, Board Accused of Insider Trading Over Saudi Deals

A World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. shareholder sued chairman Vince McMahon and other members of its board in Delaware, claiming company leaders sold more than $300 million worth of stock at inflated prices while keeping the public in the dark about the collapse of key Middle East broadcasting deals.

The lawsuit, made public Tuesday, accuses WWE’s executives of telling investors for months it was poised to renew an agreement with Riyadh-based Orbit Showcase Network, which it knew to be exiting sports broadcasting altogether, then misleading them about its chances of finding a replacement deal.

Meanwhile, McMahon—the company’s co-founder and controlling stockholder—allegedly sold 3.5 million shares worth more than $280 million based on “nonpublic information regarding the company’s key contracts, business metrics, and financial prospects” in the increasingly “critical” Middle East region.

Other executives sold stock worth $30 million based on the same inside information, according to the complaint filed in Delaware Chancery Court. Among the board members named as defendants are McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Paul Levesque, a longtime wrestler known as “Triple H.”

When the truth about WWE’s “rapidly deteriorating” Middle East business finally emerged in early 2020, the company’s stock price fell from more than $62 a share to $44.50, according to the complaint.

WWE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The partly redacted 68-page complaint echoes a securities fraud class action that settled for $39 million in December. McMahon and the board are to blame for that hit to the company’s finances and for damage to its business reputation, the suit says.

It was originally filed under seal June 10.

Cause of Action: Breach of fiduciary duty; unjust enrichment; aiding and abetting.

Relief: Punitive and actual damages, costs, and fees.

Attorneys: The plaintiff is represented by Rigrodsky Law PA and Joshua H. Grabar of Philadelphia.

The case is Dastgir v. McMahon, Del. Ch., No. 2021-0513, complaint unsealed 6/15/21.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Leonard in Washington at mleonard@bloomberglaw.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rob Tricchinelli at rtricchinelli@bloomberglaw.com; Nicholas Datlowe at ndatlowe@bloomberglaw.com

Stephanie McMahon: focused on content post-COVID with Peacock deal

Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., said Monday that the company was focused on content as live-event attendance begins to ramp up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with CNBC, McMahon said the professional wrestling promoter was experiencing "really significant trends" toward increased attendance at live events.

Asked about the WWE's recent deal to stream its wrestling shows on the Peacock streaming service, McMahon said the company would focus on content production in the future.

"We don't want to be competitive in the technology business," she said, adding that the WWE's original streaming service would have had difficulty facing off against behemoths like Disney or Amazon.

Instead, McMahon described the company's current strategy as staying "competitive in terms of content."

Commenting on the return of live audiences at its wrestling events, the WWE exec stated that distribution deals and merchandise allowed it to weather the COVID storm.

McMahon noted that a majority of the firm's revenue is contractual, coming from deals with broadcasters and other similar arrangements. At the same time, she said that an increase in e-commerce revenue offset a fall in live-event revenue during the outbreak.

Still, McMahon highlighted the fact that the company traditionally draws more than $100 million in revenue each year from live events.

Early this year, WWE announced a deal with Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) NBCUniversal that made the Peacock service the exclusive home of its streaming content.

source: seeking alpha

How Much of the WWE do Vince, Linda, Shane, Stephanie and Triple H Own in 2021?

Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.com revealed  information about WWE’s shareholders. According to him, the McMahons own class B shares, which give them ten times more voting power than other shareholders. These class B shares can only be transferred to Vince and Linda McMahon’s descendants, i.e. Stephanie and Shane McMahon.

Paul Levesque, Vince’s son-in-law, owns 67,571 class A shares, valued at $3.7 million. These class A shares aren’t like class B, which the McMahons own.

What is shocking is Shane McMahon used to own over a million class B shares but hasn’t been listed as a shareholder since 2013. Rumour has it that he sold his stock a while ago.

According to Thurston’s assessment, Vince owns 38% of the shares and 81% of the voting units. Other major shareholders include Lindsell Train Limited, The Vanguard Group, Stephanie McMahon, and Linda McMahon.

From WWE's 2021 Proxy Statement:

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT.

The following table sets forth certain information known to us with respect to beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of March 30, 2021 by (1) each stockholder known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of either Class A common stock or Class B common stock; (2) each of the Directors and named executive officers; and (3) the Directors and executive officers as a group. 

Class B1  Vince McMahon         92.3%

Class B1  Linda McMahon           1.0%

Class B1  Stephanie McMahon   6.0

Stephanie McMahon Named to Variety's 2021 New York Impact Report

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon Publicly Apologize To Mickie James, Fire The Person Who Sent Her ‘Care Package’

Following Mickie James being sent a “care package” of her belongings in a garbage bag, multiple WWE executives have now stated that the person responsible for the disrespectful mishap has been fired.

Mickie James was released by WWE on Thursday, April 15, 2021. At the time, she stated that she was looking forward to going out and doing the things that “they said she couldn’t.”

One week later she took to social media to share that her belongings have been sent back to her in a trash bag with a sticky note attached, sharing her name. She later tweeted about this directly to Vince McMahon’s account and several WWE Executives including Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have apologized and stated that the individual has been fired. John Laurinaitis, head of Talent Relations, also posted an apology.

In Stephanie’s tweet, she’d directly address Mickie, saying that she felt embarrassed that something like that would ever happen on behalf of WWE.

Wrestling Inc. is reporting that WWE has fired Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano.

Stephanie McMahon Issues Statement On WrestleMania 37

Stephanie McMahon issued the following open letter:

Good morning,

On Saturday night, I stood on stage at Raymond James Stadium, surrounded by WWE Superstars, in front of a 103 ft long pirate ship, and looked out into a sea of fans. My father, WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, addressed the crowd and said: “Throughout this past year our WWE Superstars performed tirelessly for all of you. Week after week, month after month but we all knew there was something missing, something very important, THE most important, and that would be all of you, our fans, the WWE Universe. And as we emerge from this dreadful pandemic on behalf of our entire WWE family, we would simply like to say thank you and welcome you to, WRESTLEMANIA!”

The 25K in attendance erupted and the rest of us had tears in our eyes; reinforcing the meaning behind our new company signature that started the show, “Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

WrestleMania streamed exclusively from its new home on Peacock in the U.S., and WWE Network around the world, taking place over two nights and making history.

Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair became the first Black female Superstars to main event WrestleMania. We had live musical performances from Bebe Rexha, Wale, Ash Costello and Ashland Craft, and Grammy award-winning artist Bad Bunny and YouTube influencer Logan Paul found themselves getting in on the action inside the ring. Bad Bunny’s performance receiving praise from ESPN touting it as “…one of, if not the, most impressive showings by a celebrity in the ring.”

WWE also secured a record 14 new and returning blue chip partners for WrestleMania including Snickers as the Presenting Partner for the sixth consecutive year and Presenting Partner of the Main Event, NBCUniversal, Papa John’s, Cricket Wireless, P&G’s Old Spice, DraftKings, 2K, Nissin, and Credit One Bank.

Across YouTube, WWE.com and WWE social media content during WrestleMania Week, video views hit 1.1 billion, 31 million hours of content was consumed, and WWE-related content saw 115 million engagements. WrestleMania was also the world’s most-social program both nights of the weekend, delivering 71 Twitter trends in the U.S. alone.

For the first time we launched a series of NFTs featuring The Undertaker, had record breaking WrestleMania weekend e-commerce sales and record merchandise per capita sales in stadium.

WWE Superstars and executives participated in more than 300 interviews to promote our WrestleMania celebration including appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, TODAY Show, ESPN Get Up, FOX & Friends, E! and Access Hollywood. And because we always want to leave our host city better off than when we arrived, we held more than 10 community activations throughout the week, from our community caravan where we recognized 11 local community leaders; to teaming with FOX Sports and Good Sports to donate sports equipment to Special Olympics Florida; and working with Feeding Tampa Bay, University of FL IFAS program, the Healthy Living Coalition, Nestle Waters and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission to dedicate the first of five sustainable community gardens throughout the Tampa Bay area to combat food insecurity.

It takes the effort of so many different people to make WrestleMania happen, especially during a global pandemic. Thank you to our friends, partners, employees, and of course, our Superstars for making it possible.

I hope to see everyone in person soon,

Steph

Stephanie McMahon On How WWE Will Operate After Vince McMahon Steps Down

WWE’s chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon joined Bloomberg Business of Sports to talk WWE’s move to NBC’s Peacock streaming service. During the interview, she documented WWE’s journey through the streaming landscape.  

“Vince’s perspective has always been to be slightly ahead of the curve,” said Stephanie. “You never want to be behind. So that’s why we were one of the first, five years ago, to launch our streaming service, the WWE Network. We did learn a lot from that time. Actually we were actually pretty far down the pike negotiating a linear deal. But our almost partners wanted to lock up our rights for about ten years. It was just a real long time, so we decided to take a step back and do deeper research. 

“We learned that our fans were consuming five times more online video than average. So we thought ‘let’s control our own destiny.’ And we doubled down and within eight months we launched WWE Network. 

Later Stephanie was asked about how Vince McMahon’s vision of WWE be presented when the Chairman of WWE finally steps down. Stephanie indicated it would be a group effort.

“I do think a lot of the institutional knowledge is important, particularly with regards toward the core content,” Stephanie said. “But it’s also surrounding our business with strong, smart executives. And that’s exactly what we have. So I do think it’s the marriage of institutional knowledge, the incredible production value, the creation of talent IP and storylines and really strong business executives to help us expand. I think it’s a combination of things. 

“I don’t think there will ever be a person to person replacement for Vince McMahon. He does too much. The landscape would look different however it shakes out. But I think it’s a marriage of those things.” 

credit Bloomberg Business of Sports and Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Stephanie McMahon Joins Women’s Leadership Board for Sports Innovation Lab

Per Sportico, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon has become an inaugural board member for the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Leadership Board. This is a data-driven women’s leadership board founded by Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero’s SIL.

The new board is comprised of 22 female executives across sports, media and tech industries. The goal of the board is to bring industry leaders together using SIL’s data and research to support each individual member’s continued professional success and network together.

Other inaugural board members alongside Stephanie McMahon include Big East commissioner Big East commissioner Val Ackerman; Jessica Berman, deputy commissioner at the National Lacrosse League; former pro tennis player and current CEO at Billie Jean King Enterprises Ilana Kloss; LA28 Olympics/USA Olympics CEO Kathy Carter. 

A&E And WWE Give Fans The Ultimate Ringside Seat In New Original Programming Partnership

A&E Network and WWE Studios are giving fans an exclusive look behind the curtain in an all-new Sunday night programming partnership. With unprecedented access to WWE’s archive, the ten-week programming block features eight original two-hour documentaries under the award-winning “Biography” banner showcasing the stories behind some of the most memorable WWE Superstars of all time including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin®, “Macho Man” Randy Savage®, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper™, Booker T®, Shawn Michaels®, Bret Hart, Mick Foley and Ultimate Warrior. The new “Biography” specials are helmed by some of the industry’s top directors and storytellers to chronicle the success of these WWE Legends and their lasting mark on both sports entertainment and popular culture. Each special will air weekly at 8pm ET/PT beginning Sunday, April 18. 

Following at 10pm ET/PT, the brand-new series “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures,” led by WWE’s Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque launches a hunt for some of WWE’s most iconic missing memorabilia including Kane’s original mask, Ric Flair’s Butterfly Robe, Andy Kaufman’s neckbrace, Andre The Giant’s passport and more. In order to find these quintessential relics, the team will join forces with WWE Legends including Undertaker, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Booker T and more to bring these items home to the WWE Archives.

Biography Lineup – Premieres Sunday, April 18 at 8pm ET/PT

“Biography: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin”

“Biography: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper”

“Biography: “Macho Man” Randy Savage”

“Biography: Booker T”

“Biography: Shawn Michaels”

“Biography: Ultimate Warrior”

“Biography: Mick Foley”

“Biography: Bret “Hitman” Hart”

“WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” – Premieres Sunday, April 18 at 10pm ET/PT

“WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” takes viewers on a journey to find some of WWE’s most iconic, lost memorabilia. In each of the nine episodes, WWE’s Stephanie McMahon anl “Triple H” Levesque lead a team of collectors, WWE Superstars and Legends as they investigate, negotiate, bid and travel across the country to hunt down and reclaim some of the most elusive WWE collectibles. Throughout history, WWE’s action-packed storylines have spawned iconic, one-of-a-kind memorabilia, most of which have gone missing. Superstar in training, AJ Francis will head out on the road alongside some of the most famous WWE Legends of all time including The Undertaker, Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair, Mick Foley, Kane, Big Show, Mark Henry, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Booker T, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Sgt. Slaughter. The series will unearth these rare items in the hopes of preserving and sharing the legacy behind the memorable moments in WWE history. 

“WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” is produced by WWE Studios for A&E Network with Susan Levison, Ben Zierten, David Carr, Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque serving as executive producers. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Dolores Gavin and Jonathan Partridge serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.”