WWE: Why Stephanie McMahon vs. Charlotte Feud Needs to Happen

A feud against the most powerful woman in WWE would solidify Charlotte’s status as a champion who doesn’t need anyone’s help to win

I disagreed wholeheartedly with Triple H headlining WrestleMania 32, mostly because I hated the fact that a McMahon was taking one of the two top spots away from another superstar. The end of the feud was beyond predictable and gave us one of the most boring main events in WrestleMania history. Don’t bother disagreeing because you know I’m right.

That could all change if a different McMahon is in the ring.

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We got the tease for a potential Stephanie-Charlotte feud on the May 16th edition of RAW during the “always ends in a brawl” contract signing segment. As he is wont to do, Ric Flair flew into a fit of crimson-faced rage when it was revealed that he would be banned from ringside during Charlotte’s Extreme Rules match against Natalya. Chaos ensued. Of course.

Amidst the maelström, Stephanie slapped Flair and it seemed that Charlotte was going to defend her father’s honor but Natalya quickly stepped between them, putting the focus back on the two competitors. Now if you thought Flair being banned from ringside would ensure that Charlotte wins or loses clean then you obviously haven’t been watching the women’s division for very long.

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So why would a feud involving Stephanie work? First, we know that Stephanie has the ability to actually compete in a WWE ring, proven by her appearance against Brie Bella at Summer Slam in 2014. While she may never (and should never) hoist the Women’s Championship, her involvement is far more realistic than Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker.

Second, as the most powerful woman in the WWE, Stephanie is in a unique position to put over the entire division with a properly written feud against the current champion. Charlotte’s run had been overshadowed by her larger-than-life father whom she finally (and thankfully) discarded on the May 23d edition of RAW in a segment that once again conformed to my patented Ric Flair drinking game; Flair of the Dog. Lest you thought the WWE had any faith whatsoever in Charlotte as a singles competitor, they quickly swapped out Ric Flair for Dana Brooke which makes about as much sense as a football bat.

However, any storyline involving Stephanie would see her flexing corporate muscle (literally and figuratively) to ensure that absolutely no one gets in her way. Not Ric. Not Dana. No one.

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Obviously, this feud hinges on what direction the WWE is taking Stephanie’s character. While she seems to be working well with her brother, a McMahon is never to be trusted. Ever. It’s no secret that the McMahon clan is populated almost exclusively by narcissistic attention grabbers who demand the spotlight be shone on them at all times. This childlike desire works well when they play the villainous authority figure who gets his/her comeuppance at the hands of a fitting hero (e.g. Attitude Era Vince) but fails miserably when they dominate the program week in and week out (e.g. the last 3 years).

When done improperly (WrestleMania 32) the heel heat is directed at the wrestler we should be cheering, thus achieving the opposite effect of what was intended. The cacophony of jeers Reigns has received during his title run is proof of how much this experiment failed and my biggest fear is that WWE fails to ever notice or acknowledge what went wrong.

With such an enormous upside for the women’s division, the WWE needs to be careful to not repeat the mistakes of Triple H’s run as champion where it became more about him than the wrestler he would ultimately put over. Why the WWE is so reticent to allow Charlotte to compete by herself is beyond me but a one-on-one battle against the Billion Dollar Princess would show more than just faith and trust in a single competitor; it would be a message that the women of the WWE are ready to either succeed or fail on their own.

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