Stephanie McMahon's WWE Raw Debut Was Pure Chaos

In 1998, at the age of 22, Stephanie McMahon was introduced as a recurring performer in WWE. The daughter of then-owner Vince McMahon, Stephanie had been around professional wrestling for her entire life, and spent some time working in various departments of the company after college. She soon decided to pursue an onscreen role, in addition to later becoming a head writer, executive, and even co-CEO for a time. However, it all began with a brief hallway cameo.

Before becoming a central character, Stephanie made her debut during a backstage segment on an episode of "WWE Raw" in November 1998. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin spotted Stephanie walking backstage and asked her if she knew where he could find The Undertaker. She replied that she could not, and though Stephanie would later recall that the cameo was a last-minute decision that didn't involve much planning, it did eerily foreshadow what would take place in the months that followed.

Stephanie became more substantially involved in the company's storylines after WWE WrestleMania 15 in 1999. At that time, Vince was leading a faction called The Corporation. Although both groups were primarily made up of villains, The Corporation was feuding against The Ministry of Darkness, and The Undertaker soon decided to target Stephanie to get at Vince (or so it seemed).

The Undertaker took his threats to a new level on the episode of "Raw" after WrestleMania 15, terrorizing Stephanie across several backstage segments that left her shaken up but still safe. Things continued to escalate in the weeks that followed, all building to the first edition of WWE Backlash, on April 25, 1999. The pay-per-view came to an end with a memorable scene, as The Undertaker kidnapped Stephanie by covertly getting behind the wheel of her limousine. After rolling down the divider, "The Phenom" turned his head to reveal himself, asking Stephanie where she'd like him to take her before cackling as the show went off the air.

The night after Backlash, on "Raw," The Undertaker had the Ministry carry a bound and cloaked Stephanie to the ring under the pretense that she'd be "sacrificed." However, he revealed that he intended to marry Stephanie instead, marking the first of several storylines involving her marital status. At the same time, "The Phenom" shifted the blame away from himself and towards a mysterious figure known as the Higher Power that was supposedly the one in control.

With Vince having gone MIA, Stephanie's brother Shane was now running The Corporation, and he sent a procession of the faction's wrestlers out one-by-one, each one going down against The Ministry. "Stone Cold" then finally made his presence known, clearing the ring and freeing Stephanie from the wedding.

This storyline would continue for months, and Shane's Corporation eventually joined forces with The Undertaker's Ministry. The Higher Power was later revealed to be none other than Vince, meaning he had orchestrated the kidnapping of his daughter as a ploy to get the world title away from Austin. Meanwhile, Stephanie went on to become involved onscreen with Test and Triple H, the latter of whom she eventually married.