Stephanie McMahon Talks AEW Competition, Current State Of WWE, How Big Of A Game Changer Fox Is

Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with Fortune.com to promote WWE SummerSlam. She was asked about WWE seeing more competition from rivals, including AEW. She said it will make everyone do better.

"I think it will ultimately make us all better, I really do," Stephanie said of the competition.

Stephanie was also asked to describe the current state of WWE, but she first wanted to talk about what hasn't changed, almost dodging the question.

"Well, first I'm going to start with what hasn't changed," she said. "It's our mission to put smiles on people's faces all over the world. Whether we do that with our entertainment or by giving back to the community; that has definitely not changed. The fundamentals of storytelling have definitely not changed. It's still protagonist versus antagonist with conflict resolution. That's no different than any great storytelling platform. The only difference is that our conflicts are settled inside a 20-by-20-foot ring.

"What has changed is that we now have the ability to go, more than ever, direct to consumer. Whether that's through our WWE Network, through digital and social media, it's allowing us to have the one-on-one engagements with our fan base."

Regarding the new WWE – Fox deal that kicks off on October 4 with SmackDown going to Fox, Stephanie was asked how big of a potential game changer it is for the brand that will now be promoted alongside NASCAR, the MLB, and the NFL. Stephanie said Fox is exactly where she thinks WWE should be.

"Strictly from a company standpoint, it more than tripled the value of our content rights. I couldn't be prouder of that. And we couldn't be more proud to be a part of the Fox family. Yes, we are an entertainment franchise, but we deliver like sports. It's exactly where I think WWE should be," she said.