Stephanie McMahon On How Hard It Was Preparing For Ronda Rousey WrestleMania Match
On July 13, 2015, the WWE landscape changed, when WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, announced the formation of the Women's Revolution. From that moment on, the female Superstars were showcased in main event matches both on television and pay-per-views. Looking back at that monumental moment five years ago, Stephanie knew that a revolution was about to begin, but she never thought it would expand as far and as long as it did.
"It's a regular thing for our women to be main eventing across all of our programmings, and it's exactly as it should be," McMahon stated in her interview on WWE's The Bump today. "It's not positioning women just because they're women; it's because they deserve it. They're the best athletes with the best storylines and the most engaged fan base.
"For my little girls, and all the other little girls and boys out there, to just see that, I get choked up. I want to thank all the women and the men, by the way. This movement doesn't happen alone. Change only happens when everybody makes it happen. Our women deserve this opportunity. They deserve the spotlight and they sure have earned it."
When the Four Horsewomen took center stage five years ago, Stephanie admits that she still gets goosebumps thinking about that historic moment.
"I get choked up just thinking about that night and all the promises that it held. To be able to feel the crowd's energy, they knew exactly who they were," she exclaimed. "There was a palpable change happening in WWE."
Known for her heel work in the ring, Stephanie had her work cut out for her when she faced Ronda Rousey back at WrestleMania 34. Though her and Triple H took a loss in that match, she says that event will go down as a career highlight for her.
"Getting ready for that match against Ronda was probably the most physically challenging thing I've ever done in my life," she mentioned. "I know she can't say the same. It was one of the biggest highlights of my career. I'm really proud that I was able to go in there and take a beating."
Speaking of past matches she's been in, Stephanie did discuss her feud with The Bella Twins, which extended towards a one-on-one match against Brie Bella at SummerSlam 2014. Before she stepped foot with "The Baddest Woman on the Planet," she says this match with Brie was her first favorite match that she was part of.
"I'm so incredibly proud of that match," she said. "It was one of my favorite matches that I've ever had – not that I've had that many. I love Brie and Nikki. They're incredible. To be able to go in there and to have one of the biggest stories going into SummerSlam that year was an honor and a privilege."
With greatness comes responsibility, and for Stephanie, being part of Evolution was something that she envisioned would happen at some point after her initial announcement in 2015. She says moments like that are something that will forever be cherished in this business, and she hopes that it'll be recreated again in the near future.
"I think that night was something incredibly special that had never been done before. Walking around backstage that day, there was this energy that you knew you were part of something special," she said with tears in her eyes. "It felt like we were part of history, and we were!"
You can watch Stephanie McMahon's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.