10 Most Memorable Stephanie McMahon WWE Moments

Today is the birthday of WWE's Chief Brand Officer, former Women's Champion and Mrs. Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon!

These days, Steph is a bigger figure in the corporate world of WWE, as opposed to being a regular presence on WWE television, but she has spent almost half of her life being a major character who has worked with just about everyone.

She's been in some unforgettable storylines and had her fair share of brilliant matches, too.

Honest!

To celebrate her birthday, let's look back at some of her best moments, from fighting with her family to her various romances and much more.

Stephanie's not always been the most popular figure among some segments of the WWE fanbase, but when you look at her life in front of WWE cameras, you have to admit she's provided ample entertainment throughout the years.

10. The Dark Wedding

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Stephanie first got involved in WWE storylines in the spring of 1999.

At the time, her father was feuding with The Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness, and Steph was simply a fresh-faced, innocent victim of The Phenom's.

She was drawn into the dispute, getting kidnapped by 'Taker at Backlash and then being held for ransom, as The Deadman demanded control of WWE for her release.

Daddy dearest acquiesced and agreed to hand over the company to 'Taker on the April 26 episode of Raw, but the Ministry leader never showed up and instead he and his minions brought out Stephanie - on a giant 'symbol' that definitely didn't resemble a cross - so they could have an 'unholy wedding'.

Paul Bearer presided over the ceremony, while Stephanie looked petrified and The Undertaker said 'I do' in the most sinister way possible.

Ken Shamrock and Big Show tried to intervene, but were swiftly dealt with, before Steve Austin finally showed up to stomp a few mudholes, clear the ring and get Stephanie out of harm's way.

There was a great moment at the end, as a freed Stephanie hugged Stone Cold, who refused to reciprocate and looked greatly uncomfortable at the unwanted human contact.

A hell of a moment for young Stephanie and one of the few highlights of a positively barmy storyline.

9. New SmackDown General Manager

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Following the end of the Invasion, Stephanie spent her time feuding with husband Triple H while managing Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho.

After Y2J lost the strap to The Game at WrestleMania X8, he got an opportunity to win it back on the March 25, 2002 episode of Raw (featuring the first-ever WWE Draft) - in a triple threat match also involving Mrs. McMahon-Helmsley.

Adding to the stipulations, if Triple H pinned Stephanie then she would be banished from WWE forever.

Which he did but, of course, 'forever' in WWE speak is typically around 2-3 months.

So it was hardly a shock when she was announced as the new General Manager of SmackDown on the July 18 episode of the show. Steph strode out wearing a fetching pants suit and established herself as a babyface as she targeted Raw counterpart Eric Bischoff.

At the time, the announcement resulted in much eye rolling, but Steph was a great onscreen authority figure for the Blue Brand and was a big part of its identity for the time she was (kayfabe) in charge.

8. Women's Champion

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Predictably, it wasn't long after making her televised debut that Stephanie became an in-ring performer. She is a McMahon, after all.

Obviously, she wasn't put out there to have long, gruelling bouts and pretty much all of her earlier matches were short and solely designed to advance storylines.

Such as when she won the Women's Title (beating Jacqueline) in only her second-ever match.

The Billion Dollar Princess was a much more prevalent character on TV at this point than she had been a year ago, running riot with Triple H as the McMahon-Helmsley Era was in full flow.

The power couple (and their associates) could basically do as they pleased and The Cerebral Assassin, as well as DXers X-Pac and Tori, all got involved to help Steph win the title in less than a minute.

Steph self-admittedly couldn't wrestle at this point, and the Women's Championship belt was very much a prop. If it was good enough for the likes of The Kat and Sable, then it was good enough for the boss's daughter, and Steph being champ added to the presentation of the dominant faction at the time.

When she eventually lost the title, it was to Lita in the first time that two women main-evented Raw.

7. Wedding With Triple H

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No, I'm not talking about the Las Vegas drive through while Stephanie was 'unconscious' 'wedding' that turned out to be a setup all along so I guess it's alright?

While Hunter gatecrashing Stephanie and Test's big day was obviously a major moment of the Attitude Era, the February 11, 2002 Raw wedding of Steph and Trips was a much better showcase of McMahon's talents.

At this point in time, The Game had recently (and triumphantly) returned from his torn quad, had won the Royal Rumble and was gearing up for a WrestleMania showdown with Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho, who was being managed by Stephanie.

Triple H and Stephanie were clearly growing apart, with the Cerebral Assassin noticeably miffed by her clinginess. Just as things looked like they were heading for divorce, Steph revealed that she was pregnant and they decided to renew their wedding vows instead.

Moments beforehand, however, Linda McMahon informed HHH that her daughter was telling porkies and was not, in fact, with child.

And so the ceremony went ahead with The Game and everyone watching (bar Stephanie and Vince) knowing what the deal was. It all went to hell, ending with Triple H calling the whole thing off, demolishing the set and Pedigreeing Vince for good measure.

Steph carried the segment, was wonderfully obnoxious throughout and gave an all-timer of a facial reaction at the end of it.

6. ECW Owner

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The war between the McMahon family has raged on for decades now, as they seemingly fail to run out of new twists and turns and ways to keep them all relevant.

2001 was a pivotal year in the familial rivalry, as Shane McMahon bought WCW from under his father's nose, right before the two met in a Street Fight at WrestleMania X-Seven, which came about because of Vince's treatment of poor Linda (which had been enabled by Stephanie).

After Triple H went down with his quad injury and the Two-Man Power Trip Disbanded, Steph needed something else to do.

And so on the July 8, 2001 episode of Raw, after ECW had joined forces with WCW to form The Alliance, Shane introduced his sister as the new owner of ECW, much to the shock and disbelief of Vince.

The Invasion is rightly maligned for being a massively wasted opportunity, but it had its moments, including this one.

5. Taking On Trish At No Way Out 2001

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As mentioned previously, Stephanie's earlier in-ring efforts were usually short, gimmicky and done for the sole purpose of advancing storylines.

She was not much of a wrestler and neither, at the beginning of 2001, was Trish Stratus.

When the two were booked together at that year's No Way Out, expectations were justifiably very low. Their rivalry (over Stephanie's objections to Trish's romance with her father) had been compelling, but nobody thought they would be able to put on anything truly worthwhile in the squared circle.

What a pleasant surprise, then, when they had a genuinely gripping contest on the night.

A wild, heated brawl where both ladies played their part, the match showed not only that Trish had the potential to be something special as a wrestler, but that Steph was more than capable of producing in these scenarios, too.

Stephanie got the win, following interference from William Regal.

4. The Comeback

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Between September 1999 and October 2003, Stephanie McMahon had 21 televised matches.

And then, for almost eleven years, she didn't have a single one. She was still an occasional character on television, but her primary focus was now not only on her varied backstage responsibilities, but also her and Triple H's three children.

In the summer of 2014, the tyrannical Stephanie was back to being a major heel authority figure and got into a feud with Brie Bella, having made Daniel Bryan relinquish his WWE Title lest she be fired.

Brie quit, slapped Steph, came back and the two were booked against each other at SummerSlam.

As a match, it was far from a classic, but as a performance from Stephanie, it was as if she'd never been away from the ring. She set the pace and worked to her strengths, wrestling a basic match where the emphasis was on her strong heel work and Brie's comebacks.

The shock ending, with Nikki turning on her twin sister, handed Stephanie and The Authority a big win in her first match for close to nine years.

3. Stephanie Gets Rocked By Rowdy Ronda

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One of the main criticisms Stephanie has faced over the years has been how overbearing she can be on television, asserting her authority while rarely receiving just comeuppance.

Though this is true (to an extent), when it's time for Steph to actually face the consequences, she typically does so with gusto.

There is perhaps no better example of this than the time she finally came face-to-face with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34, while teaming with her husband against the former UFC star and Kurt Angle.

Not only was it a genuinely fantastic and expertly laid-out match, but Steph went above and beyond when it was time to pay the piper and take her beating from Rowdy Ronda.

This was Rousey's debut match and, considering she was such a high-profile acquisition, the spotlight was understandably on her. Stephanie (and Triple H) both ensured that the whole thing went off without a hitch, and the crowd reaction when those inside the Superdome realised that Steph was trapped in the armbar with nowhere to go, spoke volumes of the job the Queen of Queens had done in both the feud and the bout itself.

Steph should also get a lot of credit for taking a spear from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 32 and being put through a table in The Game's match with Seth Rollins the following year, as they were genuine and unexpected WrestleMania Moments.

2. Fighting Her Father

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Stephanie finally being placed into a match with her own father was, in many ways, inevitable.

In the fall of 2003, it finally happened. Vince was in the middle of one of his hot blonde romances (Sable this time), which irked the SmackDown General Manager and led to an I Quit match at No Mercy, where Stephanie would have to abandon her post if she lost.

Stephanie had Linda in her corner for the 'contest', which was one of the weirdest matches in WWE history and should probably be psychoanalysed by a team of professionals at some point in time.

Vince manhandled his daughter, beating her down in a brutal, often uncomfortable manner. It was effective, of course, building sympathy for Steph's eventual comeback, which she made with the aid of a steel pipe.

But then Vince got possession of the weapon and in turn used it himself, culminating with him choking Stephanie with it.

That was enough for long-suffering Linda, who threw in the towel and stopped was, basically, sanctioned child abuse. Again, as a match it wasn't exactly an ultra-athletic thriller or anything, but it had some great performances and story, and the crowd responded accordingly.

Steph's last match until she faced Brie Bella at SummerSlam 2014.

1. The McMahon-Helmsley Era Begins

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Triple H drugging and then marrying an unconscious Stephanie McMahon, before implying that they 'consummated' the marriage, was a little bit gauche, wasn't it? A little uncouth.

Steph was rightly upset about the whole affair, while Vince was positively furious and vowed to make The Game pay when the two met in their No Holds Barred main event at Armageddon 1999.

The two battled for thirty hellish minutes, before Stephanie intervened. At first, she took a sledgehammer away from her dad, but lost her bottle when it came time to hit Hunter, who used the opportunity to do so himself to Vince and win the match.

After, it looked as if the Cerebral Assassin would take revenge on Steph, before dropping the weapon and hugging her instead.

Yes, it had been a setup all along, an intricate plot to take over WWE. Which they did, really, for a while as the McMahon-Helmsley Era began in earnest and the two of them dominated WWE TV for months after.

This was a huge turning point for Stephanie and the start of an alliance that would have major ramifications both onscreen and backstage.