Backstage News On Stephanie McMahon's WWE WrestleMania 40 Appearance

Stephanie McMahon returned to WWE for WrestleMania XL weekend, first appearing at the 2024 Hall of Fame ceremony, before opening the proceedings on WrestleMania night two.

This was McMahon’s first appearance related to WWE since resigning from the company following the return of Vince McMahon in 2023. A report from Fightful Select suggests that McMahon’s Mania appearances were not part of a full-time return, with McMahon not believed to be back in a full-time capacity.

WWE apparently have no plans to distance themselves from Stephanie, and there was apparently no hesitation about using McMahon on-screen despite being named as part of the Janel Grant lawsuit against WWE and former owner Vince McMahon. A source told Fightful that some in WWE saw Stephanie’s appearance as her ‘firmly picking a side publicly’, with TKO said to be supporting Stephanie McMahon in the situation.

The report also claims that many in WWE would welcome Stephanie back into the company ‘with open arms’, although earlier reports suggested that internal perception of Stephanie McMahon had shifted after McMahon was implied to have known about the alleged rape of former WWE star Ashley Massaro whilst both were still part of the company.