WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon was a recent guest on the Rich Eisen show to discuss a variety of topics, including naming Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Matthew McConaughey as celebrities she would love to use in WWE. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
Talks her close friendship with Andre the Giant:
“I pretty much grew up with Andre, and I considered one of my best friends. My mom used to call Andre my Gulliver. He broke his ankle, and I used to play in his cast because it was the size of my whole body. I remember after WrestleMania……there was a big afterparty at the Rainbow Room, and Andre and I did not feel like participating. We were sitting outside, and I fell asleep on his lap and People magazine actually came and took a picture. My parents wouldn’t let them identify who I was in the picture, so it said, ‘Andre the Giant slams Big John Studd.’”
On one of her favorite Andre memories being featured on the new Treasure Hunters show on A&E:
“You never realize how much a physical object can bring back a flood of emotions, and it’s really that nostalgia factor. It’s like owning a piece of history. It’s kind of the reverse NFT. Speaking of Andre, we go looking for his passport as one of the objects. I actually didn’t even think of the thought of Andre’s passport to make me emotional, but it did. It just brought me to tears thinking about this man and everything he lived through as a giant. One of the reasons we bonded so much is, just growing up in the life I’ve had, I’ve always hated judgment. People just judging other people for whatever reason, and it bothered me how some people would treat Andre like a freak. I didn’t like that. I asked him one time when I was a little girl if it bothered him. He just looked at me and said that it did. Our friendship had started before that, and my mom tells the story that he came to our house and we had a trampoline outside. He walked over to the trampoline and put his hand out, and I stepped in his hand. He brought me up to his cheek and I kissed his cheek. I don’t remember that, but my mom tells that story and it’s pretty cool. So, his passport brought back this flood of emotion for the man and everything he lived through.”
Names Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Matthew McConaughey as celebrities she’d like to come to WWE:
“From an athlete perspective, I would love to see the Williams’ sisters [Venus and Serena] either individually or together. There are so many incredible female and male athletes out there that I would love to bring into WWE. From a celebrity standpoint, in addition to the ones we’ve already worked with, I think it could be really cool to work with Cardi B. She had a tweet she put out not long ago which was in reference to her name on the show. I think she’s so colorful herself and so vivacious and full of life that I think she would even bring it up a notch in WWE. I think she’d be awesome.
“I think that going in a completely other direction, Matthew McConaughey has been really catching on in terms of WWE. He was on RAW to promote his book and he and Drew had an interaction. There just seems like there is opportunity there. There are so many young influencers and gamers and everything else. I think WWE is this incredible world – almost like this gaming world come to life with all these different characters and backstories. So, I think there are a lot of untapped celebrities and influencers I would love to work with.”
Check out the full interview below. (H/T and transcribed by 411 Mania)