Pros and Cons of Stephanie McMahon Running WWE SmackDown

Appointing Stephanie McMahon the next WWE SmackDown general manager assures the show both excellence and exasperation. 

McMahon running SmackDown would showcase her top-flight performance skills and heel acumen. History has shown, though, that WWE too often uses her villainy to beat others down rather than to be a catalyst for stories. She promises to be a compelling but overshadowing authority figure.

There has been no official decision made, but signs point to The Billionaire Princess taking over the blue brand.

When WWE announced that SmackDown would go live, McMahon hinted in a YouTube clip with her brother that she would be the ideal GM. On Monday's Raw, former SmackDown head Teddy Long returned to throw his hat in the ring for the job. McMahon ushered him out, clearly protective of a spot she wants for herself. 

The folks at Daily DDT were among those to see that as foreshadowing:

That would play off the current narrative of Shane and Stephanie both trying to run Raw together despite their contentious past. It's a natural step to go from them sharing control of the flagship show to them start competing as the leaders of two separate brands once the brand split returns in July.

What would a Stephanie-led SmackDown look like? For better or worse, it would have plenty of her presence on display.

Pros

McMahon clearly inherited her father's genes when it comes to being a great heel. She's a compelling talker and masterfully irritates an audience. Her facial expressions are loud and convincing, a perfect fit for the wrestling world.

Back in 2014, during her rivalry with Brie Bella, Prowrestling.net columnist Will Pruett raved about her as a performer:

McMahon does plenty to earn that kind of praise and will do so several times over as SmackDown's GM. She will rile up the crowd in opening monologues, get under babyfaces' skin and be her usual must-watch self.

SmackDown will get a boost as a result, being the only place to watch McMahon ply her craft.

And her relationship with Shane boasts a ready-made story should he control Raw. The competitive nature between shows will increase thanks to their sibling rivalry.

That will make the draft more interesting, as Stephanie and Shane won't just be choosing Superstars to build a brand but to beat each other. It opens the door for subplots such as the McMahons trying to cheat each other with imbalanced trades or one of them stealing the other's Superstar somehow.

The Billionaire Princess taking charge creates a natural narrative arc to kick off the return of the brand split. The two siblings could construct the best roster they can, hype their own show and eventually have a Raw vs. SmackDown battle to settle things in the end. 

Bringing in Long or Mick Foley to control SmackDown won't lead to that kind of story.  

Cons

WWE's handling of McMahon has often been misguided, having her run over talent rather than elevate them.

When Charlotte jettisoned her father recently by way of merciless speech on Raw, the women's champ didn't have much time to bask in her increased heel status. McMahon approached her backstage and dressed her down. Instantly, Charlotte's momentum slowed.  

This happens far too often, McMahon emasculating talent as she did to Long on Monday night.  That only works to get her over, not her foils. As Wrestling Inc pointed out, not even returning guests are safe from that treatment:

A part of the issue is that most of her victims can't retaliate. Steve Austin eventually got to pummel Vince McMahon, but the men Stephanie cuts down aren't going to be allowed to do that to her. 

As SmackDown's GM, there is bound to be plenty of this every Tuesday. McMahon's aura will strengthen while her subjects will look weak. That's far from the ideal recipe to march into a new era.

And as easy as it would be to have a McMahon-against-McMahon battle with these two shows, that's a narrative that is not exactly uncharted territory at this point. Shane was tangling with his father in 2001 as the owner of WCW. Stephanie's first run as SmackDown GM saw her eventually clash with Vince, resulting in an I Quit match between them at No Mercy 2003.

With the McMahons in control, the authority figure portion of the show is poised to dominate. WWE too often leans on inserting McMahon family drama as a means to garner ratings.

Credit: WWE.com

SmackDown would be better off with a new leader as part of a new story. Just reprising the same old tale won't give the show the feeling that it's starting fresh.

Choosing McMahon as SmackDown's GM certainly has its appeal thanks to her star power and mic skills, but the brand would be in danger of being more about her than its wrestlers with her at the helm.