WWE is once again facing questions of nepotism and favoritism after announcing that Stephanie McMahon will headline the company’s 2026 Hall of Fame class.
McMahon, the daughter of former WWE chairman Vince McMahon and wife of Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s chief creative officer, never wrestled as a full-time performer but was a fixture of the “Attitude Era” and later served as an executive. The Undertaker is slated to induct her in April. While WWE praised her as a trailblazer in women’s storytelling, critics pointed to the long list of overlooked veterans and called her selection another case of the McMahon family elevating its own.
The move follows earlier backlash this year when Michelle McCool, Undertaker’s wife, was inducted into the 2025 Hall of Fame and later added to the cast of “WWE LFG.” McCool reportedly replaced Mickie James in the show’s coaching lineup, sparking accusations of favoritism. Undertaker defended McCool’s four championship reigns, but the perception that her marriage opened doors lingered.
Questions of privilege have extended outside WWE. Rikishi’s KnokX Pro Wrestling school, once part of WWE’s ID training program, lost that affiliation after an August incident where Raja Jackson, son of former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, seriously injured wrestler Stuart “Syko Stu” Smith during a show. The assault highlighted existing complaints that KnokX leaned too heavily on family connections.
For fans, the pattern, from Hall of Fame inductions to coaching slots and affiliated schools, reinforced the belief that nepotism and favoritism remain deeply embedded in professional wrestling. As one fan posted after the KnokX fallout: “It’s always about who your family is, not what you’ve earned.”