By Chris Rizzo
December 17, 1999
Working in the World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.'s New Media department is quite an interesting experience. I've met some quality individuals who I will hopefully have as friends for a long time. I've also been able to meet many of the superstars who I admired back in my days of fanaticism. I have even written a passable article or two in my time here.
However, I must admit that I am still nervous at work every once in a while. Why? Because the big boss at WWF.com is none other than Shane McMahon. Even though Shane is a great guy and very approachable, he's still the chairman's son, and that naturally puts quite a bit of pressure on everyone in my department. No matter how nice Shane is, it's intimidating to have such a powerful figure as your superior. Even if Shane personally guaranteed that it would take triple homicide to get me fired, I would still be a little nervous about working for the big man.
On the plus side, working under a McMahon encourages me to do a better job. I try to pay meticulous attention to my work, and TheRock.com, one of my primary responsibilities, is very important to me, as well. Still, when Shane comes in to knock knuckles every once in a while, I still worry whether or not he's found something wrong on our various Web sites.
The other day while watching SmackDown!, I was thinking that it must be similarly tough for Triple H over the past few weeks and Test over the past months. Even though these two superstars, like everyone else on the Federation roster, work closely with the McMahons at all times, Test and Hunter have had to work a bit more intimately with Stephanie McMahon than anyone else.
What does this mean? Well, if I think about how nervous I can be around Shane, I would multiply that by a hundred or even a thousand in the cases of Test and Triple H. I mean, I might have to answer to Shane when he has questions, concerns or problems with the work we do, but I never have to kiss him!
I'm sure there are fans out there who envy Test and Triple H for having the opportunity to smooch with Vince's daughter, but I'm not one of them. It's not that I don't think it would be an honor to be able to hobnob with Stephanie, it's just that I would be nervous as all hell if I had to play the role of her boyfriend/husband! Even holding hands with Steph would probably send me into a sweat-filled panic. You'd have to think that even though Triple H and Test are in-ring competitors, they would likely be in a great deal of trouble if anything went wrong with Stephanie during their appearances.
This is just pure speculation, of course. Maybe Triple H and Test are quite comfortable in their roles, but I know I sure wouldn't be. The more close interaction that Hunter and Test have with Stephanie, the more chances there are that something will go wrong. I realize that everyone involved here is a professional, but tensions can sometimes rise. Therefore, I think it's probably pretty nerve-wracking for any superstar who has to play such an intimate role with a member of the McMahon family. After all, their very job could be on the line each and every time they appear together!