Stephanie McMahon on Dealing With ‘Haters’ and Seeing Constructive Criticism in Them

Stephanie McMahon was a guest on The Playbook podcast and weighed in on how to take a positive approach in dealing with “haters.” WWE has no shortage of critics online, and McMahon discussed the differences between someone booing a heel because they’re supposed to be booed and those who are critical of the company (or companies in general), and how to take heavy criticism in a positive light. You can check out the highlights below:

On booing storyline heels vs. booing the company: “Well, from a business standpoint, you know, I portray a heel or a villain as a character. And I encourage the boos, and all the haters. And quite frankly, from a storytelling perspective I find the antagonist a million times more interesting than the protagonist. But when you consider that basic format, right? Whether it’s a book or a movie, an opera, ballet, it is protagonist vs. antagonist with conflict resolution. It’s the most basic form of storytelling that there is. In WWE, our conflicts are settled inside the ring, right? With some of the greatest live action that you can see in sports or entertainment, in my opinion. But of course you want to encourage the haters I guess, in that aspect, because you want them to root for the good guy. You want them to root for the hero. And the only way you’re going to do that is by presenting the biggest, baddest, most offensive villain that you possibly can so that you can cheer the good guy.”

On taking criticism of the company in a positive light: “How that parlays into other brands and business, I think you can’t look at it as ‘haters,’ right? I think there’s, in storyline there can be haters and encouraging the negativity. I think from a business standpoint, you want to look at it like constructive feedback. And some of it, you have to disregard because it’s not constructive at all. But most of the time, I think people are trying to give an opinion of something they’d like to see change or improve. So if you can — it’s very hard to do, particularly when you’re an individual reading something that is directed at you. And it’s hard not to be emotional about that, but you have to try to parse through the way it’s written and try to get to the heart of what someone’s really trying to say.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Playbook with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.