Source: The LA Times
The Los Angeles Times has an interview with Stephanie McMahon at this link to promote WrestleMania 31. Below are some highlights:
Connor Michalek is receiving the Warrior Award at the Hall of Fame ceremony later this week. What has Connor meant in your life and has he changed the way you look at things?
Meeting Connor was absolutely a life-changing event for me. I love kids. I’m a mom and have three daughters. They are 8, 6 and 4. Connor was the same age as my oldest daughter. And he was just so full of life and personality and love. And you would never know he was sick from his personality and the way he acted. But you could tell from his physical appearance because he had scars, and he didn’t have any hair. He looked sick, but he certainly didn’t act that way. And Connor just really had this profound impact on me and my husband, and we kept thinking, “What can we do for him? What can we give him to look forward to, to hang on for?” And we came up with the idea to invite him to WrestleMania. And at WrestleMania, his dad said that he didn’t even act sick. That he was the little boy his dad remembered. Connor’s hero, Daniel Bryan, ironically defeated my husband and went on to become WWE world champion that night. Daniel Bryan’s struggle as a character sort of paralleled Connor’s struggles, so Connor identified with him. And after Daniel won the championship, the very first person he went to was Connor, who was in the front row. And we have that moment captured forever as a part of WrestleMania. And Connor was just so strong, so heroic and so courageous that it is only fitting that he be the first recipient of the Warrior Award.
If one of your daughters came up to you and told you she wants to be a WWE Diva, how would you react?
That has already happened! My oldest daughter would love to be a WWE Diva. She actually wrote a book that said, “I want to be a WWE Diva.” We are telling her what we would tell any girl or boy, that school comes first. Get your education and then if you want to pursue becoming a WWE Diva or Superstar, absolutely. But a huge part of it too is your health and your fitness. You have to be sure you are active, eat right and exercise every single day.
You have done a lot in your WWE career but never wrestled at WrestleMania. Don’t you think it’s time you wrestle for the women’s title and call yourself Mrs. WrestleMania?
I would love to wrestle at WrestleMania! And who knows, if the time is ever right and the moment calls for it, it would be a dream come true for me.
