Stephanie McMahon makes WrestleMania 40 appearance, welcomes WWE fans to new era

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Stephanie McMahon made a surprise appearance in a WWE ring on Sunday night during Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

McMahon welcomed WWE fans in attendance and those watching at home to the "Paul Levesque era" of the company – a nod to her husband who serves as chief content officer. She then took a page out of his wrestling persona and asked fans one simple question.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Stephanie McMahon attends WWE 20th Anniversary Celebration Marking Premiere of WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX at Staples Center on October 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)

"Are you ready?!"

McMahon also made an appearance on Friday night during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and wore an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) cap as a callback to when she wore it during the company’s "invasion" angle involving ECW and World Champion Wrestling.

It also marked the first time McMahon had been seen around anything WWE after she stepped down as co-CEO in January 2023, following the return of her father, Vince, to the company.

Vince McMahon stepped down as the executive chair of TKO Group Holdings following sexual abuse allegations. He denied the allegations against him.

Stephane McMahon had served on both sides of the pro wrestling business – as an on-screen character and as an executive.