Fatherless Day for Shane & Stephanie
By Mike McAvennie
Written: June 15, 2007
Sunday marks Father’s Day in many countries around the world. This year, however, the world of sports-entertainment finds itself without its patriarch, who is presumed dead following a limousine explosion Monday night, moments before Raw ended. On a more important and personal note, Shane and Stephanie McMahon will not be able to celebrate the individual whom our fans and Superstars called Mr. McMahon, the childhood sweetheart whom Linda lovingly acknowledged as her husband—or the man they’ve known their entire lives simply as “Dad.”
On a day when restaurants book family dinner reservations to capacity, the McMahons will mourn privately in their respective households. In those same homes, coffee mugs with “World’s Greatest Dad” etched into ceramic will remain inside their cupboards, while porcelain cups and saucers are used to welcome the relatives and friends who drop by and pay their respects.
Neither Shane nor Stephanie have been seen around WWE World Headquarters in Stamford this week. They’re not replying to e-mails relating to business, nor are they answering phone calls from nosy reporters. Their only comments come from a statement released at a press conference in Stamford on Wednesday. And after their sudden, tragic loss, it’s completely understandable.
It is not our place to claim that anyone’s personal loss is greater than another’s. But consider how Shane and Stephanie must head into Father’s Day grieving with two families. There’s the family that together spent summer vacations and holidays, attended school plays, graduations and weddings. Then there’s the competitive unit that gets together to prepare for WrestleMania and every other WWE pay-per-view, that dominates inside the squared circle and at the business table, transforming a territory-based promotion into a sports-entertainment dynasty.
Mr. McMahon was known as an avid weight-trainer, as evidenced by the April 2006 cover and feature inside Muscle & Fitness magazine. Now Shane and Stephanie must provide a very different strength for their loved ones. The sports-entertainment industry grieves for no one, not even Mr. McMahon, so now it’s up to his children to help their CEO mother shoulder the responsibilities inherent within a billion-dollar company.
On a smaller yet vastly more significant scale, Shane and Stephanie must provide those same shoulders for their own young children to cry on. They must find the words to tell them that their grandfather won’t be visiting their homes this Father’s Day. That he won’t be over to enjoy a backyard catch, or partake in an imaginary tea party. Whatever else you knew about the man, know that the one label he valued most before his seeming demise was not that of “WWE Chairman,” but of “grandfather.”
The only cards found in the McMahon mailbox this weekend will be those of greatest sympathy; the only presents, fruit baskets and floral condolences. Shane and Stephanie McMahon no longer get to enjoy the privileges that Father’s Day offer.
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