Stephanie McMahon has spent decades as part of the company her father and grandfather created, but now she has opened up with her struggle with identity. In a new interview with John Cena, McMahon addressed struggling to know who she is, and how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became her path to rediscovery.
“I lost myself for a little bit. I lost my confidence, and I found it again in Jiu-Jitsu,” McMahon confessed during the extended conversation, marking a rare moment of public vulnerability from the WWE executive.
McMahon shared her admission while discussing hers and Cena’s philsophies when it comes to training. McMahon is now a blue belt with her first stripe, and her knowledge in martial arts extends beyond the mat.
“[It taught] very hard life lessons, mainly as it relates to my family and what WWE is and what it means to me and how much a part of it I really am.”
For someone so deeply embedded in WWE’s corporate structure, McMahon’s identity crisis centered on her relationship with the business that has defined her entire life. McMahon shared how she “couldn’t not watch” WWE, but this focus left her on wanting to know who Stephanie McMahon-Levesque is outside of her working life. Thankfully, martial arts helped answer some of her questions.
“It reinforced who I am and it reminded me of my strength. And it was something that I did completely on my own and with no one else’s help. Nobody got me to that point, I mean, other than my coach. But I mean, I did it for me.”
McMahon is no stranger to getting physical in the ring, and martial arts have proven no different. On the podcast, McMahon spoke of the transformative nature of her training, even if it leaves her feeling sore.
“You get pretzeled. You have to give up. A lot… I am always beat up after Jiu Jitsu.”
Her story resonates beyond the wrestling world, showing how physical challenges can heal emotional wounds and how finding something truly your own can restore lost confidence.