Mom, Chief Brand Officer, TV Villain: WWE's Unbreakable Stephanie McMahon

Between the kids, the job, and perfecting what is arguably the hardest fake slap on television, Stephanie McMahon has her hands full.

As chief brand officer of WWE, McMahon has spent a lifetime in the trenches of professional wrestling both on and off camera, a business that her father Vince McMahon helped build into a billion-dollar enterprise.

And McMahon takes a lot after her father, both as a gifted heel and a shrewd business mind. Monday Night Raw, for example, is still one of the most-watched shows around, regularly grabbing the No. 1 spot on the weekly cable rankings with viewership in the 4 million range. Now with WWE's premier event, Wrestlemania 31, coming up this Sunday, Fast Company spoke with McMahon by phone to talk about the business of WWE, Jon Stewart's recent cameo, and how the world's biggest soap opera manages to stay relevant in the age of social media.

Fast Company: I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I read somewhere that your TV character has the hardest, meanest slap in the business. What's the secret to doling out a good slap?

[Laughs] I'm aware that there is a perception about the strength of my slap. But let me just say, [WWE diva] Brie Bella can certainly give it back. It's just all in the technique. I can't give away my secret.

On an episode of Raw in January, you and your husband (WWE superstar Triple H) were caught on social media breaking character to console a young fan who started crying ringside. It was a powerful moment, I think. The story was picked up as this heartwarming thing by the media, eventually making it all the way to Good Morning America. What was going on in your mind when you made the decision to break character?

It's not an unusual thing in terms of the little reactions that happens with fans ringside. There are any number of times that I’ll wink at somebody who's really special in the crowd, or I'll squeeze their hand as I walk by.

What happened was my husband was in character having a conversation with this little boy. He got scared and he started to cry. We felt so bad that we both just went right over to him. It was real quick and it wasn't part of the show. But I think that WWE superstars and divas, the way we engage with our fans is to make them feel great about our show and to entertain them. When there's a little kid in the audience who needs a little extra attention, we're happy to give it.