Could Shane McMahon Be On His Way Back?

[Jack-Hammer]

Ever since it was announced that Triple H & Vince McMahon would be major characters in a major storyline culminating at WrestleMania XXX next year, people have speculated about the possibility of Shane McMahon returning to WWE. A few weeks ago, as a matter of fact, there was a thread asking whether or not he could be a part of it. I stated that there was probably little to no way of it happening due to Shane's obligations to his job. However, that was before I saw the story on the main page.

According to a press release, Shane McMahon has stepped down as CEO of YOU On Demand, which is a Chinese based ppv service. According to the story on the main page, Shane will still stay on with the company as principal executive and Chairman of the Board. Now that confuses the crap out of me, because I thought that "Chairman of the Board" was mostly just a euphemism for Chief Executive Officer. But, I guess I'm wrong. The story on the front page has also stated that this has already gotten the rumor mill going as to whether or not this could lead to a potential role for Shane in this current WWE angle.

As he's stepped down as CEO, yet still seems to be affiliated with YOU On Demand, I have no idea what Shane's legal & contractual obligations are to the company. I would imagine that his responsibilities are dramatically reduced compared to what they were as CEO, at least I'm guessing, and, if so, MIGHT POSSIBLY leave room for Shane to work with WWE in some way. His presence could have add a very interesting twist to the whole thing yet, at the same time, there's also a potential of having too many non-wrestlers involved in this thing. Still, it doesn't appear as though Vince is going to be making many regular appearances, leaving things to Triple H & Stephanie for the most part, so it could work just so long as they don't go overboard with giving too much time to the authority figures.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I wouldn't mind a Shane-O-Mac return at all. At times Shane drove me nuts with that annoying dancing shuffle, where he would spin his fist around.

But I always respected the hell out Shane for his toughness, heart, dedication, and the way he would sacrifice his body. Steve Blackman knocking Shane off the stage structure at Summerslam is still a moment that's burnt in memory, and I can still remember sitting in front of the TV in shock, when I saw it live as a kid on pay per view. Think about the beatings he took and how he put his body on the line against Angle at King Of The Ring (forget the year of the PPV), DX inside Hell In A Cell, and the Summerslam match with Blackman. Plus, he had a pretty physical (and surprisingly competitive) match with Orton at No Way Out (2009).

IF Shane is to come back, I think it would make sense to side with Bryan. Putting Shane on Team McMahon would cause a ridiculous and insurmountable balance of power for the bad guys. And we all know Shane has plenty of history feuding against his father, including the unforgettable moment of Shane showing up on Nitro to announce his purchase of WCW. The history for some bad blood is definitely there, and Shane would give Daniel Bryan a ton of momentum and credibility as a strong ally to stand against Vince, Stephanie, and Triple H.

Although, I hope a Shane return wouldn't lead to another Wrestlemania match with his father. The rabid and electric crowd atmosphere and Linda's presence helped the match a lot. But I'm not so sure the same thing would happen again. Vince is a legitimate senior citizen and Shane is in his forties. At Shane's age now, I'm not so sure a Coast-To-Coast would be a good idea.

 

[The Butcher]

I wasn't ruling out an appearance by Shane before this news, so I'm certainly not ruling it out now. As Vince's son and a longtime participant in on-screen power struggles and McMahon family drama, his role is not easily forgotten or written off. I'd hope he does make some sort of showing, be it one-off or recurring, to address his feelings on the Triple H regime. If WWE still indeed plans on having Trips vs. Vince in some shape or form, then Shane would benefit the angle in a few different ways, not the least of which is simply letting us diehard fans know where Vince's only son stands. Shane was, on-screen, and is, in actuality, an integral part of the McMahon family. Getting him to make a comeback of some sort would be very welcome. Hopefully this is a step in that direction.

 

[boozinjedi]

I don't think it will happen.
As far as we were told. He stepped away totally from WWE stuff to help his mom in her political career.
Unless she gave up on trying to get to Washington,I don't see him coming back

 

[THTRobtaylor]

She did give up on Washington and note that Shane is STILL heavily involved in the Chinese venture. He stepped away as it was clear he wasn't getting the keys to the kingdom and he went out perhaps to prove a point, which he did. That TV service is now gonna be CRUCIAL to WWE popping China as a market, so he is back in the "box seat" when it comes to replacing Vince.

For all Triple H being the "next guy" I can easily see Shane now coming back into the fold and taking a higher role than Steph, he is also massively independently wealthy now - something that cannot hurt if the McMahon's want to take the company private again (which again couldn't hurt)

Storyline wise he comes back on Bryan's side - perhaps using "this kinda crap is why I left" as his reasoning and maybe even "buys" the public stock and we have a Vince/Trips Steph v Shane scenario a bit like Vince/Flair. Shane brings in Flair as his right hand, who sets up the Horsemen with Rhodes, Bryan, Ziggler and Batista.

Just don't expect Shane to wrestle, or if he does, nothing like what he did - he was good, but damn lucky if he doesn't have some hangover from those insane bumps he took - at his age now it won't be worth those risks.

 

[scomvp316]

I don't think Shane will be back for on-screen character
I have always thought Vince wanted Shane to run the company
Shane loves the corporate side
HHH mostly runs the creative side
Steph do all the PR stuff
If that all happens this company is in good hands
IMO Vince had always wanted Shane to run the company and feels Steph's attitude isn't best for a public trading company

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I could definitely picture Shane getting back into the mix with the current Corporation 2.0 story line. The most logical way to bring him back is as a face and sides with Daniel Bryan. They could put over that Shane's a "share holder" of WWE and have him over rule Triple H and have him rehire back Cody Rules and be the face authority figure. Id like to see Shane McMahon vs Triple H in No DQ match in the upcoming months.

 

[Tom]

A Shane McMahon return would be perfect for this current angle. Daniel Bryan needs an authority figure behind him, it's what would make the storyline and even bigger success. Since Vince, Steph and HHH are all together, it would only make sense to have Shane come back. I've always seen Shane as the babyface out of all the McMahon's.

I would love to see him come back, but obviously it depends what his new business prospects are.

 

[boozinjedi]

I don't see Batista coming back in a wrestling capacity ever again.
He might do a pop in every now and then to promote his upcoming films,but not wrestling.
He was just recently named to a big role in a future Marvel film,the studios won't want to take a chance on damaging their future projects on a mistimed bump/fall,remember the dust that got kicked up when Rock hurt his stomach muscles and needed to be surgically repaired??
Shane coming back as in a face capacity would be huge,BUT you know who would be big coming back to fight against Vince,Steph and especially HHH?
HBK!!
Remember he trained Daniel Bryan,I know Taker "retired" him back at WM26 BUT he doesn't need to wrestle,just be there in a managerial/mentor role...
His angle....He doesn't want to see another wrestler get "screwed"...much in the way he helped the McMahons "screw" Bret.
That would make and interesting dynamic between HBK and HHH

 

[MCMG]

This feud could use Shane. At the start I would of been against it: I'm not up for another McMahon-centric storyline. However, I think that he would be perfect to lead the side against HHH. I think there needs to be a leader of this side of the roster. If Rhodes, Show, Ziggler, Miz etc. all get fired than I think Shane would be a great choice to bring them back onto the roster and ready to stand up against HHH.

I'm personally think that Shane won't be back but I wouldn't mind if he was. He could really be used to enhance this storyline.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Remember the next time you say WWE doesn't do enough to build and push new stars and then remember how you thought Shane McMahon or HBK or anyone else should come to DBaniel Bryan's aid. I know Austin wasn't completely helpless in his fueds but he is still someone that is thought of as a guy who took his licks but stood alone. I'm fine with Shane McMahon coming back on or off screen (he could definitely make thing more interesting) but I like the idea of Daniel Bryan winning and losing on his own. If he continues to win over audiences the way he has the last few months he should continue to accomplish things on his own.

 

[savage29]

To the conspiracy theorists out there, note the time. Shane stepped down nearly two months ago. Could he still return to wrestling? Sure. It's certainly possible. However, he didn't just step down as CEO of YOU today or anything.

 

[joduke41]

I think we are due for a Shane-o-mac return.With HHH,Vince,and Stephanie all on the same page.We need a McMahon for the people.To offset the power a lil bit.Plus,Shane gets huge pops from the crowds.Plus he could play it off like he was nudged out of the way by the son-in-law.That he was never as big as the old man but he was still a better fighter(Daniel bryan small guy wrestler) That he should've been the face of the company instead of HHH. DAMMIT PEOPLE,HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN? That would be so awesome.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

No but it's feasible he would take a short break, THEN get into training if he was coming back to the E in any capacity - that pic of him with the grey hair a while back and a little pudgy wouldn't wash if he was involved at all with the image the E presents of the McMahons... even if he was coming back in a purely corporate role - he'd get in shape.

Fantasy wise we all want to see "The Money" back, now that he legitemately has money of his own it will affect the WWE as a whole anyway as Shane could easily buy back the stock he sold to fund the China venture. The way I see it, Shane back in any capacity is a good thing - remember this is the guy who pioneered their web strategy back in the day, which basically now rules WWE... Vince was switched on but Shane was someone who always had his finger right on the pulse of trends and tech... and the E sorely needs that right now to get away from the dreaded WWE App and to help get the network off the ground. He also has that guaranteed "in" to China (not Joannie I might add), the Chinese probably won't do business with Vince unless Shane is involved.

If we see him back on screen, it's a bonus - if we see him wrestle one more match then even better but no way he's taking the bump this time - someone else will and it'll probably make them famous...

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

No but it's feasible he would take a short break, THEN get into training if he was coming back to the E in any capacity - that pic of him with the grey hair a while back and a little pudgy wouldn't wash if he was involved at all with the image the E presents of the McMahons... even if he was coming back in a purely corporate role - he'd get in shape.

Fantasy wise we all want to see "The Money" back, now that he legitemately has money of his own it will affect the WWE as a whole anyway as Shane could easily buy back the stock he sold to fund the China venture. The way I see it, Shane back in any capacity is a good thing - remember this is the guy who pioneered their web strategy back in the day, which basically now rules WWE... Vince was switched on but Shane was someone who always had his finger right on the pulse of trends and tech... and the E sorely needs that right now to get away from the dreaded WWE App and to help get the network off the ground. He also has that guaranteed "in" to China (not Joannie I might add), the Chinese probably won't do business with Vince unless Shane is involved.

If we see him back on screen, it's a bonus - if we see him wrestle one more match then even better but no way he's taking the bump this time - someone else will and it'll probably make them famous...

I had no idea it was Shane who had pioneered the WWE website etc, with how involved WWE are with social media, and their determination to get this network off the ground, I would not be surprised at all the see Shane back with the company heading up that division, using his experience and his contacts in China to help the launch.

If he was back on TV, it would only be a positive thing. Shane is a fantastic performer both as a heel and a face, and both working with and agaisnt his father. I still love seeing his matches against the likes of Kane, Vince @ WM17 and pop every time I see a clip of him flying through the air and crashing through the commentators table, or getting hurled through the glass by Angle. What a stuntman he was.

I don't expect him to take a crazy bump like those again, he is over 40 now and doesn't need to...but knowing the competitive nature of the McMahon's I wouldn't be shocked to see him do something crazy in the ring again...that is if he ever came back.

If he was to return, it would have to be something along the lines of buying into the company and getting some power, but opposing Vince rather than working with the Corporation. With HHH, Steph and Vince, they dont need any other non-wrestlers in the group, and Daniel Bryan having a McMahon on his side in the battle would be very entertaining to see.

Whatever he does though, I hope we see Shane O'Mac return in some capacity, I've missed seeing him on TV.

HERE COMES THE MONEY! MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY....

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Yeah, he was in charge of that division in the early days of Byte This, then Cole and Styles had goes at it but Shane was the main driving force of using the website and getting their guys into TV roles like Rock on Voyager etc.

The Van Terminator he did to Vince is still my highlight - I marked out for that big time...but remember this is the McMahon who did EVERYTHING from reffing to running parts of the company to being one of the best workers never to get a serious push (looking coldly, his talent was scary and he learned well but he was held back by Vince...) it beggars belief that the perception is Steph knows more about the business than Shane does...