Shane O' Mac - Art Imitating Life

[THTRobtaylor]

So what we've been waiting for for over a year has finally happened, and no one saw it coming... The Money has come back and while the match he's been put in we'll get to in a moment - the most interesting part of Shane's return last night was the interaction with Vince and Steph...

Six years ago, Shane cashed out of WWE legit - no more working with the company, took his stock out... many speculated as to a falling out with Vince over Hunter and Steph's seeming "promotion" over him in the line of succession. Some of us thought differently however...

Shane used his money to enter into a major VOD market, China and also became a director at one of the worlds largest talent agencies, working with top-line sporting talent like Rory McIlroy.

A couple of years ago, Steph started shipping stock, supposedly "to build a house", however it is far more likely that this was Shane buying "back in" to the company he'd ostensibly left. Since then he's been in the background, not directly involved other than as a shareholder...or so we thought.

The interesting part of his return was the talk of a deal with Vince... when this first happened I wrote that this could be the case, that Shane was going off to "get the skills needed to be Chairman of WWE" outside of the Wrestling Bubble... he was using his own money, much as Vince had to do so to buy the conpany from his own father.

Since then Shane has been somewhat of a success, if not a billionaire in his own right, he certainly has the financial clout to buy up more stock than Steph and Hunter can... most importantly though are his years in China.

This is a massive untapped market for WWE, one they are itching to get involved in, and they are suddenly becoming a very sport led nation, Soccer clubs there are currently offering upwards of $400,000 per week for what could be considered average players, and more for the top guys... WWE could be massive in China, but it's notoriously hard to get in there...

Oh that's right, Shane has been doing business there for the past 6 years! he has the "in", and it's likely that if WWE was going to do anything in China he would HAVE to be involved... and for him to be involved he has to be... The Chairman..

This is the beginning of Vince's retirement lap... the day we thought wouldn't come is now coming... the recent issue with Titus has brought things to a head, the sudden change in opponent for Taker kinda shows this... they weren't planning on using Shane until very recently, something has changed at Titan Towers... either Vince does have that health issue that's long been rumored, or Shane has hit the magic number to be able to "buy him out", let's face it with Chinese backers, any shortfall in Shane's own bankroll could easily be gone...Perhaps the chance to get into China has finally arrived, but it comes with the condition that Shane is the guy they are going to do business with...no way Vince would be that entrenched as to stay and cost the company...especially when he'll still make money on the backend.

On the other side, NXT and Trips side of the company is blossoming, while Steph has spent a lot of time on other ventures in recent years, that big internship thing she did for example... Perhaps in preparation to take Linda's role, perhaps to prepare for life outside of WWE - after all, it's Paul who has the true "value" to the business side, while she is best as a performer... she knows it and a lot of the perceived problems are in her departments.... Hell, she might just want to be a mom for a while...

The more sinister side is the SEC investigations and accusations of manipulating stock prices by shareholders, those too have caused unrest and Vince and Steph would be implicated if there was any wrongdoing found or pending, while Trips would likely escape. Shane however? He wasn't there, he wasn't involved. At it's most cynical, Shane taking over is a way for McMahon's to retain control in the event of any scandal hitting big, as he's not viewed in the same way by Wall Street as his father and sister... he has a track record in the "real world" of making money the right way.

So it seems the vehicle for this change or the start of it, is a match at Wrestlemania 32. On paper it's one Shane can't win...HIAC with Taker... is a done deal... yet from a storyline perspective, not only can he, but he will win it.

Think about it, everyone who EVER had a beef with Hunter, Steph or Vince onscreen or off it has their chance to finally get even by making sure Shane wins... While CM Punk would be highly unlikely, it's not impossible to pop the crowd, especially if it was played as shoot... Austin, The Rock, Cena any or all of those guys could get involved...and then there's the lower card... guys like The Social Outcasts, The Wyatts... a Shane led NXT invasion led by The Bullet Club (most likely) literally anyone could show up cos they want Vince and the authority out...

From Taker's side, the streak is gone, this loss won't hurt him character wise as it's not a match he has asked for, made or challenged... he's been made a pawn by Vince for the first...and last time... all that needs to happen to cover his loss (and end Vince's onscreen career forever) is for Taker to tombstone him for costing him a second loss at Mania... You know it'll ultimately be Vince's interference that costs Taker, either botched or intentional... tombstone on RAW... Rest In Peace Mr. McMahon and we have a whole new set of Shane vs Steph angles possible while backstage... Shane takes his rightful place over the next year or so...and perhaps we see Taker v Hunter in a retirement match next year.

This wasn't even on the cards a month ago, something has happened to make this happen... long term I can see Shane, Trips and Steph all running the company but Shane as that figurehead guy... and it starts now.

 

[Rayne]

The nature of art is that each person may take away their own impression of it, which may be an entirely different interpretation than that the artist had intended. Sometimes, the artist is himself inspired by an interpretation of his own particular form of genius he had not previously seen; other times, the artist says "you've been watching too many soap operas."

 

[MERPER]

I enjoyed the return and the potential it holds for him shaking up the WWE.

What I don't enjoy is him vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania because either result of the match is bad.

Either Shane somehow wins in BS fashion meaning Undertaker takes a Wrestlemania loss in his home state, in what is likely his last match ever.

Or Undertaker wins and then Shane's whole return and the potential it has gets flushed right down the toilet after 6 weeks.

 

[Dave]

It's a good story, very well put together. But I fear that you are making mountains out of mole hills. As much as your story makes sense, it is very much conjunction at this point. And as much as well know that Vince is a shrewd business man, I really don't see him stepping aside any time soon. I mean, honestly, there is a chance that Shane is only there to sell Mania. The WWE knows it had its worked cut out for it selling this WrestleMania to fans, especially after the fiasco that is the WWE Championship. So it brought out some of the big guns to help. Personally, that's the way it comes across to me. I don't see The Undertaker losing at WrestleMania, even to someone who ends up representing Shane in the cell. Whether that is Cena, Rock, Austin; I think they come up short. And whilst I would like to see Shane stick around for a while after Mania, I don't think he will. I think he's there as a one off gig and then he'll disappear into the sunset again.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

I enjoyed the return and the potential it holds for him shaking up the WWE.

What I don't enjoy is him vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania because either result of the match is bad.

Either Shane somehow wins in BS fashion meaning Undertaker takes a Wrestlemania loss in his home state, in what is likely his last match ever.

Or Undertaker wins and then Shane's whole return and the potential it has gets flushed right down the toilet after 6 weeks.

I agree with both the outcomes you mention, but I think this match will end in a clusterfuck. No way are we to believe shane can beat Taker. But I bet at some point Shane will get the upper hand and Vince will panic and have someone interfere. From there people will come out for both sides and everything kicks off but it will end with Taker getting the win (possibly one of his lowest in my opinion) but then Shane will have something to fall back on come Monday night.

They won't blow this story in 6 weeks and leave it after WM. Shane losing is probably bottom of the list of results I expect, but can't see him beating Taker clean. Interference is the only way to go

 

[wwe fan2009]

yeah Shane will lose, no way Taker loses, but the post WM he will reveal whatever he has on Vince forcing Vince to give him control.

 

[Bischoff's Knob Slobberer]

Who cares? Shane is garbage. I really hate the way the WWE is heading with bringing all these boring old farts back.

 

[Just Zay'n]

Good on Shane, being able to thrive for 6 years in China. For me personally, I don't think I could survive One Night in China, I mean I've (unfortunately) seen what it's like, and I'll pass on that.

That business acumen would definitely help him, but I'm not quite sure it's going to be the real-life hostile takeover that you think it will be, in which he needs Chinese backers to buy out his own father.

I do think what you're saying will happen, just not in the scandal-y way that you're proposing.

 

[laodaron]

Wow, this is a whole lot of nonsense.

Vince is trying to set an indoor attendance record, and brought back his super over son for one more match.

As far as the rest of it goes, I think that this is the way to bring back the brand split. I think that Shane loses at WM32, but gets control of Smackdown. Smackdown then goes live, they split the belts back up, and there's 2 equally good Wrestling Shows on cable again.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I see people making assumptions that he is going to take over this show or that show, or this begins real change in the WWE.....what evidence besides a TV wrestling segment do we actually have he is really back?


There is nothing about this that isn't bizarre.


No news or rumblings, he hasn't (as far as anyone knows?) sold his stake in his company in China, so I am hesitant to buy him being back in the fold in a non-kayfabe sense. So the match and the stip is dead in the water from that.....and not just that, from the point of....How do you have Undertaker play a heel role in one of his last Mania matches in his home area of Texas?





Not to mention.....He is a 46 year old father of three and a CEO of a non wrestling company, surely he is not going to work a "Shane McMahon match" with the fucking Undertaker in HIAC.

 

[LionheartY2J]

This is one of those angles that's so baffling that there almost has to be something major to come out of it. Hopefully it's not the long awaited return of the Mean Street Posse.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I think the most important question that should be asked right now is: Should Taker vs Shane be the final match on the card? Given the intended crowd response, Reigns vs HHH is basically a failure unless they turn Reigns heel prior or during the WM match.

As for the hint of reality in this McMahon feud, I think there's something that grabbed my attention last night. Shane went out of his way to mention his 3 sons and the hopes of them ushering in the future generations of the company. It was something that didn't need to be said unless it was true. It immediately convinced me that Shane truly is the "heir to the throne" and not HHH/Steph. The reasons why it is easy to believe, simply go like this:

1) Shane is without a doubt, more business savvy than Steph/HHH
2) Shane is very knowledgeable about the WWE and the pro wrestling industry
3) Shane is male (I'm going to go out on a limb and assume sexism is a factor when dealing with Vince)
4) Shane is Vince's son...not an "in law"

Shane stating his concern with the future generations of the company, came across as a scripted line. It's possible that it was all just said for a cheap pop from the live crowd but I highly doubt it since there's a multitude of things could have said that night that would have gotten the crowd to react as desired. What Shane ended up saying, would only serve to be a self-deliverable blow to himself and his family if there's no intention for him to be heavily involved down the road (or now even). Also, think about why someone as successful and busy as Shane would agree to work a program at Wrestlemania in the first place. Do you really think that he's interested in being placed in a storyline that does nothing more than see his brother-in-law and sister squirm away with the keys to his car? I don't.

 

[Navi]

I'm just glad to see him back, and finally someone who can put Stephanie in her place and get away with it. Will he wrestle Taker at Mania, who knows, he might pick a second and I'm guessing it will be Cena, or someone else who hates the Authority.

Nevertheless it will be interesting over the next few months and I can't wait to see what happens.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Shane's return is just another sad reminder about the state of the WWE roster right now. This match is just filler. It's nice of Shane to be willing to do this for his dad. It doesn't make any sense and probably won't matter for ticket sales or the future of WWE. It will be what it is, a nice little clusterfuck of a match that will likely look brutal at times but really makes no sense. There is no reason WWE shouldn't be able to find a guy on their roster to go out and have the same match and win more respect from the fans. Is Vince going to try and top the NWO/DX schmoz with a Ministry/Mean Street schmoz?

Oh, and Shane McMahon does not have to be CEO of the WWE to broker any deals in China. He can be the go between between Vince and his Chinese contacts and broker business that way. If Vince wants in to China there are other ways than sending his kid there.

 

[quink987]

don't be surprised if in the match taker chokeslams shane either through the hell in the cell or off the cage because shane always takes major bumps in his matches and it will be one of major wrestlemania moments to happen if that does happen,

as for the ending of the match I can see taker dragging shanes body over the top of him so shane wins and taker gives vince the finger or something like that

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Still not sure it would be Shane vs Taker. As much as I would love it, dont think that 46 year old Shane could just go out on Wrestlemania and wrestle that good match or be believable treat to Undertaker. Still think that Cena will magicly pop out and represent Shane. Or some other major name.

 

[TheEgo74]

Jeez some of you lot are never happy. Long time reader, just don't post.

How about just enjoying the angle? You guys constantly moan WWE is too predictable, so they pull of a surprise and guess what, folks still moan, YAWN!!!

I for one think it will be great and love Shane. Just made me a damn sight more excited for Mania than I was 24 hours earlier. Bring it on!! and cheer the hell you moaning section.....

 

[Mustang Sally]

And as much as well know that Vince is a shrewd business man, I really don't see him stepping aside any time soon.

Not anytime soon, for sure. I'd say the 'time' will be when they're finished lowering his coffin and shoveling it under.

I mean, honestly, there is a chance that Shane is only there to sell Mania.

An excellent chance. Much of the discussion on this forum in past months has centered around where WWE would get the star power for WM32 in the absence of top people like Seth Rollins, Randy Orton & John Cena. That the power had to come from outside WWE was an obvious conclusion......and look who they got.

Shane is someone with a deep past in the company, someone many fans like and looked forward to the day he might appear again. So now, instead of slipping him into a minor PPV, they're using him for the biggest production of the year.....with a storyline behind it. I don't know how this will play out but......presuming there will actually be a match in which Shane participates .....you'll be watching, won't you?

 

[justinept]

Still not sure it would be Shane vs Taker. As much as I would love it, dont think that 46 year old Shane could just go out on Wrestlemania and wrestle that good match or be believable treat to Undertaker. Still think that Cena will magicly pop out and represent Shane. Or some other major name.

The question isn't "IF" Shane will wrestle. I can't imagine they'd pull a bait-and-switch after last night's reaction. The fans are excited to see Shane back, and not delivering on last night's announcement would garner a lot of fan resentment.

The question, really, is how many run-ins will there be during this match? Shane hasn't wrestled in 8 years, and even when he wrestled, he was more reliant on major spots than actually wrestling a technically sound match. Don't get me wrong. I loved every watching Shane wrestle cause you knew he was going to do something insane. But at 46 years old, having been gone for 8 years, can we really expect that? Perhaps... but I don't know if it's enough to get him through a legitimate main event at WrestleMania.

And that's where the run-ins happen.

This is a high-stakes match that affects every wrestler in the locker room. Would it be so shocking to see a number of them interfere to help Shane win? Would it be so crazy for Triple H, Vince McMahon and Stephanie interfere to ensure their place atop the company? Sure, Triple H has his WWE Title match later in the card, but shouldn't his future role in the company be of more concern to him than a WWE Ttle match? What if Triple H interfered and got laid out by Roman Reigns during the Taker/Shane match? That would add an interesting twist that we've never seen before at a WrestleMania --- the wrestlers squaring off in the main event brawling during the event, prior to their match.

We could even see a run-in from Mick Foley, whose best known match will forever be his Hell in the Cell encounter with The Undertaker. There's a bit of reality to Foley trying to get Triple H out of power since he's been so critical of the product over the past several years.

In the end, my hope is that they can find a way to give Shane the win without doing any damage to The Undertaker because I want to see Shane stick around. Run-ins are the best bet to ensure that. Additionally, I'd like to see Kane ultimately cost The Undertaker the match. His long-standing feud with Triple H might be enough storyline motivation to turn on his 'brother,' which in turn, could set up The Undertakers final match at WrestleMania 33. And despite the damage that has been done to Kane in the past few years, my belief has always remained that Kane should be 'Takers final opponent.

 

[Dysturbed]

I'm with those who think that there's a pretty decent chance (on the surface) that Shane won't actually be competing in the match.

Perhaps as early as next week, Vince will have The Undertaker come out to confront Shane, only Undertaker will attack Vince, therefore leading to Undertaker being on Shane's side and representing him at WM, while Vince chooses someone to face Taker. If that were to hypothetically happen, someone like Sheamus would probably be that person, due to the League having a minor alliance with The Authority.

That or the Shane chooses someone from WCW route, which would perhaps be Goldberg, as unlikely as that sounds for known reasons. We will of course see where this goes.

 

[AJ1981]

I'll admit I was a little put off at first when Shane was revealed as The Undertaker's opponent but after having a little time to sink in I'm fine with it. Although it does seem an odd pairing, Shane is the greatest non-wrestler performer in WWF/WWE history and contrary to what many of said he looked to be in good shape last night and I'm sure the match will be full of shortcuts, bumps and distractions. That's IF it takes place as announced. I can't help think that by WM Shane will have been substituted in the match and it will end up being a battle of the billionaires type situation. The problem is many fans take what they read online as gospel these days and take it out on WWE when what they were expecting to happen doesn't happen. When news broke Taker's opponent wasn't a main roster talent they assumed it was Sting or Kurt Angle or at Fastlane it was rumoured Enzo & Cass would debut and fans moaned at WWE. WWE never lead anyone to believe either were the case. To be honest I'm happy with WM card so far, I'm interested in HHH vs. Reigns and Ambrose vs. Lesnar is more preferable to me than Lesnar vs. Wyatt. Just sit back, enjoy the show and don't take it so serious. At the end of the day we're getting worked up about a piece of performance art featuring mostly greased up men in their underwear.

 

[Noshowers]

I love how people keep pointing to Shane's age at 46 when Mark Calaway is 50 and will be 51 before Wrestlemania and has looked very old and not quite unstoppable these last couple of years to be perfectly honest here.

Storyline wise of course it is the deadman and one would feel there shouldn't be much of a chance 1 on 1, but there is plenty the WWE could do to beef him up. Why not have some kind of promo showing him keeping in shape or training these last 6-7 years. Have Shane wrestle a match and destroy someone (like Bo Dallas, why not). This angle only works if Shane can deliver the goods though.

After giving Shane a little more physical legitimacy, then we can talk about the interference. Kane, HHH, Stephanie, Vince, Cena, Roman, Austin, Rock, list goes on. Those possibilities are endless, so I don't think it is just a lock that the Undertaker would win.

I also do feel like maybe the Undertaker does turn on Vince then perhaps the chairman has to select a replacement to face the deadman. Naturally the choice would usually have been HHH, but he will be busy that night of course so they would have to get more creative. Maybe that guy is Kane. Maybe that guy is Kurt Angle or something. Maybe Undertaker forces Vince to have to face Shane himself since he can't come up with a guy who would beat the Undertaker, so it turns into Vince vs Shane.

I have been critical of the WWE plenty, but at least this angle has me thinking and talking. So many ways it could play out, this is one of the only angles I am excited to see for Wrestlemania.

 

[saint_edward]

Taker Sides with Shane (he's nobody's pawn) and fights (and beats) Vince and (?) Cena/Angle...

Too good an opportunity. Shake it up...

 

[chicagokmc]

With WWE's assistance I'm sure, the Shane comeback is being covered on Yahoo and other mainstream media. They won't change the match now. Will it be good classical wrestling? Probably not. Run-ins? Definitely.

I predict McMahon family nemesis Sting will have a significant hand in the outcome, setting up Sting vs Taker at some point in the future, probably as the final swan song for both icons.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It amazes me how people actually think that being in Texas makes a blind bit of difference... Taker is the LAST guy to pull that shit, it was worn out when Bret tried it 20 years ago... if it's his turn to lose one, he'll do it, no questions asked... if it helps further the biggest storyline of the night to do so (and of the year ahead) then even more so.

I am sure Shane isn't expecting to go over on Taker, it might not even be decided until the night... but remember that Shane was to all intents and purposes "one of the boys" when he was around before, he took his bumps, paid his dues as a ref and as long as he's there to put a show on like he always did...Taker will be happy and would have no problem saying "Take this one Shane..." his legacy is secure either way.

There are outs for this... perhaps the "backstage thing" was Cena being potentially fit and then not being, referencing his "gambling" tweet... perhaps this is a clever way to make it a tag encounter, where Shane and Cena, Goldberg or even The Rock take on The Brothers Of Destruction in a cell... but WWE would have to be VERY careful about baiting and switching...they could only get away with it if it's that level big a replacement...

The obvious outcome for the match is a special guest ref is locked in there with them... I am guessing this is where they use The Rock... he did say it'd be mindblowing what he was going to do... The Rock as the guy who costs Taker a loss at Mania and Vince his company? That's pretty mindblowing...

The comment about naming his kids in the promo was interesting, but it's more likely him name checking his boys on camera to give them a pop... as they've probably never been allowed to see him onscreen before or old enough to...

The "leverage" stuff is interesting too, and they flat out put Shane in the "fan avatar" position by having him reel off all the problems... so whatever happens, he ain't getting buried.

What struck me on re-watching was that for 46, Shane looks pretty good, could have probably dyed his hair, but that could have been seen as a dig at Taker, who clearly does before each match... It might be a "trashy" main event match, but it's one where there are few losers...

At worst case, Shane does get Smackdown's slot...and in the final insult to Vince, renames it WCW ("I STILL own WCW..." would be a fun way to get it going, with Goldberg as his first big name...)