Wrestlemania 32 - The Undertaker vs Shane McMahon (Hell in a cell)

[CyberPunk]

I didn't see a thread on this, so I am creating one. For those of you who didn't watch Raw, Shane McMahon returned to WWE and will face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania in a Hell in a Cell match. Seemingly, Raw's control is on stake in this one.

First of all, I marked out hard when I saw ShaneO'Mac. It was awesome! It was kept under the wraps which made it even better. Still, I have mixed feeling on this one. There's no doubt the match will sell, and for a change this is more than just another Taker at Wrestlemania match because something's at stake here. On the other hand, I have no idea what kind of shape Shane is in. He looked great, and back in the day he was more than a decent brawler with some sick moves. But that was way back in the day.

I expect a brawl here and some kind of interference. I can't picture Taker losing this one. I just hope this is not Shane's on-and-done kind of deal.

How do you feel about this match? What are you expecting?

 

[Khaotix523]

Expecting something similar to what took place at WM23 during the battle of the billionaires between trump and vince. Don't really think Shane will go toe to toe with the undertaker, my guess is he'll place someone in the match to fight for him. Sting perhaps? Maybe Steve Austin? The Rock?

if that were to be the case, then would you want one of those three to win against taker? i think what would be interesting is seeing Shane get control of Raw and Steph getting control of Smackdown and we see a revisted brand split/warfare angle. Sibling rivalry

 

[Dragonslayer]

Hm, well Shane O'Mac's return seems like a bit of a desperation move for WWE right now. With Undertaker's designated opponent in John Cena sidelined, along with many others of WWE's top tier, and Brock Lesnar having been done too often this past year to still draw, this looks like a last resort option.

However, it also looks like it's a time-buying option. With John Cena recently tweeting that he's training hard to make it in time for WM32, but still not being cleared, I could imagine that WWE is trying to hold out for as long as they can, and see if Cena will be ready. And if so, he will take Shane's place in the Cell against Taker.

That would make for some interesting constellations: Who's the face and who's the heel in that? If Shane wants to take RAW over from the heel authority, that would make him - and whoever his "associates" are - faces. But that would make Undertaker a heel again, which only works partially right now due to his legend status. They tried doing it against Brock Lesnar, and it didn't really work. Could it work against a returning Shane (maybe) or against a returning Cena (maybe not, considering the mixed reactions he always gets anyways)?

Also, Shane is 46 years old now, and has been away from the business for quite a while. I can't imagine him being anywhere near wrestling shape, or at least "crazy-bumping-shape" as he's been in the past. Sure, Vince did a lot of matches in his older years, but he's also a fitness and workout freak, and has been around the business at all times, keeping in shape. Shane, I'm a bit more worried about, also considering his daredevil approach to matches and the crazy spots he used to do. I don't really see that happening at 46 years old for him.

So, if Shane is not fighting his battle himself, and Cena can't make it either... it leaves us with the question again: Who else is there?

Currently, I could only think about The Rock (unlikely due to timing issues), Batista (maybe more likely, but we've seen that) and maybe even Sting (though also unlikely due to his injury last year) - but outside of these guys and Cena, WWE doesn't really have any top tier talent left who would even be worthy of challening Undertaker at Mania, let alone possibly defeat him.

Although, I don't think Shane will win that match and stay for a longer residency with WWE... I think it might just be another attempt to put more heat on the Authority. Shane comes in, threatens to take RAW away from the "bad guys"... but then fails in the HIAC against Undertaker, and the Authority asserts their dominance yet again, while a newly crowned WWE champion in Roman Reigns continues to oppose them. That seems the most probable path right now to me.

But I'm always willing (and hoping) to be surprised

 

[MERPER]

I enjoy Shane's return but this match is pretty garbage. Either outcome is awful.

Either Undertaker loses in his home state in likely his last match ever.

Or Shane loses and the whole angle of him taking over WWE and completely turning it upside down and a whole new "era" if you will gets thrown right out the window.

i would have preferred several different opponents for Undertaker and I'm sure WWE could have figured out a different opponent for Shane where he could have won.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

It would be amazing for Shane to take control of Monday Night Raw, and give us a new era. As much as I love Triple H, I am getting a bit tired of The Authority being in control now, it's gone on for far too long now and it's time to freshen things up.

However, that requires him to beat Undertaker in his home state, and I can't see WWE having 'Taker do the job at WM again, especially if it's not his last match, and even more unlikely if its against a non-wrestling 46 year old. Will Shane get "bloodied" so badly that he can't compete and get a replacement in to beat The Dead Man? Perhaps Goldberg?

If he DOES get in the ring at 'Mania, I fully expect we'll see Shane taking some risks, it's pretty much a guarantee and I reckon this will be an entertaining match, and it certainly will be fun seeing "The Boy Wonder" back in the ring again, it's been too long without him on screen.

I can't call a winner though. For storyline purposes...Shane. It would be a massive let down if he didn't take over on Raw after the build this match will get, but 'Taker losing to SHANE MCMAHON in his home state in HIAC? I can't see that happening...

 

[kadroan]

I say Taker wins but Reigns wins later to make the fans happy lol. I find it hard for Shane to win without interference.

 

[Khalifa]

My initial thought was damn WWE done messed up again. I could not believe what was happening. After some more thought though I'm buying into it. Takers match last year with Wyatt just wasn't quite the same as it was when the streak was on the line, but with Monday Night Raw on the line, to me atleast, has made his match this year more intriguing. Unless I've got it wrong but Taker is on the bad guys team. What a twist. I personally now love the idea.

Do I want Shane to wrestle? No chance in hell. He is too old to be doing the crazy stuff he was doing 15 years ago. I won't be disappointed if it happens though as it surely means someone is at the least interfering on Shane's behalf. John Cena actually fits that mold as someone who wants the authority gone. That means though that you are using Shane as almost a decoy to build or protect whoever is coming in, if someone is at all. Thus taking away the whole reason why Mania is so special which is its build. Sure it will be Shane vs Taker but the finish will all be about the person who helped Shane. So I would expect WWE in the next few weeks to maybe expose whoever is either helping Shane or going to be replacing Shane in the match.

Just a little fanboy in me but Seth Rollins could be a good option as well. Story isn't quite there just yet but we all could see Seth eventually being either ousted or leaving the authority to start a feud. Would be a good way to start HHH vs Rollins, turns Rollins face, lets Reigns move onto other things and then sets up Rollins and Reigns for summer slam. Would mean your skipping over Taker/Rollins, HHH/Rollins and maybe even Reigns/Rollins pretty fast though.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

How anybody accepts this as a match I do not know. Shane had some entertaining matches and this will get booked straight from Shortcut City, but how is this a marquee match?

If WWE has nothing for Undertaker then give him a full time heel and try to make somebody. Him vs. Sheamus is a match I would actually like to see. Or rebuild Rusev.

And when did Undertaker join The Authority?

 

[Really?]

The question "when did Taker join the Authority" is key. He didn't. I believe the first time we see Taker, he says he can't fight for Vince because he's fighting for Shane. Vince then has to find someone to fight for him. Enter the miracle healer, John Cena. Look, he's getting booed out of Dallas no matter what, so have him rep the heel. Taker losing to Shane would be pushing logic, even for WWE. With Cena, Taker can win, Shane can put a proxy in charge, and at the end of the match, Cena can raise Taker's hand and still be a face.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

From a kayfabe point of view, this makes a lot of sense: why wouldn't Vince book this? Shane is doomed on paper. In practice it of course is totally insane: Shane McMahon who returns after seven years away, was never actually a wrestler and was out of breath from doing his dance to the ring let alone working in it is going to go one on one with the Undertaker (Teddy Long eat your heart out) inside Hell in a Cell. Wut?

I can't see this staying this way. Shane's got a history of outsmarting his father in high pressure situations and we could easily see him flip the tables on Vince by coercing him into signing the contract on Raw, only to reveal his lawyers have changed it to Vince' representative (The Undertaker) versus Shane's (Cena or Sting or Evil Lincoln or Whoever). Nicely tied up, Shane gets to be at Mania to see if his guy can seize control of the company for him and can still get involved when the Cell gets broken open and he needs to stop interference.

Its a game changer this match because if Shane wins, we could be on the cusp of a new direction which would be merciful after the last, almost two years worth of ever more grating Authority 20 minute opening promos. Shane as a part time authority figure who stays out of things mostly and takes a back seat would be refreshing for the main roster. Or maybe we get another brand split? After all the specifics of this are still quite vague. 'I want control of Monday Night Raw' could easily be twisted by Vince/Steph/Hunter to mean they get control of SmackDown.

Whatever the case its certainly got us talking and, with five weeks still to go, there's plenty of time for this to change shape all over again.

 

[Christian Faith]

Ok I've had time to think about this and this is how I see it happening.

Vince is still obsessed with WCW that's obvious and in storyline purposes Shane was the guy who bought WCW from under Vince's nose.

Somehow I see this match being changed to either Sting (if he's healthy) or maybe Goldberg v Taker which will give us a WCW legend v THE WWE legend.

Now if Taker loses then the Internet will be up in arms over a "part timer" beating him and CM Punk will probably do another podcast. We will have a few weeks maybe months of Shane ruling the roost until he foolishly puts everything on the line, gets betrayed and loses the company to the authority.

Or if Taker wins then this whole storyline was for nothing.

 

[harrythem]

I can't wait to see the Wrestlemania set so I can see what Shane's going to be falling from the top of. Mind you that's if he doesn't get out of breath just walking to the ring (as he seemed to do on Monday)

Why is this happening? Shane vs Triple H would actually make sense if they'd built this storyline for a few months but Taker just seems wasted in this cluster of bad booking.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's definitely interesting and a fun storyline, but let's not get carried away just yet. Even if Shane wins, he's NOT gaining control of WWE or Monday Night Raw; there's not going to be this new era in which Vince is dethroned and still isn't making the final creative decisions.

On the surface, it seems like there's no way Shane wins this bout. I mean, it's HIAC against the Undertaker in Dallas, Texas, Shane is a 46 year old man who only wrestled sporadically and for purposes of a spectacle and Taker is the possibly the most respected guy in WWE history. Now, you'd think that Shane wouldn't stand a chance and, truth be told, he's gonna get his ass kicked all over the place by Taker. He'll get in some good shots of his own with a steel chair, maybe a low blow somewhere, to help him get in his offense. However, he can't take Taker on his own so I think Shane will have help in the name of the Mean Street Posse; they'll get the crap kicked out of them as well when it's all said & done, but they'll have done their job in providing distractions for Shane in order to give him some sort of chance.

On one hand, it's Taker at WrestleMania. People are still shocked that the streak is over nearly 2 years after it happened and, as I mentioned, Taker is pretty much beloved by even the most hardcore smarks; as a result, it might be a bit difficult seeing Taker beaten in such a match by Shane McMahon of all people. On the other, it could lead to some fun storylines down the road.

Still, as I said, even if Shane wins, I don't see this ushering in some new golden era because it'd be a cosmetic change. He's been gone for years, he's severed ties with WWE to go out on his own and he's done well, while Trips & Stephanie have remained. As a result, Shane gave up his place in line and that's just how it is. I mean, as Vince said, WWE is a publicly traded company and you can't just come back after being gone for the better part of a decade and just step into a place you once had on the corporate side of things. Vince will still be CEO of WWE and he will still be the one making the final creative decisions.

 

[Mac]

How anybody accepts this as a match I do not know. Shane had some entertaining matches and this will get booked straight from Shortcut City, but how is this a marquee match?

If WWE has nothing for Undertaker then give him a full time heel and try to make somebody. Him vs. Sheamus is a match I would actually like to see. Or rebuild Rusev.

And when did Undertaker join The Authority?

I second this. I can't believe people actually want to see Shane wrestle in 2016. Shane being back is fine and if he were to be in the corner of someone that would make more sense. I don't know if he can even do the things he used to do in the ring at his age, and it isn't like he's been training consistently either. They're going to pull out a bunch of shenanigans just to make this match entertaining.

 

[That N Word]

What WWE should do is have Sting cost Taker the match to set up Sting-Taker at WrestleMania 33 in both man's final match. What I would do as well is have Roman Reigns defeat Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania for the WWE WHC and align with Shane McMahon who would turn heel to really bring in a new era of WWE. Reigns playing the heel champion with the heel boss. I would have Styles win the IC Title and bring in Bullet Club who could join Roman and Shane in the new heel stable. It could be about Stephanie being right about Shane. Triple H and Steph playing the babyfaces trying to save WWE from Shane. They bring in someone to face Roman at SummerSlam in a Title vs. Control Match. That person ends up being...Seth Rollins. Rollins loses the match and Reigns beats Lesnar at Survivor Series. In the 2017 Royal Rumble, John Cena returns for the first time in over a year and wins it to set up Cena vs. Reigns at WrestleMania 33. In that match, a double turn happens and Reigns is the now top babyface of WWE and Cena is now the top heel of Shane's faction.

IF WWE wants change. That can be the best way to do it. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if change coming means that WWE will go TV-14 again.

 

[Dave]

Now that I have had time to digest this, I'm not sure I like the implications of either result. Which, surely, is the opposite of what the WWE should be aiming for? Surely, the bets part of wrestling, as a fan, is knowing that you're going to leave happy no matter what the result is? This is the exact opposite. Either The Undertaker tacks on another loss to his brilliant WrestleMania record; which is still fantastic no matter what. Or Shane loses and we are heading towards the Authority opening Raw every week for another 2 years. I'm so torn.

I'm still of the mindset that Shane will find someone to represent him in the match with The Undertaker at Mania. Shane McMahon didn't look as though he was in any shape to be able to perform in a regular match; never mind a Hell In A Cell match. That sort of match would be out of the question for a lot of performers, never mind a man who has done no wrestling for the past few years and who looks like that is the case.

I still haven't given up on the Undertaker taking on Cena in a massive match at Mania; given some magic from Shane McMahon. There are definitely a lot of twists and turns left in this one and I have to hope that it will mean a massive match for Taker and not just an out of shape business man.

Believe...

 

[Dilligaf]

Calculated Risk vs Clusterfuck, if Shane actually competes.

If Shane does compete & loses to UT, that will be another tantilsing storyline down the shitter.

When Shane's music hit, it was like going back to WM17 all over again.

But what if UT loses to Shane (if he does compete)? What would be next for UT?

Dont get me wrong, Shane has had some awesome matches, but the was over 10 years ago.

As the OP said above, this would be the perfect way to bring in The Bullet Club as Shane's reps so to speak.

AJ needs an opponent for WM & what better for him to cement himself into the main event picture than one-on-one with The Undertaker.

 

[Sean Valjean]

So basically, Shane (or Shane's representative) has to win this match, otherwise this entire story will be a colossal waste of time.

At least HIAC is no DQ, so if Shane does compete, he just has to use weapons and dirty tactics to survive. There's no logical reason to try and face Undertaker head-on, and he should know that. If he can just outmaneuver him and get in shots when he can, Shane could stand a better chance than people give him credit for.

Now if Shane does get someone to stand in for him, the question is who. Cena would make the most sense, since he's expelled the Authority once and would do it again. But I just don't see him being ready in time for Mania, despite his Wolverine-esque healing abilities. Problem is, I can't think of anyone left who's healthy that would actually want to fight for Shane and be a credible threat. I really, really can't.

I feel like Taker has to go down here, though. People will hate seeing him lose at Mania again, and falling to Shane of all people probably won't ease that pain no matter how much they like him. But the promise of no more Authority – for reals this time – if Taker loses might offer enough of a constellation to make his loss more bearable.

 

[Dream]

Well, it's really hard to predict the outcome of this match without knowing Shane's role post WM.

That being said, how great would it be if the streak was still intact now. Really, there's no way Shane wins this match clean, it's simply not possible or reasonable.

That being said, if the streak was still intact, it would be pretty crazy for UT to beat the hell out of Shane, with Shane (body allowing) to take a few big bumps but for UT to lay down and have Shane cover him.

It's weird that UT is being summoned by Vince, someone he's never really got along with outside of the late 90s. It's almost as if UT should be a heel in this situation, but oh well. If Shane's leaving after WM, doesn't really make sense for him to win. Just kind of an odd match, but I'm looking forward to it. Wonder if there will even be a build up or if Taker will show just show up at WM.

 

[OYDK]

I'm just gonna go with it. Honestly, this is one of the most unexpected things to happen in a very long time and it was done VERY well. Talk about a holy shit moment. If Shane ends up actually stepping into the ring with Taker, I think it will be a very good match and anybody who's ever seen a Shane O Mac match would probably agree with me. No Shane's not a wrestler, he's not going to be throwing Germans or applying submissions, but the guy is a showman. He'll put on a show at Wrestlemania. The outcome of Shane/Taker all depends on if he's back for good or if this was a desperation move by WWE to sell Mania. If Shane's staying, I could see Taker beating the crap out of him and than ultimately lying down and draping Shane over him to go out on his back. His last act being "for the fans". Streak's over, it could happen. Or Shane could go heel and somebody could interfere and take out Taker...

If somebody else competes for Shane, which I think is likely to happen, it could make the situation more or less interesting depending on who it is. Let's be real, Shane does not look like he's in shape to be wrestling, much less against Taker at Mania in a Cell. The guy is a dad now, I doubt he's going to be bumping like he used to and that's all he would be doing against Taker.

It could be Cena if they hold out on the reveal until Mania. Than again, it could be somebody else. I don't know, and I like it.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Considering the match is most likely Undertaker's last hurrah I can't imagine him working heel in the program, honestly they don't really need to have Taker there at all until the match, this is between Vince and Shane, The Undertaker is really the impossible feat that stands in Shane's way. I don't see any scenario where Shane wins this match but by the end I would wager the house that Vince is left laying after the match is finished. As long as Taker has a good match and gets the heroes sendoff at the end (which is pretty much a guarantee at this point) then all will be fine at the end.

It's pretty odd to see Taker in a Wrestlemania program where he isn't at the forefront of it but it might be the best possible scenario. Since his streak ended there hasn't been really any reason to see him fight at Mania but this story really helped make this match seem must see. As of now I can honestly say this is the ONLY match on the card I have any real interest in and on that front they definitely accomplished their mission. Obviously this match means nothing in the long run, obviously this isn't a real deal where Shane is really fighting for the company but at least they did something to make it feel special, even if it's only in a kayfabe sense.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

This is a lose, lose situation whichever way WWE decides to go, so personally I don't see this match happening. Sure I would love to see Shane get control of Raw and finally see the back of the Authority, but that should in no way happen at the expense of the Undertaker, especially in his hometown. It just does not work no matter how you look at it, so for me it makes sence that the match is going to drastically change over the next week's, and I only really see this going one of two ways. The first would be to have Shane drop out of the match and be replaced by somebody else, with control of the company still on the line. Or option two would be for the Undertaker to join forces with Shane and instead of a one on one Hell in a cell match, we would end up with a two on two He'll in a Cell match with Shane and the Undertaker taking on two hand picked opponents.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

First of all, this was one of the most WTF moments WWE ever did.

The match, if it does happen, I think it will be a huge waste. Shane vs Undertaker in Hell In A Cell, with Undertaker in Vince's side? WTF.

I'm looking forward to see where this story is going actually. I don't think Shane will step in the ring himself.

Maybe it's a clever mechanism WWE thought for:
a) Making the Rock compete in Wrestlemania in an unoffical match, so he can get away from the lawsuit. The card can read Shane vs Undertaker, but it we be Rock who will be fighting Taker.

b) Give Cena time to recover. Cena has been going all out 200% percent for weeks now in order to catch up Wrestlemania. I think this can work, in order to give Cena more time.

c) Maybe Sting? Does he need recovery as well?

d) If all the above fail, WWE still have time to negotiate a deal with Goldberg or Angle.

If all of these fail, then we're getting Shane vs Undertaker, Hell In A Cell.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

When Stephanie McMahon came out to get the award I rolled my eyes. When Shane McMahon returned I marked out. When he wanted control of the company I marked out again. When his match with Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania was announced I scratched my head.

I'm trying to keep an open mind about this but I don't see this working out.

Shane isn't in shape to wrestle. He's 45 and hasn't wrestled in years. He definitely isn't credible enough to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania.

If Undertaker wins, Shane doesn't get control of the company and it's the same old stuff with the Authority every single week. If Shane wins, he's one of only two men to break Undertaker's Streak. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Kane, Randy Orton, Batista, Edge, CM Punk, Diesel, and others couldn't, but Shane (who was never even an actuall full-time wrestler) can?

Clearly WWE is overreacting. They are desperate to sell tickets for WM32 and set the attendance record. Storylines and matches should be unpredictable and different, and this one is. However they also have to be logical, and this one isn't. It's going to sell tickets but not make much sense. It's clear WWE doesn't care about it making sense. Or maybe the storyline makes sense to them? I have no clue, which is good, sorta.

 

[Sean Valjean]

Here's another reason why Taker is probably losing this. Assuming the match stands as is, which is the bigger post match headline?

1. "Shane McMahon hands Undertaker his 2nd Wrestlemania loss, seizes control of Monday Night Raw".

2. "Undertaker defeats Shane McMahon."

The reason Vince chose to end the Streak was to create a buzz and generate in the Network. Shane winning would be all over the place, and with an ice-cold product and sagging ratings, a huge shake-up like that is something they sorely need. Unfortunately, it'll have to come at the expense of Undertaker.