The Shane McMahon Royal Rumble Saga: A Brief Summary and Potential Fallout
It Looks Like We Won't be Seeing Shane-O-Mac on WWE Television Anytime Soon
It’s the 2022 Royal Rumble. Shane McMahon makes his way to the ring as the 28th entrant in the namesake match. He lasts until the final three, and talks are beginning in regards to McMahon’s plans for Wrestlemania 38. It’s not clear what those plans are, but nonetheless, Shane will be a top heel on the RAW brand.
Less than a week later, Shane McMahon was quietly let go from WWE.
There’s a lot of backstage politics that caused this sudden downfall. McMahon was the head writer for the Men’s Royal Rumble match, and he reportedly clashed with the producers for the match, including Adam Pearce, Chris Park, and Jamie Noble. Shane wanted to look good throughout the Royal Rumble match, even as far as potentially entering at number 1 and being the so-called “iron man.” This plan was nixed, and Shane came out as entrant number 28.
Not only did Shane want to look strong, but he wanted to go toe-to-toe with some of the best in WWE. Names like Riddle, Kevin Owens, and Otis were mentioned in various reports. Shane-O-Mac got his wish, lasting longer than all of those men. Hell, the former Smackdown Commissioner even eliminated KO, one of the favorites to win the entire bout. Brock Lesnar, the eventual winner, tossed out McMahon rather nonchalantly towards the end of the bout. Another report suggested that when it came time for Shane to be eliminated from the Rumble, he refused to give many Superstars the ability to do so, before finally compromising on Lesnar.
Things became even more convoluted when it came to McMahon’s plans on RAW. As noted earlier, McMahon was set to be a heel on the show, and the rumor mill was swirling with who he could face in Dallas, Texas at Wrestlemania. One theory that began to circle the Internet was a match with Seth “Freakin” Rollins at the Show of Shows, perhaps for the WWE Championship. The plans would have, presumably, seen Shane-O-Mac win the title at Elimination Chamber en route to a match with Rollins at the Show of Shows. Alas, McMahon’s removal from WWE programming has put a halt to this idea.
Apparently, McMahon was not happy with his plans going forward. He wanted to come off strong, and was reportedly referred to as “self-centered” backstage. After all of these incidents, Shane was sent home. Not a great look for the owner’s son. Furthermore, Wrestlevotes speculated that Shane’s release could have further consequences down the line for WWE.
What could these “ripple effects” be for WWE? For starters, McMahon will no longer be a part of WWE creative going forward. With that said, I’m not sure how much McMahon has been bringing to the table from a creative standpoint in recent years. It’s safe to say he’s not going to be the head writer for the Royal Rumble for a while. When reports suggest that there were up to 20 changes prior to the event, it showed a panic. Not only that, but it also meant there was a lack of confidence in whatever plans were in place. Hence, the “safe” option, Brock Lesnar, came out victorious.
My guess is that McMahon will be out of the wrestling business for the next couple of years. I’ve seen some mention AEW, but after the issues stemming from the Rumble, I don’t think that’s a realistic possibility. Stepping away from the business might be best for Shane-O-Mac anyway. If he takes some time off, the fans will be grateful to see McMahon again, much like he was a fresh name when he returned in 2016.
Anyways, the Shane McMahon saga from the Royal Rumble might have concluded, or this is possibly the start of something much deeper. With Shane no longer involved, plans for Wrestlemania have probably been changed yet again. Whether it was for the WWE Championship or not, he was set to have some role at the Grandest Stage of them All. Only one thing is certain on the Road to Wrestlemania: nothing is certain. The WWE and Vince McMahon are not afraid to make sure the Show of Shows is the most stupendous two-night event in history, even if it means that his own son is not going to be there.