WWE News: WWE Responds To Speculation On Shane McMahon’s Future And Role With The Company
When Shane McMahon made his shocking return to WWE RAW this past Monday, it seemed that the wrestling world stood still at least for a moment. Hardly anyone in WWE knew he was going to be there that night and it was said that there was genuine surprise backstage when he made his return. This only made the angle that much better. Fans are always asking WWE to surprise them with something good and they managed to deliver on Monday.
With Shane’s return came a lot of speculation on why he was back along with many wondering if he is actually there to take the reigns as the next guy in charge, if you will. WWE did, of course, hear about all of the speculation going on and decided to comment on the situation. They claimed that Shane McMahon is simply…
“Playing a character on a TV show.”
The New York Post did spend a bit of time talking about Shane McMahon and a potential WWE comeback in a recent article, which is what everyone has been hearing, as he clearly could only do big things for WWE. If asked by his father Vince McMahon to come back, some speculate that he very well could consider the idea if it meant that he would be able to take over “the family business” rather than have just another executive role for a long time again.
“Shane’s digital, international and a h—uva performer. I’ve never heard anyone who’s worked with him say a bad word about him.”
This goes with the reports we’ve heard from Vince Russo and The Wrestling Observer, who both mention that Shane was always liked more than his sister Stephanie “among the boys.” On top of this, it was said to have been a pretty big blow to a lot of the talent when Shane left the company in 2009. It was said that he left WWE due to not being given the role he was basically being told by his father Vince McMahon that he was not ready to step down.
Some rumors state that Shane does not know the product as well as his sister, and that she and Triple H are far ahead of Shane when it comes to the creative side of WWE. This could be the case, however the product has only gotten progressively worse since he left WWE shortly after WrestleMania 25. That very well could be the PG element of the company that mother Linda McMahon was instrumental in implementing.
WWE has made more money in PG overall than in the other eras, however they have lost TV viewers over the years. While WWE claims Shane is simply back as a character only, that does not mean it all ends there. He was always great for WWE when it came to expanding the global brand of the company.
Chris Harrington, who happens to cover pro-wrestling finance for Seeking Alpha, called Shane’s possible return to WWE on the business “a tantalizing puzzle piece” as far as WWE’s efforts to break into countries like China. Shane clearly has had a lot of success in China and could help WWE there.
Harrington also made this statement.
“He has spent years focused on the issue of how do you generate real revenue with Chinese OTT media. That’s a topic where WWE needs an expert.”
He is right; WWE does need help in this area. However, it for the entire world, too. WWE Network is still in an infancy stage and WWE is just now really catering to content on the network. They still don’t focus on it as much, or more than their other televised shows. WWE can say all day long that Shane McMahon is just back with WWE as a character for now. They could even say that his time with WWE right now is certainly helpful in promoting the new Shane McMahon DVD rumored for this year. However, his role with WWE just doesn’t seem likely to stop as “just a character.”
[Image via WWE]
