WWE Rumors: Real Reason For Shane McMahon Winning World Cup At ‘Crown Jewel,’ Per Wrestling Observer
Crown Jewel was a big event pay-per-view for the WWE, but there were some truly weird moments during the event. One of the biggest was when the finals of the WWE World Cup started and The Miz couldn’t continue due to an injury, but Dolph Ziggler didn’t win by forfeit. Instead, Shane McMahon replaced The Miz and ended up winning the title of “Best in the World,” but there is a reason for it.
As recapped by the Inquisitr, eight superstars were in the WWE World Cup from the start, and there were some decent match-ups in the tournament. Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton in the first round of SmackDown Live match-ups. Seth Rollins picked up a huge victory over Bobby Lashley from the Monday Night Raw side.
When all was said and done, Dolph Ziggler represented Raw in the finals of the World Cup and he was set to take on The Miz from SmackDown. Just a few minutes into the match, The Miz was ruled unable to continue due to suffering an “injury” which wasn’t real, but part of the storyline.
That is when SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon stepped in and took his place against Ziggler. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, by way of Bleacher Report, that was actually WWE’s plan all along.
The injury to The Miz was not real and was a complete storyline angle. He was scheduled to be on WWE’s European tour which began on Saturday night, and he was never actually hurt. Even with eight superstars in the tournament, the plan was always to have Shane McMahon win the trophy.
After the match was over, Shane McMahon overreacted in a huge way and ran around the ringside area with the World Cup trophy in his hands. He made it seem as if he was indeed the “Best in the World” even though he only had one match in the tournament.
The reason that WWE ended the World Cup in this fashion is to set up a heel turn for Shane McMahon. Rumor has it that he will eventually have a power struggle with SmackDown Live general manager Paige and it will help add more attention to a possible Raw vs. SmackDown elimination tag team match at Survivor Series.
WWE is hoping that a heel turn by Shane McMahon could possibly bring up the sagging ratings of SmackDown Live over the last few weeks. Right now, the belief is that any big shake-up could help bring viewers back to Tuesday nights and that is why the strange happenings at Crown Jewel. The WWE World Cup tournament seemed like a good idea, but it didn’t end like any of the fans were thinking it would.
