The McMahon Family is one of the most influential families in the world of combat sports, as they’ve played arguably the biggest role in revolutionizing pro wrestling. While Vince McMahon planted the seeds of WWE to take the business to another level, his children Stephanie McMahon, and Shane McMahon followed in the footsteps of their father.
In fact, Stephanie’s husband and legendary pro wrestler Triple H also got along with them and started working toward the betterment of the Stamford-based promotion in every possible way. Amid the hard work Hunter did over the years, he was given leadership control of the company after Mr. McMahon had to resign from his position due to s*x trafficking lawsuit by Janel Grant.
Now that WWE has officially entered the Paul Levesque Era, McMahon’s control over the promotion has ended. But the community still admires the family for everything they did. While Vince and Stephanie have always received their flowers, Shane McMahon does not get enough credit from everyone from The McMahon Family for his contributions to the organization. So, let’s take a look at his journey in the pro wrestling world.
Shane McMahon started off his WWE career at a really young age
Born on January 15, 1970, Shane started off his WWE career at a really young age, as he initially worked as a referee for the WWF. After working in this role for a few years, he started appearing as an on-screen character during the Attitude Era in 1998. Soon he aligned himself with his father, Vince McMahon, in the feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, but he soon got on the side of Stone Cold.
After initially betraying Vince, he again aligned with Kennedy by turning on The Texas Rattlesnake, as he officially joined The Corporation. However, his run with the group didn’t last long, as he made a brand new stable that had people who had been with his father’s faction and called it The Union. Through this move, his feud with Vince McMahon got even more personal.
Shane McMahon’s rivalry with Vince continued to be on and off for several years, as they used to be involved in some other storylines in between to again reach the stage where fans used to see them up against each other. But, then, Shane went on a 2-year hiatus, after which he returned in 2003. After his return, he went on to feud with some of the biggest names in the promotion.
Over the next few years, Shane O’ Mac feuded with Kane, DX, Bobby Lashley, and The Legacy. During these storylines, the 6-foot-2 did some of the best work of his career and enjoyed a successful run in the organization. But it all came to an end after he was unexpectedly released from his WWE contract in October 2009, after being off-screen for about 5 months due to an on-screen storyline injury.
Shane McMahon’s 2016 return to WWE was an iconic one
After being away from the Triple H-led promotion for well over 6 years, Shane McMahon made a shocking return to the company in 2016. His sensational return took place on the February 22, 2016, edition of Monday Night RAW. It happened during a segment in which Shane’s father, Vince McMahon, and his sister, Stephanie McMahon, were already standing inside the squared ring.
The veteran made it clear that he had returned to take control of the red brand. Vince agreed to give him the position but claimed that he would have to earn it. Kennedy placed his son in a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. Even though Shane lost the Hell in a Cell match against The Phenom, he received a lot of praise from the WWE Universe, especially due to his jump from the top of the cell.
In fact, Vincent was impressed by what Shane did against Taker, as he gave him control of Monday Night RAW for a month. But his run was extended for three more weeks due to the fans’ demand across social platforms. However, this whole thing around the control of the company’s flagship program wasn’t well received by The Billion Dollar Princess.
Due to this, she confronted her brother and announced that their father would make the next decision about who would take control of the organization at Payback 2016. At the special event, Mr. McMahon revealed his decision and shared that they would both be co-general managers. But after the brand expansion, Shane O’Mac was given the honor of being the commissioner of Friday Night SmackDown.
Shane McMahon did some exceptional work as the SmackDown Commissioner
After being given the prestigious role, Shane also had to find a GM for the blue brand, and he decided to bring back Daniel Bryan for the position. This decision turned out be a great one by the 6-foot-2 pro wrestling figure, as both of them quickly became a fan-favorite duo. In addition to the impact of his presence, Shane McMahon did some exceptional work as the SmackDown Commissioner.
The 54-year-old was heavily involved in on-screen storylines and even competed in the 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match of 2016. In fact, he ended up fighting AJ Styles at WrestleMania 33, where he lost to The Phenomenal One. After this, he had a feud with Kevin Owens that also started after Shane’s work as the commissioner took Kevin’s calmness to the sidelines.
Their rivalry continued for months and even saw Shane O’ Mac being suspended by Vince McMahon. The rivalry then saw them fighting in a HITC match at the namesake PLE in 2017. Then, this feud saw the involvement of Sami Zayn, and the Canadian wrestlers’ duo lost to McMahon and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 34.
It was his last feud in the executive position, as in late 2018, The McMahons revealed that they’ll now run the company as a group. After this, Shane started being more active in in-ring action and even won the WWE World Cup at the Crown Jewel event in November 2018. At Royal Rumble 2019, he and The Miz won the SmackDown Tag Titles by defeating The Bar. But they lost it soon to The Usos.
After this, McMahon turned on The A-lister, and they feuded for a while, after which he even defeated Roman Reigns at Super ShowDown. Following this, he once again started a feud with The Prizefighter. But in October 2019, he was fired from the company as part of a storyline. After being away from WWE for 10 months, O’ Mac returned to the promotion on RAW’s August 3, 2020, episode.
Shane then had a feud with Braun Strowman, and he lost to him at WrestleMania 37. He then made a return at the 2022 Royal Rumble, but it wasn’t well received by the fans. Shane McMahon then made his presence felt at WrestleMania 39, where he ended up getting injured, and Snoop Dogg saved him from humiliation. Since then, he hasn’t been seen in WWE, but looking at his past, it seems that another on-screen return is not that far away.