Shane McMahon Saved Wrestlemania 32

shane mcmahon return 2016 WWE RAW WrestlemaniaWrestlemania 32 is scheduled to take place on April 3rd and it needs to fill AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

Up until now, the outlook on the event was meager at best. Many stars are out with injuries and won’t be back in time for Mania.

Also, the ratings have been in the tank. I guess with the WWE Network, it’s not as important as in the past, but it’s still pretty darn important.

Don’t get me started on WWE’s stock price…it has not exactly been bullish.

Nevermind, forget everything I just wrote.

Wrestlemania 32 may have just been saved by a 46-year-old man.

Shane McMahon appeared in the first segment of RAW and spoiled the party for his sister and father. He hasn’t appeared on WWE television in a long time. He actually left the company entirely to pursue other business opportunities. His sister and brother-in-law jumped his spot in line to inherit the WWE when Vince McMahon passes away.

If you are not familiar with Shane, he played a huge role during WWE’s famed ‘Attitude Era’. He started out playing the spoiled brat role and somehow emerged into an actual legit wrestler. He took huge bumps like these two below.

That was over a decade ago and who knows if he still has the athleticism he had back during that era, but the WWE needed Shane so, so much.

WWE fans have been suffocated with ‘The Authority’ storyline for over two years. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have total control on air (kayfabe) and have been screwing over babyfaces non-stop. A change was needed and who else better than having someone as believable as Shane McMahon. I mean, you couldn’t get some random guy to theoretically say they are a majority stakeholder. Shane was the only person that could take back control.

Vince McMahon announced that Shane will face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 in a ‘Hell In A Cell’ match. I love it. Taker no longer has his Wrestlemania winning streak, so this makes his match mean something again. It will at the very least give them another main event.

The rest of the card still seems a bit iffy since every single wrestler that left Wrestlemania 31 with a belt, is either currently injured or retired. Here’s a list:

  • John Cena (U.S. Champ) – injured
  • Daniel Bryan (Intercontinental Champ) – injured/retired
  • Nikki Bella (Divas Champ) – injured
  • Cesaro (Tag Team Champ) – injured
  • Tyson Kidd (Tag Team Champ) – injured
  • Seth Rollins (WWE Champ) – injured

This list doesn’t even include guys like Randy Orton (shoulder) and Sting (neck) who would have been used in some capacity if they were healthy.

I have faith that WWE has some more tricks up their sleeves to possibly break another attendance record. I doubt Roman Reigns vs. Triple H will fill the stadium by itself. They may need a miracle, but getting Shane back is a good start. At least we know NXT Takeover: Dallas will be amazeballs, right?

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sweetbob-author-picAbout the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.