Real Reason For Shane McMahon’s Shock WWE Return

Shane McMahon has been back in the news for all kinds of reasons in recent weeks and now the real reason for his return to WWE in 2016 has come to light.

Shane McMahon was featured in the Netflix documentary Mr McMahon where he discussed his life working with his father Vince McMahon.

After being the presumed heir to the family business, Shane famously left WWE in 2009 to forge his own path and a return never seemed likely for several years. However, he eventually did find his way back in 2016 where he was immediately put in a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker.

But that wasn’t always the plan.

John Cena Injury Paves Way For Shane McMahon Return

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained exactly what led to Shane McMahon returning to WWE in 2016 and how John Cena played an unlikely role:

The key reason he was brought back for that WrestleMania was John Cena was the one who was gonna wrestle The Undertaker at that WrestleMania and then John Cena got hurt. So you had John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt all got hurt at the same time so desperation leads to desperate measures and that was the opening for Shane McMahon to return to the company as an active performer.

Obviously he was not put in any management position, they never gave him real office power when he came back. Although he did sometimes work with his father backstage and then they had the Royal Rumble a couple of years back, the one where he wanted to outbox Matt Riddle and kind of wanted to build the Royal Rumble all around himself and that was the one that pretty much finished him there.

Shane McMahon was sent home following the 2022 Royal Rumble and his time in the company looked to be done once again. McMahon made a brief return at WrestleMania 39 where he started an impromptu match with The Miz but immediately tore his quad leading to the unlikeliest win in WrestleMania history as Snoop Dogg pinned The Miz.

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