10 Best WWE Storylines Of 2017
4. Father And Son
Shane McMahon mystifyingly avoids similar criticisms than his sister seemingly due to his willingness to take some ludicrous and psychologically unsound bumps every few months, but as SmackDown Live! Commissioner and in general since his 2016 return, he's been quite the leech.
Mirror man McMahon matched The Undertaker strike-for-strike, stood down The Shield, out-wrestled AJ Styles and fought dirty against Kevin Owens. Losing is somehow Shane's free pass, but the response from most live crowds reflects that he's the perfect example of wins and losses meaning frustratingly little in the big angles. He insists on making the moments about him, even if he's laid flat on his back.
Kevin Owens was as selfish as ever in his motivations, but spoke about this powerful contradiction during their absorbing summer rivalry on SmackDown Live! McMahon really had put himself front and centre at the expense of talent, giving 'KO' a kernel of truth to open up and exploit.
It wasn't the only thing opened up and exploited.
The peak of the angle, (and maybe the second best segment of the year) didn't even feature 'Shane-O-Mac' on screen. A heated showdown between Vince himself and the 'Prizefighter' ended in carnage when Owens opened up The Chairman with a headbutt and flattened him with a frog splash.
More than his son ever will, Vince understood the inconceivable line between megalomania and sympathy. His blood, generated the hardest of hard ways, fittingly powered the heart of the issue going forward.