10 Biggest Wrestling Controversies Of 2016

7. The Return Of Shane McMahon

Shane McMahon
WWE.com

Once a year, every year, WWE trots out at least one star from yesteryear to sell WrestleMania to the lapsed fans who are only ever going to tune in for one night only. This short-term approach has had a debilitating effect on the summer months, which suffer at the expense of a fleeting WrestleMania "moment", the returns of which are fast diminishing.

This year, in the absence of John Cena, WWE were compelled to install Shane McMahon as The Undertaker's 'Mania opponent, in a storyline which made zero sense. In order to assume control of RAW, babyface Shane was to do battle against The Undertaker. At WrestleMania. In Texas. The match, a spectacle at least, was only vaguely heated as a result of the conflicted stakes.

Was Shane's return a welcome retread of the stunt festivals of yore, or an indictment of WWE's star creation process?

It all depends on your perception of the man himself, but, in a year in which WWE made (or cemented) a star out of AJ Styles, McMahon's 'Mania participation, at least, wasn't as counterproductive as Brock Lesnar's. I could have done without the half an hour of tedium that was his Hell In A Cell match, but equally, he's a welcome departure from the passé heel authority figure.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!