10 Events That Changed WWE Forever

9. Shane Leaves WWE, Putting The Spotlight On Stephanie

Shane McMahon was introduced to the WWF audience during the peak of the Attitude Era and went on to become a central character on WWF programming. He feuded with several wrestlers, was in countless matches, and took insane bumps. It all seemed to indicate that he was going to follow in his father€™s footsteps and become the CEO of WWE, Inc. when Vince would retire. But, on October 9th, 2009, Shane announced his resignation from the WWE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVPvHPhItuw Though there wasn€™t much discussion in public, behind the scenes, I€™m pretty sure Vince felt terrible knowing his son wouldn€™t take his place. This isn€™t to say that Vince was sexist, or favored his son over his daughter, far from it. But looking at history, it seemed a natural plan for Shane to take over. Vince took the reins from his father, Vince Sr., who did the same from his father, Jess McMahon. So Shane going on to form and become the CEO of his own company, YOU On Demand, must have really thrown a wrench into the WWE CEO€™s plans. Instead of Shane, the focus turned towards Stephanie, and her husband, Triple H. There are countless articles, opinion pieces, and discussions online discussing the alleged abuse of power and politicking on HHH€™s part. Currently, The Authority (Steph/HHH) is the primary authority figure in the WWE, reflecting their increasingly prominent roles in the WWE on both sides of the curtain. Some, however, believe that Triple H and Stephanie would have still been where they are today regardless of Shane€™s decisions. Would the WWE have been different under Shane? What would Stephanie€™s power be, and where would HHH fit into the mix? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions will remain forever unanswered.