10 Times WWE Booked Themselves Into A Corner

3. The Undertaker Vs. Shane McMahon

Baszler Fiend
WWE

Shane McMahon returned to WWE storylines in 2016, in a bid to seize power back from the stifling tyranny of his sister, thus inciting a 'New Era' of opportunity and excellence.

Fast-forward two and a half years later, and Baron Corbin was removed from power to right the dismal wrongs of Monday Night RAW.

Comments section: WWE has buried itself for longer than I've been doing it.

WWE agrees with me.

But back to 2016. 2016 was a creative atrocity. Vince, defensive over his product, challenged the gumption of the prodigal son in the form of the Undertaker, who simply obeyed him, like he was the urn or some sh*t. WWE, in overloading the stakes to sell the attraction, wrote itself into a corner. 'Taker couldn't lose - it was a WrestleMania match inside Hell In A Cell in Texas against Shane McMahon - but the fans wanted Shane to win, to spare themselves Stephanie's counterproductive, shrill awfulness. So they simply had 'Taker win and reneged on the stipulation because Vince was impressed by Shane's big cushioned jump, which would have been more impressive had he sold it for longer than 24 hours. Also, while Shane lost, he didn't lose the "lockbox" of Vince's secrets. Shane covered up probable grave misdeeds, because he had power now, and we were expected to cheer for this spoilt, craven brat.

F*ck's sake.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential 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 former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current 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!