7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (August 4)
3. Shane McMahon's Immaculate CV
On this week's episode of SmackDown, WWE booked the second consecutive ref bump finish in an AJ Styles Vs. Kevin Owens match. I try not to be a d*ck. I do. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, it's easy to be cynical, etc. But Christ: What are the chances, eh?
Owens went ballistic in the aftermath, demanding a rematch, officiated by somebody competent, from Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. Bryan had the perfect man in mind: Shane McMahon. There are several things wrong with this development.
Months have been wasted, potentially great matches ruined, with this dumb-assed plot device. The Styles/Owens series has underwhelmed, undermined as it has been by contrived bullsh*t. The Special Guest Referee trope rarely makes sense because it exposes how terrible standard officials are. If WWE can't trust the most tenured official in the company, Mike Chioda, to referee a match on the second biggest show of the year - what is he still doing there? He'll probably ref Jinder Mahal Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, too, making this all make less sense. It's all in service of setting up Owens Vs. Shane, and it's all backwards. Surely, you don't use - waste - the best wrestler in the company in a programme that deflates by design to set up a feud with a non-wrestler.
It's almost more irritating that the humble-bragging Shane wasn't the one to instal himself as the official. Bryan picked him, and it actually makes storyline sense. There is nothing Shane cannot do. He is great at everything.
This sort of thing, a sports entertainment special, just creates a devastating ripple effect of plot holes. The centre cannot hold.