Shane McMahon’s 10 Most Ridiculous Ego Trips
6. Grand Theft
In March 2001, WCW and ECW disappeared almost overnight, as Vince McMahon took his place atop an industry he'd been gradually devouring for nearly 20 years. Not only did he celebrate such a feat by gobbling up even more time for himself on the final edition of Monday Nitro, but his empiric vision of Sports Entertainment was fully realised on the 'Grandest Stage'.
WrestleMania 17 was and still is the finest ever WWE supercard, and could perhaps be the greatest wrestling show of all time. That it landed just days after the conclusion of his bloodthirsty battle with WCW was probably as sweet as the fact he was able to share some of the spotlight in a gloriously entertaining Street Fight with son Shane.
As per storyline requirements, Vince took his lumps that night, including a final spot in which 'Shane-O-Mac' went 'coast to coast', dropkicking a trashcan in his father's face from the other side of the ring. WCW wrestlers looked on from the cheap seats that night, but one future WWE employee not in attendance was Rob Van Dam. 'Mr Pay-Per-View' had innovated the breathtaking leap less than a year earlier, and the vaunted Van Terminator was the talk of the wrestling fanbase as a result.
Freshly out of a job, Van Dam may have needed the spot to find employment, or even just generate some token buzz. A trust fund kid stealing it wholesale on one of the most watched wrestling shows ever wasn't going to aid that trajectory.