WWE Survivor Series 2016: 10 Reasons To Be Concerned

8. The Bizarre Appearance Of Shane McMahon...

Shane McMahon
WWE.com

Shane McMahon Vs. The Undertaker was probably the least anticipated feature match in modern WrestleMania history - but somehow, 29 minutes of boring action were forgiven by the majority of fans because Shane fell onto an inflatable announce desk in the thirtieth. Unfortunately, WWE has inferred from McMahon's popularity that those previous 29 minutes were a success.

The insertion of Shane McMahon into the men's singles elimination match indirectly buries essentially the entire SmackDown male roster...only, it doesn't. This is where his portrayal makes zero sense, and becomes impossible to parse. He is a non-wrestler, ostensibly - but a non-wrestler who is somehow able to match the Undertaker on the ground. When his father Vince stepped into the ring, his matches made sense. He would get battered all over the place, only gaining the upper hand through nefarious means. Shane on the other hand is cast, nonsensically, as a bad-a**. Why doesn't he wrestle all the time? He's clearly alright at it.

There is one scenario which justifies his inclusion. Braun Strowman should throw him off the staging area and onto a crash pad below. Fans get their trademark Shane stunt, Braun gets protected by the obvious intentional count-out, and the seeds for a novelty 'Mania match get planted.

Only, that isn't the scheduled plan...

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!