WWE Survivor Series 2016: 10 Reasons To Be Concerned

7. ...And Its WrestleMania Implication

Shane McMahon, Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

The scheduled plan for WrestleMania 33 is Brock Lesnar Vs. Shane McMahon. Jesus Christ. Survivor Series usually acts as the first stop on the road to it. Unfortunately, Shane's inclusion on the card probably isn't a coincidence.

Brock Lesnar can break the Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. Brock Lesnar can throw John Cena around like he's Barry Horowitz. Brock Lesnar can handily vanquish multi-time World Champion Randy Orton in about eleven minutes, eviscerating his skull in the process.

So - forgetting Shane's odd depiction as a man who doesn't fight for a living but is damn good at it - how on earth can we buy him as a legitimate opponent for the Beast Incarnate? If the match does happen - mercifully, as the nixed Strowman Vs. Undertaker match demonstrates, the 'Mania card is very much subject to change - WWE likely won't even position Shane as a probable victor. Surely, the narrative will instead be predicated on his survival.

But what's the point of that? Either the match is the most predictable ever - or Shane actually wins the bloody thing. No good can come of it. And, to create that magical 'Mania "moment", WWE will have to eclipse both the 'Mania 32 Cell stunt and the gruesome hardway blood of SummerSlam 2016. None of it bears thinking about.

Worse still, to build him up for April, Shane will need to look good on Sunday. Expect him to eliminate Kevin Owens, then.

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!