WWE shook things up in a big way on Monday night with the surprise return of Shane McMahon. After a memorable confrontation with Vince and Stephanie McMahon, it was announced that Shane will face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 inside Hell in a Cell. If Shane wins, he gets control of WWE. If The Undertaker wins, Vince’s debt to Shane for bailing him out several years ago is forgiven.
Shane vs. Undertaker HIAC is one of those ‘wildcard’ matches that nobody saw coming but one that will add some much needed interest and star power to a card plagued by injuries. Here’s the latest on how this deal came together, courtesy of Dave Meltzer at f4wonline.com:
– Longtime fans know this “WrestleMania match for control of WWE” has been talked about for years now. Originally it would have been Triple H representing the Authority against a surrogate of Vince McMahon’s, either The Rock of Steve Austin. The plan had been nixed in the past because Vince didn’t want to be on TV.
– The deal between Vince and Shane was brokered just a few weeks ago. Shane currently does not have any management position in the company and is solely an on-air talent at this time. Even though he still has a major role with You On Demand (Chinese media company), he’s Shane is based out of New York and could theoretically be at television each week.
– Shane’s promo was very much based on real circumstances within the McMahon family. There was a time that Shane legitimately felt he was in line to take over WWE but Vince ultimately made it very clear that Stephanie and Triple H would be running the company, which is a big part of what led to his departure.
Meltzer also noted cryptically that there’s something behind the fact that Triple H was not part of that opening segment.
