WrestleMania is less than four weeks away as the March 7th episode of WWE RAW takes place live from Chicago, Illinois.

– RAW opens up with a video highlighting the recent history between Vince McMahon, Shane and The Undertaker.

– Here comes the money! Shane McMahon’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. Shane cuts a promo on Vince, calling him an “ego maniacal, miserable old bastard.” He says Vince has lost touch with his fans, and with Shane. Shane says he doesn’t know how yet, but he will defeat The Undertaker and fulfill his legacy by taking over Monday Night RAW. GONG! The lights go out for The Undertaker, but it’s a fake-out, they come back on and Vince McMahon’s music hit as the WWE Chairman struts onto the stage. Vince cuts a promo on Shane and gets lots of “CM Punk” and “What” chants from the Chicago crowd. Vince takes a photo of him and a young Shane, throws it down, and stomps on it. Vince tells security to kick out Shane. A couple members of Vince’s security hit the ring and Shane lays them out with punches and knees. Shane eventually makes his way to the back voluntarily.

#ShaneIsBack…and he's LIVE in Chicago for Monday Night #RAW! @ShaneMcMahon https://t.co/JlurAgBGhC

— WWE (@WWE) March 8, 2016

– Backstage, Kevin Owens gets ready for a match against Neville.

– Kevin Owens def. Neville: Owens takes control early on and mocks Neville’s British accent. Neville puts his knees up to block a Senton bomb and comes back. Neville throws KO to the outside and hits a shooting star press from the top rope all the way down onto Owens on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Neville hits a standing shooting star press in the middle of the ring for a 2-count. Owens eventually rolls up Neville with a small package rollup out of nowhere for the 1-2-3. Owens jumps Neville from behind after the bell.

– After the match, Owens goes to give Neville a piledriver on the outside, but Sami Zayn runs in for the save. Neville and Zayn high-five in the ring as Owens sells his beating and walks to the back.

– Backstage, Stephanie McMahon reminds Dolph Ziggler that she’s his boss. Ziggler mentions that if Shane wins at WrestleMania, she’ll be out of power. Stephanie books him in a tag team elimination match against three members of the League of Nations tonight, and he will get 0 partners on his team. Ziggler says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

– Summer Rae def. Brie Bella: Moments into the match, Lana’s music hits and she walks down to the ring. Summer uses the distraction to roll up Brie Bella in a small package for the win. Lana gets in the ring and jumps Brie after the match.

– Dean Ambrose comes out to cut a promo on Triple H. Triple H’s music hits and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion comes out to the stage to interrupt. Triple H talks about why the title belt is going to stay with him as long as he wants to it. Ambrose tells HHH to “suck it.” Triple H tells Ambrose he has to face Bray Wyatt later tonight.

– Sheamus, Rusev, Wade Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler: The League beats down Ziggler in the opening moments. Ziggler manages to pin Barrett first for the elimination, leaving him with just Sheamus and Rusev to deal with. Sheamus hits the Brogue kick on Ziggler for the 1-2-3.

The numbers game just too much for @HEELZiggler, as @WWESheamus closes it out with a #BrogueKick! #RAW pic.twitter.com/wU8hK3RHnV

— WWE (@WWE) March 8, 2016

– Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch def. Naomi & Tamina: Sasha hits a backbreaker on Naomi and locks her in the Banks Statement for the tap out victory. After the match, Charlotte runs in and lays out Sasha and Becky.

– Backstage R-Truth delivers a Chicago deep dish pizza to Goldust. Goldust declines and Mark Henry sneaks in and takes the pizza.

– Big E and Kofi Kingston def. Chris Jericho & AJ Styles: Jericho and AJ take control early on and send both New Day members to the outside. Back in the ring, Big E tags in Kofi and they gain control over Jericho with some double team moves. AJ hits his moonsault reverse DDT on Kofi for the 2. Jericho goes for a codebreaker on Big E but Big E reverses into the Big Ending for the 1-2-3.

– After the match, Jericho lays out AJ with three Codebreakers. He grabs his “Y2AJ” shirt and shoves it in AJ’s mouth.

– Kalisto def. Tyler Breeze: Kalisto hits the Salida Del Sol on Breeze off the turnbuckle for the 1-2-3.

– Ryback def. Curtis Axel: Back and forth action between the two until Ryback turns the tides and pummels on Axel. He Hits the Shellshocked for the 3 count.

– Backstage, Vince is on the phone when he’s interrupted by Stephanie. They talk about Shane and how they’re going to handle him. Vince tells her not to worry, “I’ve got this.”

– Dean Ambrose def. Bray Wyatt via DQ: Wyatt gets in lots of offense early on. On the outside, Wyatt gives Ambrose a Rock Bottom into the guard rail and Ambrose falls to the floor. Back in the ring, Ambrose mounts a comeback but The Wyatt family interferes and beats down Ambrose.

– After The Wyatt Family beats down Ambrose, Triple H’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. Wyatt and Triple H have a stare-down before Wyatt and his crew leave the ring. Triple H prepares for a beat down on Ambrose, but Ambrose hops up and hits The Dirty Deeds on The Game. Ambrose holds up the WWE Championship as RAW goes off the air.

Former WWE Attitude Era personality Pete Gas recently spoke with Rolling Stone about Shane McMahon’s return to WWE. Pete Gas is really a childhood friend of Shane’s and says he couldn’t believe when he saw Shane back in the ring after so many years.

“I think I was like everyone in that arena and around the world: shocked. I had no idea that was about to happen, even though I had talked to Shane. He hadn’t mentioned it at all. It was a long time coming for me.”

Pete called Shane’s return electric and couldn’t believe the reception he got was impactful as it was.

Upon his return, Shane stated his intention to claim his rightful stake in WWE. There has been a feeling backstage that much of what Shane and Stephanie have been saying about each other on television is rooted in reality.

The stakes are high at WrestleMania, with Shane battling The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. If Shane wins, he gets storyline control of WWE. You can be certain that The Authority will stop at nothing to assure The Undertaker is victorious. As for Shane, Pete Gas says he and the rest of the Mean Street Posse would be there for him no questions asked. When asked about the Posse reforming one more time at WrestleMania, Pete said,

“I’m honestly not sure. I haven’t heard anything yet, but Shane knows that all he has to do is call, and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

You can read the full interview Rolling Stone.

WWE released their Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement on Wednesday, showing how much Shane McMahon is being paid for his return to the company.

Shane, who is a former executive officer and perfomer with the company, reportedly has yet to sign a deal, but is expected to be paid in excess of $120,000 for his services. His exact services and earnings will be disclosed in next year’s proxy statement.

The report also detailed how much the company’s top executives were paid in 2015:

• Vince McMahon – Chairman & Chief Executive Officer: $3.3 million
• Michelle Wilson – Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer: $4.5 million
• George Barrios – Chief Strategy & Financial Officer: $4.5 million
• Paul Levesque – EVP, Talent, Live Events & Creative: $3.1 million
• Kevin Dunn – Executive Producer & Chief Global Television Production: $4.7 million

Stephanie McMahon’s earnings were not listed.

• Backstage News On Shane McMahon’s Return To WWE

Former WWE writer Andrew Goldstein was very critical of Monday’s RAW, specifically the McMahon-Undertaker storyline.

The Dead Man is scheduled to square off against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania inside Hell in a Cell. If Shane wins, he gets control of WWE. If The Undertaker wins, The Authority remains in power and Shane will no longer have any leverage over his father.

Ever since the match was announced, fans have been wondering why exactly The Undertaker would agree to do Vince McMahon’s bidding. What is The Undertaker’s motivation to keep The Authority in power?

On RAW, The Undertaker addressed the match ever-so-briefly but did not provide any explanation regarding why he has agreed to the match. Andrew Goldstein thinks WWE has failed at their job to present a straight-forward, cohesive angle. He tweeted:

Apart from initial surprise of Shane's return, rest of story has lacked logic/specifics. Basically its been like one, long Trump speech #RAW

— Andrew Goldstein (@AngeGold) March 1, 2016

Jesus @WWE you had one job: Explain why the f*ck the Undertaker would do Vince's bidding. Instead we got unimpactful melodrama. Fail. #RAW

— Andrew Goldstein (@AngeGold) March 1, 2016

– On Saturday, tickets went on sale for Daniel Bryan’s WrestleMania AXXESS appearance. The pre-sale password leaked online before tickets were made available to the general public and sold out instantly. There are still some tickets available on Stubhub, but they’ll set you back at least $400.

– This past week, Pawn Stars featured the sale of a WWE Hall of Fame ring purported to be Paul Bearer’s.  His son Daniel Moody posted a statement on Facebook claiming that the ring was a fake and he’s been in touch with the History Channel to rectify the situation.

– Here’s the latest video of Shane McMahon training for WrestleMania with Muay Thai expert Ajam Phil Nurse:

Saenchi kick…working on a few things with the Master, @AjarnPhilNurse @WATNYC pic.twitter.com/oLA3Ek0bSG

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) February 28, 2016

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com.

Regarding Shane McMahon’s surprise return to WWE television, Ross called it one of the most emotional moments on RAW in years. “Being asked to cast judgment on this storyline is borderline incredible and I simply have chosen to wait and see how this matter plays out before joining the maddening throng of fans who have either already declared it a failure of the best thing ever.”

Last week, news broke that Triple H will be defending the WWE World Heavyweight championship at the “Road To WrestleMania” live special from Toronto on 3/12. He thinks it’s imperative for Triple H to get some ring time ahead of his WrestleMania main event match against Roman Reigns. “HHH is a perfectionist and being able to wrestle bouts on the road to Wrestlemania especially if he dances with Roman Reigns in some form is strategic.”

JR also addressed the news that TNA is “seeking investors” in an effort to take the company to the next level. He wished them the best of luck and said Impact Wrestling on Pop TV has been showing signs of improvement, which it really has.

Shane McMahon appeared on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio on Friday afternoon to discuss his surprise return to WWE television, his upcoming Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania and much more. Here’s a recap:

• Shane said he’s known The Undertaker for 20 plus years and their match at WrestleMania 32 is very serious to him. Both of them take an “immense amount of pride” in delivering a WrestleMania classic.
• He’s been training 3 times per day in preparation for the Hell in a Cell match. Shane actually increased the intensity of his workouts last summer, but did so because he wanted to be in shape so he could go surfing with his sons.
• The main reason he agreed to compete at WrestleMania is so his sons could see him in action. His sons (ages 12, 9 and 6) will be at AT&T Stadium to watch their dad.
• Shane hopes at least one of his sons works for WWE one day so they can keep the McMahon legacy going for a 5th generation.
• Co-host Peter Rosenberg asked Shane if WWE will break the company’s attendance record from WrestleMania III. Shane said “it’s possible” and “they have a shot,” but stopped short of saying yes.
• When asked if he will take a more prominent role in WWE, Shane said right now, he’s focused on WrestleMania. “Anything after that, we’ll see.”
• It was not difficult for Shane to keep his surprise a secret because he considers himself to be a very guarded person.
• Regarding the thunderous ovation he received for his surprise return, Shane said he was humbled and will forever be grateful to the Detroit fans for giving him a memory he’ll cherish forever.
• The hosts speculated about Shane planning a major bump for the show and joked about him jumping off the giant scoreboard above the field. Shane said he’ll be happy to just survive Hell in a Cell against The Undertaker.
• Shane said Muhammad Ali, Rocky Johnson and Apollo Creed were the inspirations behind his famous “Shane-O-Mac Shuffle” dance. He also named Bruno Sammartino and “Superstar” Billy Graham as two of his heroes growing up.

Overall, an awesome interview and definitely worth checking out.

After making his return to WWE television on 2/27, Shane McMahon’s next RAW appearance has been revealed. Shane-o Mac is being advertised for the March 7th episode of RAW, which takes place in Chicago.

While Shane has yet to come face-to-face with his WrestleMania opponent, it’s likely that he will have words with The Undertaker on the 3/14 episode of RAW in Pittsburgh. On Friday, The CONSOL Energy Center announced that both men are booked for the show on March 14th.

THIS JUST IN: @shanemcmahon and #theundertaker will be LIVE in Pittsburgh on March 14th for Monday Night RAW! https://t.co/mlaaCqBoLN

— PPG Paints Arena (@PPGPaintsArena) February 26, 2016

The Dead Man is also booked to appear on this coming Monday’s RAW. Last week’s RAW viewership spiked to 4.2 million viewers in the first hour for McMahon’s return to television.

Following Shane McMahon’s return to WWE television this past week on RAW, there’s been a lot of talk about whether or not he will be returning to a management position with the company.

The New York Post has published an article looking at what Shane could bring to the WWE Corporate after gaining outside executive experience since leaving WWE back in 2010. A source told the Post, “Shane’s digital, international and a helluva performer. I’ve never heard anyone who’s worked with him say a bad word about him.”

Sounds like a great fit for WWE, which is looking to expand the WWE Network’s reach both in the United States and abroad. A WWE spokesperson, however, told the Post that for now, Shane is just “playing a character on a TV show.”

Chris Harrington, who covers the financial side of pro wrestling for investment site Seeking Alpha, called Shane’s possible return to WWE executive team “a tantalizing puzzle piece” in the company’s efforts to break into China.

“He has spent years focused on the issue of how do you generate real revenue with Chinese OTT media,” Harrington wrote. “That’s a topic where WWE needs an expert.”

• Editorial: Shane McMahon’s Return & Why The Brand Split Is A Bad Idea

Shane McMahon checked in with another workout video on Thursday, showing fans what he’s doing to prepare for his Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania.

• Shane McMahon’s Return & Why The Brand Split Is A Bad Idea (Editorial)

Earlier this week we saw him training with Muay Thai “trainer of champions” Ajarn Phil Nurse at his gym in New York City. As you can see below,  the 46-year-old father of three is already looking pretty good, pumping out bodyweight dips with ease.

Putting in the work…38 days until @WrestleMania. pic.twitter.com/7hBiuEO0Qk

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) February 25, 2016

– Shane McMahon is now being advertised for the March 7th episode of WWE RAW from Chicago. The Allstate Arena website announced Thursday:

“JUST ANNOUNCED: For the First time in over a decade Shane McMahon will be live at the Allstate Arena on 3/7 for WWE – Monday Night Raw!”

– WWE announced on Thursday that Daniel Bryan will be appearing at the April 19th SmackDown taping from London, England:

https://twitter.com/WWEUK/status/702510920082149376

Bryan will be appearing at several upcoming WWE live events, including:

• 3/25 in New York City (‘Daniel Bryan Appreciation Night’ at MSG)
• 3/26 from Trenton, NJ
• 3/27 from Washington, D.C.

Shane McMahon has begun preparing for his April 3rd match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. The bout will be a Hell In The Cell match, and is the first time Shane will see in-ring action since April of 2009.

• Backstage News On Shane McMahon’s Return To WWE

Shane is working with Muay Thai “trainer of champions”  Ajarn Phil Nurse and tweeted this video of them working together:

Post workout stretch with my Muay Thai coach, the Trainer of Champions @AjarnPhilNurse @WATNYC #WorkingHard pic.twitter.com/et2iJIjEoh

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) February 24, 2016

After a nearly seven year absence from WWE television, Shane McMahon made what can only be described as a triumphant return to Raw last Monday in Detroit. As overexposed as the McMahon clan has been, the Boy Wonder (and the thunderous ovation he received) proves that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. In one night, WWE succeeded in adding genuine intrigue to what had been shaping up as a ho-hum WrestleMania card. If Shane hopes to take control of Monday Night Raw, all he needs to do is defeat The Undertaker inside “Hell in a Cell”. Easy enough, no?

Shane was always the one McMahon I never got tired of seeing. While I would argue that Mister McMahon is the greatest villain the company has ever produced, there have been many times where he has overstayed his welcome. His return to TV a few months ago, albeit a desperate attempt to help make Roman look strong, got people excited largely because he had been hidden away for so long. Stephanie and Triple H, while great in their roles, would do well after WrestleMania to take the old man’s cue and disappear for a while (we are now going on THREE YEARS of this Authority nonsense). As for Linda, she always had the charisma of a wet dish rag and thankfully was limited in her roles. For someone who likely never received any formal training, Shane has turned in plenty of memorable performances over the years against the likes of Kurt Angle, Test and even his own father. I always respected him for the risks he was willing to take, however stupid they may have been.

Let me just say that I don’t believe for a second that Shane McMahon is wrestling The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Not that I would mind, it would certainly be something different, which seems to be a dirty word in WWE’s vocabulary. Nonetheless, I think what we saw was the first of several chapters in a story that will play itself out in the months (yes, months) to come. With the announcement that the dead man himself will be on Raw next week, I imagine he will be none too happy about being tasked with doing the chairman’s dirty work and may reject the match outright. This is where the idea of a surrogate wrestling on Shane’s behalf becomes more realistic, and the question then turns to who that person may be. There are several options, including a certain 15-time champion currently rehabbing from a torn rotator cuff. It’s an injury that should, in theory, keep him out of action until the summer, but John Cena has remarkable mutant healing powers, and I think it is very likely that he takes Shane’s place in an effort to help rescue Raw from the evil Authority.

You also have Sting, who we know will be present that weekend to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. It’s a match that many fans still clamor for. Others may dread it, but there is no doubting the marquee value such a match would have (once the bell rings, that’s another story). Were it not for Sting’s diagnosis of spinal stenosis, which ended the careers of both Steve Austin and Edge, and the fact that he still needs neck surgery, he would make a fine choice, but it just doesn’t seem possible. Or how about The Rock? He did tease a major role for himself at WrestleMania, though the belief is that he won’t be wrestling on the card, which would seem to disqualify him from consideration. Then again, in wrestling, it’s probably wise to never discount anything from consideration.

On my podcast back in November, in response to a listener question about a potential Shane McMahon return (hat tip to Adam from Newcastle, England), I pitched an idea that while not exactly the same, is not all that different from what we are now seeing. In my scenario, Shane would return to confront Triple H, not Vince, in an effort to reclaim his birthright and would handpick a representative to wrestle another superstar of the COO’s choosing at WrestleMania for control of the company. I thought it would be most intriguing for Shane to recruit a major name from the NXT ranks, say Finn Balor or Sami Zayn, given Triple H is something of a proud papa to all of those guys. He could then spend the next several weeks playing off his relationship with them and trying to convince them to do the right thing, or as he would say, “what’s best for business”. The end result would be a big win for the NXT star and the end of The Authority storyline, which is long past its expiration date. As things are currently set up, Demon Balor could very easily be recruited by Shane, if they wanted to go in that direction. I love the idea (just imagine the entrances), but I still believe Cena will be their choice if he can make it back in time.

I do want to look beyond WrestleMania for a moment. Many fans online are excitedly pointing to a Ticketmaster listing for an upcoming Raw in May that is being billed as “Monday Night Raw vs. WWE” as evidence that a return to a brand split is imminent. Given how stale and monotonous the show has become, Shane McMahon taking control, even if only in storyline, could give Raw a fresh feel that it so desperately needs. That being said, I believe a formal brand split, at least at the moment, would be a terrible idea. Even a decade ago, WWE never seemed to fully embrace the idea of a true brand split, and so long as the same person is in charge of running things, that is unlikely to ever change. But that’s not even the biggest problem they face. One of the biggest changes since that time has been the expansion of Monday Night Raw to three hours. At a time when the company lacks depth at the top of its roster, a roster that has been absolutely ravaged by injuries, it makes absolutely no sense to take an already depleted roster, split it in half, and then attempt to fill those same three hours every Monday night. Of course, they can always call a bunch of NXT names down to the main roster to fill those spots, but will they? Colin Cassady and Enzo Amore are most certainly ready to make the transition, as should someone like Samoa Joe, but I just don’t see them gutting the NXT brand by shifting over enough names at one time to make up that deficit.

Would a brand split help shake things up? Sure, it might. If they insist on moving ahead with the idea, they should do so IF and ONLY IF Raw is moved back to a two hour format. Believe me, the McMahons (sans Shane) are hardly the only ones suffering from overexposure, and in order for the idea to have a shot at working, it is a necessary move to make. It’s great to have Shane ‘O Mac back and I’d like to see his character be the catalyst for some exciting television post-WrestleMania.

They’ve got people talking. Don’t drop the ball.

There is a strange listing on Ticketmaster for the Monday Night Raw in Baltimore, Maryland the night after the pay-per-view in Newark, New Jersey that is now Extreme Rules: As if this writing, the show is billed as “WWE Monday Night RAW vs. WWE.” On one hand, this could be absolutely nothing, as Ticketmaster listings for WWE events being incorrect and/or oddly formatted is not out of the ordinary at all. On the other hand, this sounds like it plays directly into the Shane McMahon storyline that started on last night’s edition of Raw: If Shane beats The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania, he gets control of Raw, or at least that’s how it was specified in the promo.

Again, it could easily be nothing, but today, it’s very easy to read it as something, so we’ll have to see what happens.

Meanwhile, Shane McMahon has joined the Twitterverse. While he’s not verified yet (and he only has one tweet so far), his father, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, did tweet at him a few minutes ago and the official WWE account identified him as real:

My son @ShaneMcMahon returns to Raw. #SurrealMoment pic.twitter.com/B5ITJWJrhv

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) February 23, 2016

What a night. Thank you Detroit for that incredible welcome. It's great to be back. pic.twitter.com/l1TFbZMXiP

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) February 23, 2016

Before Monday Night Raw happened, this column was going to include an open letter to WWE management about how they are disappointing fans with the main event of WrestleMania 32. Judging by the sole reaction of WWE fans following WWE Fast Lane, fans were handing over their “fan cards.”

The hashtag “#CancelWWENetwork” actually trended for a bit due to the disappointment of Roman Reigns’ victory over Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose. Much like the last two years, wrestling fans weren’t content with the Roman Empire in the main event.

And then, Monday Night Raw happened.

WWE fans were told the night before that the Vincent J. McMahon Legacy Award would be handed out in the opening segment of WWE’s flagship program. As the time inched closer, social media was waiting in anticipation as to who would take home the prized possession of the WWE.

Vince McMahon made his way out to the ring to hand the award to the person most-deserved of the recognition. He announced that Stephanie was the only real contender for the trophy. The Billion Dollar Princess approached the ring in “tears” to accept the award.

Both McMahons were beside themselves as Stephanie was attempting to put herself as only a heel would. Before she could get out more than a few sentences, a familiar face’s music hit the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

“HERE COMES THE MONEY!”

Over 15,00o WWE fans were up on their feet to celebrate the return of Shane McMahon. This came as a huge shock, especially since the rift between Shane and Vince occurred several years ago. To say that the Internet Wrestling Community was shocked is truly an understatement. Here are a few reactions on Twitter for Shane’s arrival:

BAH GAWD!! ITS SHANE MCMAHON!!! SHANE MCMAHON !!! GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY AS GOD AS MY WITNESS BUSINESS HAS PICKED UP!!!

— FrontRowBrian® (@FrontRowBrian) February 23, 2016

SHANE MCMAHON!!!?!!??!?!?!?!?!?!!?!

— Jonathan Fisher (@JonFisherIQ) February 23, 2016

I absolutely loved the first segment! Well done, WWE.

— The VOTV Podcast (@TheVOTVPodcast) February 23, 2016

Without recapping the entire segment, the last tweet mentioned encapsulated it pretty well. Shane’s return to the WWE left everyone speechless as Vince announced Undertaker’s WrestleMania opponent in the process.

Dave Meltzer reported last week that the Deadman’s opponent this year wasn’t on the active roster. Well, it appears “the Meltz” was right on the money with his report. Shane and Taker will duke it out in Hell in a Cell.

If Shane wins, he gets control of Monday Night Raw. If Taker wins, Vince gets the “lockbox” that Vince alluded to in their exchange last night.

Even though that was the highlight of the show, Lesnar and Ambrose also had a stellar segment in which Ambrose challenged the Beast Incarnate to a No Holds Barred Street Fight for WrestleMania.

Paul Heyman and Lesnar accepted.

We are under six weeks away from WrestleMania and three matches are already confirmed. To say that the WWE doesn’t book for the future is asinine. Last night proved nearly everyone wrong.

That is said in the most-sincere of ways, especially since a good portion of the WWE Universe was extremely unhappy at the conclusion of WWE Fast Lane. Much like Vince and the WWE Creative team has done before, when fans are ready to throw in the towel, the WWE reels them back in.

What makes this storyline between Shane and Vince real, is that it’s almost like art imitates life. Those who have watched the product for at least five years understand that the best storylines on television are the ones that include real-life situation.

The CM Punk saga and Edge/Matt Hardy are two great examples of that phenomena.

Brad Davis covered this scenario earlier today and here’s the gist of what is actually going on with Shane, Vince and Stephanie:

• This gimmick match “WrestleMania match for control of WWE” was supposed to happen a few years ago.
• The Vince/Shane “deal” was settled weeks back. Shane has no management position inside the WWE.
• Shane’s promo was based on real-life situation, as he felt he was in line to take over after Vince. Instead, Stephanie and HHH were chosen to do that instead. That led to his departure.

Davis also said that Meltzer is claiming there’s something behind Triple H not being involved in the segment last night.

Before any of this took place, WrestleMania was still going to be a great show. Even if the main event isn’t what some wanted, it’s still WrestleMania. Don’t get lost in translation, this match and the Ambrose/Lesnar bout make it much better.

This opens up an infinite amount of possibilities moving forward. John Cena, if healthy, could enter this fray. Undertaker may return early and cut promos and possibly will turn heel with Vince and Stephanie. HHH still has to get involved somehow.

He is the COO after all.

Some may think that Shane O’ Mac may not have saved WrestleMania, but he certainly made it fun.

That’s all that matters.

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.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon dropped an F-bomb on last night’s RAW during his face-to-face confrontation with Shane. As Shane was jockeying for control of WWE, Vince told him straight up, “Don’t f— with me.” The profanity was censored on television, but WWE fan James Gillis got this footage from inside the arena.

WWE released this video from during a RAW commercial break of Shane McMahon expressing his gratitude to the WWE Universe following his surprise return. The Detroit crowd gave Shane a thunderous ovation earlier in the show and he gets emotional telling them how much it meant to him.

Shane will face The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 32 with control of WWE on the line.

Shane McMahon will face The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 32 with control of WWE on the line.

The match was announced by Vince McMahon on RAW. Shane was bargaining for his rightful piece of WWE and it was revealed Vince owed Shane for bailing him out many years ago. Vince said Shane will only get control of WWE if he can survive Hell in a Cell against The Undertaker.

The corroborates the Meltzer report from last week that Taker’s WrestleMania had been decided and it was somebody not currently on the WWE roster. It’s unlikely anybody guessed that opponent would be Shane McMahon.

It's OFFICIAL! #ShaneMcMahon vs. #Undertaker inside #HellInACell at @WrestleMania! #RAW pic.twitter.com/Fwkem3I86S

— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) February 23, 2016

For those curious what Shane McMahon is doing these days, SeekingAlpha.com is reporting that he is now the Vice Chairman of YOU On Demand, the multi-platform entertainment company he founded and has been working with in China, which was referenced by Vince McMahon during his interview with Steve Austin on the first-ever live “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network.

Shane McMahon assumed the role of Vice Chairman of the Chinese-based Video On Demand (VOD) company after Xuesong Song stepped down from his position as Executive Chairman. Song will remain with the company on the board as a director.

In addition to appointing Shane McMahon as the new Vice Chairman, the company made a number of changes this week, including adding two members to its’ board. Bruno Wu, the founder and CEO of Sun Seven Stars Media Group — a company that invested ten million dollars in YOU On Demand — was elected as the new Chairman of the company.

YOU On Demand (NASDAQ: YOD) is up 1.9% after making the changes this week. For more information on the company Shane McMahon is trying to make his own name in, visit YOD.com.

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ECW Original Raven recently appeared as a guest on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast and spoke about some issues he had during his early run in WWE, as well as his thoughts on a potential return to the company. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On what he felt the best match at WrestleMania 19 was:

“[Jericho] and Michaels had a phenomenal match, but I still thought that the best match, no offense, on the card was Hulk and Vince because Vince’s facials and they didn’t have 20 minutes of false finishes. I think they had just a comeback and go home, right? But I remember there was this one spot where Vince picked something up and he peers. Like, his head pops up and he’s peering over across the ring and the camera picks it up and I’m like, ‘oh, what a shot!'”

On leaving WWE during his run as Johnny Polo in the 1990s due to the company’s sex policy:

“Nobody leaves this company on their own terms. I did, so that was heat. Then, there [were] some other things that I can’t get into that were heat and so it was a whole confluence of things that were partially my fault, definitely partially my fault, and just circumstances. They made the policy that talent couldn’t sleep with the office people. I was proud of that.”

On getting heat with Vince McMahon for partying with Shane McMahon:

“They used to call me Johnny Port Chester Polo because Stamford [Connecticut], they rolled the sidewalks up at one o’clock, but Port Chester [New York] was open till, like, five in the morning. It’s, like, five miles away. My downfall was I’d bring Shane out with me, Shane McMahon. And the boys are like, ‘ah, you’re sucking up to him’ and I’m like, ‘no, I’m not! I’m burying myself’ because he’d call his dad, and on commentary, I’d call his dad ‘Vic’ instead of ‘Vince’, so he’d go, ‘hey, Vic,’ which is just horrible! He’d say, ‘hey, Vic, it’s,’ and it would be, like, four in the morning, ‘I’m just going to sleep at Johnny Polo’s tonight’ and so I just buried myself.”

On the possibility of a WWE return:

“Honestly, if I could go back, if I could go there now, I don’t think I would because I’d rather be semi-retired. If I had an opportunity to come in, which I don’t, but if I had an opportunity to come in and do what I wanted to do the way I wanted to do it, I’d take that in a heartbeat. But the odds of me ever getting that and the odds of them ever hiring me are [astronomically small], but the odds of me getting to do what I want to do are beyond [astronomically small].”

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The folks at the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast are back with another interview: Mean Street Posse member Pete Gas (Pete Gasparino). Being that his on-screen persona of being one of Shane McMahon’s childhood friend was no gimmick, he has a unique perspective that you don’t really hear from anyone else. Here are some of the key quotes from the interview:

Did Shane have aspirations to take over for Vince?

Because of our friendship it’s not like we ever sat around at a bar on Greenwich Avenue and he said “I’m going to run this place”. It was never that type of conversation. Shane started from the bottom up, his father was and we all know his father is a genius. Shane started doing summer jobs and working for the company, he would work in the warehouse one summer. Eventually as he got older he started going on the road during summer break and he would set up the rings, he would get involved and do some refereeing.

Shane was groomed to learn every facet of the business and this way the more you know, the better you are and that was the way it is. I believe Stephanie was too. If I remember correctly she was working in the office in the main building at Titan Tower working in different departments there as well. The family is so close and I know that the bond that they all have is that since it’s just such a close family they always wanted to be together and this business is the air they breathe. It’s everything to them.

Will Shane ever return to WWE?

I think it’s one of those things where you don’t want to live in your Dad’s shadow. To be honest with you the only person who can truly answer that is Shane. It will always be in his blood to be in the business, whether or not he ever comes back. I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you. But he’s one of those guys that truly loves the business, he loved everything about it but maybe it was something he had to prove to himself.

How did the Mean Street Posse end up getting trained to wrestle and put into the developmental system?

At the time Dr. Tom [Prichard] was scouting talent and living in Stamford and it was like a toned down version of what they do on Breaking Ground, it wasn’t as intense it was just about the wrestling aspect. When he didn’t have anybody to train he was working just with us and God Bless Him because we gave him a few potatoes and I know we hurt him a couple of times but he was great to us. We learned from him at the studio and we were training every day after work and as time went on the office said we need to get you more matches so we are going to send you to Memphis to do TVs and you are going to fly back to Memphis on Wednesday’s and do shows with the developmental program.

Did he like the pro wrestler lifestyle?

I could honestly tell you that I woke up every single day jumping out of bed and I truly mean that with all my heart. I would jump out of bed and say I cannot wait to find out what I was going to be doing today. It was new, it was exciting and to live that lifestyle and I see how people get worn out and are beaten down because of the job but I guess it is the individual because for me I absolutely loved it, loved the attention, I always loved giving autographs and helping people out. Whether it was charity or going to a hospital whatever the case was I enjoyed it. The wrestlers that are upset, those guys didn’t have it like Rodney and me had it. Rodney and I never got to win a match. We never got the shine in a match we basically just got our asses kicked and I loved every bit of it.

In the full interview, he also talks about Pete his feud with Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, meeting Shane McMahon, getting cut by WWE, and more.

Shane McMahon joined Batista at the James Bond “007: Spectre” world premiere in the United Kingdom on Monday night. Batista plays villain “Mr. Hinx” in the movie, which is scheduled for a November 6th release.

https://twitter.com/DaveBautista/status/658796102641152000

After weeks of dissension with her PCB partners, Paige finally snapped on Monday’s RAW and turned on Charlotte and Becky Lunch.

PCB lost to Team Bella in a six-Divas tag-team match and Paige snapped. She delivered the RamPaige to both Charlotte and Becky, leaving them laying in the ring.

WWE is planning on releasing a new Brock Lesnar DVD and Blu-ray set in 2016, according to a new report from WrestlingDVDNetwork.com. The last Lesnar DVD, “Here Comes The Pain,” came out in 2003 and was re-released as a Collector’s Edition in 2012.

The new Lesnar DVD and Blu-ray fills one of the last two slots on WWE’s 2016 “Home Video” schedule. The set appears to be a compilation of matches and moments, with all-new documentary footage of Lesnar’s life and career.

As previously reported, WWE is also planning on releasing documentary sets on Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall, The Dudley Boyz and possibly Shane McMahon in 2016.

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