Backstage Talk On Why Vince McMahon Was Upset With Shane At Rumble
New details are being revealed on Shane McMahon's behavior on the day of the WWE Royal Rumble this past Saturday.
As we've noted, it was reported earlier this week that McMahon was "quietly let go" from WWE due to the significant heat he received for his role as a producer and writer of the Men's Royal Rumble Match this past Saturday. Shane competed in the match, but was reportedly heavily criticized for how he took charge of the booking and tried to make the match about himself. You can click here for an initial report on Shane's heat from the Rumble debacle, and click here for the report on WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon making the decision to let his son go. You can also click here for another update on the Shane situation and why people were concerned with one entrant in the Men's Rumble, and click here for another report on Shane being upset before the Rumble.
In an update, multiple people who were at the arena on Saturday noted that McMahon was really self-centered, and made things all about himself and his own ideas, according to a report from Wade Keller of PWTorch. It was also said Shane didn't get caught up on what the plans were for the match.
McMahon apparently doesn't keep up with the WWE storylines as it was noted that he didn't know what was happening on TV, which was to build to certain moments in The Rumble.
Shane allegedly "pulled the McMahon card" with the other Men's Royal Rumble Match producers, and wanted things done his way with the idea that he was there to have a big moment in the match. Things reportedly got so bad that there were heated arguments with people who felt like they could push back on Shane's behavior. The situation was described as "chaotic" by multiple sources, and McMahon's actions reportedly caused a lot of stress and strife, distracting people from the tasks at hand.
It was also said that Shane just went "way overboard" with his actions.
There was a plan in place for the Men's Rumble, but Shane was reportedly pushing back against the WWE producers who were simply trying to follow through on what Vince told them should be done in the match.
Shane had interactions during the Men's Rumble with Kevin Owens, RAW Tag Team Champion Otis, Riddle and others, and it was noted that these exchanges were all his doing, and these are the wrestlers he wanted to be in the ring with, looking good against. While Shane had those interactions that made him looking strong, it came time to put someone over and he was willing to put Brock Lesnar over, the winner.
It's been reported that Shane was booked to wrestle at WWE Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 38, and that he was scheduled to be a heel on the RAW brand. An issue related to Shane's RAW creative is reportedly what put him in a bad place with his father. Shane reportedly had issues with what was planned for RAW, and with how he was going to be framed as he was going to be added to the WWE Title Elimination Chamber match.
Shane reportedly disagreed with Vince's plans for the Elimination Chamber booking, and how he wanted to execute those plans. The plans were laid out to Shane but he didn't like them, so he reportedly pushed back on those plans and that was where Vince finally had enough, leading him to canceling all plans with Shane.
Regarding the back & forth on Saturday, Dave Meltzer added on Wrestling Observer Radio that Shane had ideas, but Vince would veto them, and Lesnar would push for other things. It's been reported that Lesnar "got his way" in the Men's Rumble, and word now is that Lesnar got to do a lot of what he wanted, while Shane did not. Shane complained to a lot of people, and talked down to others, including Jamie Noble. Besides Shane and Noble, it's been reported that the other main producers for the Men's Rumble were Adam Pearce, Shawn Daivari, and Chris Park.
Vince brought Shane in to help produce The Rumble for the third year in a row, but it's likely that this will be the end of his Rumble creative work. It was described as a "dad doing a favor to his son," despite the fact that Shane's creative ideas have been laughed at behind his back for years, and the fact that some say Shane doesn't have a good creative wrestling mind.
It was also noted that it's not clear if Shane has been released from a talent contract or if he was just sent home and removed from all plans, but it's believed among some that Shane will not be involved with WWE for the foreseeable future.
The WWE Title match has champion Bobby Lashley defending against Lesnar, Riddle, Austin Theory, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins. There's no confirmation that Theory ended up with Shane's spot, but we do know that Shane wanted to wrestle Theory at WrestleMania 38. It's been reported that at one point there were plans for a Shane vs. Rollins feud, and a Lashley vs. Shane feud had also been discussed at one point before Rumble plans were finalized.
Stay tuned for more.