Shane McMahon is reportedly angling for a return to wrestling, but not with WWE.
The son of the now-disgraced former WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon, has not been seen on WWE TV since WrestleMania 39. He was a shock challenger for The Miz at the event, but tore his quad after a leapfrog just seconds into the match.
This was after Shane McMahon was reportedly fired by WWE, following the 2022 Royal Rumble. He looks to be angling for a return to the business, but with AEW rather than his brother-in-law, Triple H’s, company.
Conrad Thompson spoke with Jim Ross on the latest Grilling JR Podcast. Thompson revealed that he had been told by a friend of his that Shane McMahon had been asking some AEW wrestlers about a chance to join the company.
“Last week, we got a lot of chatter online about some of the things we talked about. It was about the idea of Shane McMahon possibly working with AEW. If you recall, you said, ‘It’s so crazy to think it might work depending on how it was positioned or introduced. Shane called me the other day. He’s called two or three times, which I appreciate. He’s always been sensitive in that respect. That’s only a question that Shane can answer. Shane and Tony being together, how would that work creatively? Heck, who knows, it might be great.'”
“A friend of ours went out of his way to text me and say, ‘Hey, that’s not as crazy as you think. I know for sure that Shane McMahon has reached out to wrestlers on the AEW roster to at least hypothetically discuss the idea.’ Are we saying that’s going to happen? No. We are saying it’s not that crazy of an idea.”
Jim Ross Thinks Shane McMahon To AEW ‘Could Happen’
Jim Ross was coy about Shane McMahon joining AEW, not giving his opinion either way.
However, he noted that Shane is a good guy who loves the business, and his character and name recognition would be “viable” for AEW.
“It could happen.” Jim Ross said. “And how he would be utilized as a character on television, that’s what I’m talking about. It’s viable. He’s got great name identity. People recognize him. It’s a long shot, I’d say less than 50/50 that he would re-engage with pro wrestling. But I can’t say that it’s impossible, because it isn’t!”
“He’s a good guy and he still loves the business. My last hospital stay, he stayed right on top of it. He’s a sensitive guy, takes from his mother, which is a good thing, she’s a wonderful lady. Who’d have thunk it, as they say? I don’t think it’s something we’re unable to do. it depends on what he wants to do.”
