What if Shane McMahon is Kofi Kingston’s first challenger for the WWE title?

#1 Shane McMahon wins the WWE Championship

Shane McMahon has already held tag team gold this year; could he go onto capture his first world title?

On one hand, very few fans necessarily want to see Shane McMahon win a world title. Beyond just playing a heel character, there’s a general sense, particularly among the hardcore audience, that he’s not as good in the ring or as much of a draw as WWE brass makes him out to be. Of course, there is also an entitlement narrative, given he’s Vince McMahon’s son.

There’s a long history of promoters over pushing their kids at the expense of more worthy talents. When done conscientiously, though—to play into that heat—it can become a useful storyline device. Just as Shane and the Mean Street Posse played privileged heels so well in the Attitude Era, Shane could capitalize on a similar dynamic in stealing the top prize in wrestling, and in so doing becoming one of WWE’s most legitimately hated main event heels of 2019.