What if Shane McMahon never left WWE?

#4 Shane wrestles at WrestleMania 27

Shane McMahon would have gotten back in the ring much sooner.

There were a number of times during Shane’s absence from WWE when one could argue that the roster was hurting. Prior to the contemporary influx of NXT trained talent, with older stars fading, and injuries mounting, there were multiple occasions when even the biggest show of the year didn’t feel so special.

One of those times was WrestleMania 27—a show saved in part by The Rock returning in a non-wrestling role, and by Triple H and The Undertaker’s legends match. It’s telling, however, that the underwhelming showdown of WWE Champion The Miz defending against John Cena closed out the show.

This is exactly the sort of time when, despite working increasingly part-time on screen, WWE would have broken the glass in case of emergency. They might have plugged Shane-O-Mac into the proceedings to work an otherwise underutilized talent like Wade Barrett or Dolph Ziggler.