WWE Rumor Mill: Reason why Shane McMahon won WWE World Cup

What's the story?

WWE Crown Jewel has received mixed reviews, but the show went off very smoothly with the Saudi crowd enthusiastically cheering the WWE Superstars of RAW and SmackDown.

One of the biggest surprises of the night was Shane McMahon's entry in the finals of the WWE World Cup, and his eventual win over Dolph Ziggler in the tournament.

Now, Cageside Seats have reported on the possible reason for Shane McMahon's victory in the tournament.

In case you didn't know...

The WWE World Cup was supposed to be an eight-man tournament, with four of RAW's Superstars and four of SmackDown Live's Superstars competing, with the winners of each brand's bracket facing each other in the final of the tournament.

Seth Rollins defeated Bobby Lashley, Dolph Ziggler won against Kurt Angle in the RAW bracket, while The Miz defeated Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio prevailed over Randy Orton in the quarterfinals. Ziggler and The Miz progressed to the final after winning their semi-final matches, but The Miz injured himself, which resulted in SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon, adding himself to the match.

The heart of the matter

According to Cageside Seats, Shane's victory in the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel could be to set-up RAW vs SmackDown Live match at Survivor Series.

WWE teased a feud between the two brands following the show, when Acting General Manager Baron Corbin said that Shane did not deserve the title and that he didn't earn it.

"As far as I can see the cup that Shane McMahon is now carrying around for SmackDown Live is tainted. He didn’t earn it. He didn’t qualify for his spot. I threw an opponent out of the World Cup Tournament for not qualifying and he thinks he can just go out there and do that? It’s a joke. Shane McMahon is a joke. I hope to see him in the future," said Baron Corbin.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has said the win could be the start of Shane's heel turn.

What's next?

This week's SmackDown Live will give us a lot of answers, and possibly set up feuds for Survivor Series.