Did AEW Just Tease Shane McMahon’s Debut?

Shane McMahon’s future in professional wrestling remains a hot topic. Shane-O-Mac has not been seen on a professional wrestling broadcast since WWE WrestleMania 39 in April 2023, an event that saw him make a surprise return to the ring to face former rival The Miz. Seconds into the match, Shane tore his quad and was unable to continue. He spent the subsequent months in extensive rehab, and while he appears in-ring ready today, there has been no word on whether Shane wants to wrestle again or if WWE is interested in bringing him back into the fold in any capacity.

That’s where AEW comes into play. Earlier this summer, WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross floated the idea of Shane joining AEW, simply suggesting that the concept was not as crazy as many would think. This hypothetical quickly snowballed into a legitimate rumor, as the following weeks saw Shane speak with AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Moné and hold a private meeting with AEW President Tony Khan. 

Did AEW Just Tease Shane McMahon’s Debut?

While nothing substantial has come from his meetings with the company yet, seeds for Shane McMahon’s AEW arrival could have just been planted.

This past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Jon Moxley returned to television for the first time since June. Moxley called out Darby Allin, declaring that he wanted to speak with the former AEW TNT Champion. Shortly after his segment appeared to end, Moxley took the microphone from AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone, stared him down, and said, “This is not your company anymore.”

Later in the show, AEW’s Marina Shafir joined Moxley in a backstage attack on some security guards.

There are two ways to interpret Moxley’s words. He could be speaking figuratively, warning that himself, Shafir, and possibly a larger collection of shoot-style fighters are planning to seize control of AEW by executing more attacks backstage. Moxley and Shafir are both regular competitors on GCW Bloodsport, a worked-shoot wrestling event that mashes professional wrestling with mixed martial arts. On the other hand, Moxley could be speaking literally, speaking to Schiavone as if he is talking directly to AEW President Tony Khan and covertly revealing that there is new ownership within AEW.

In regards to the latter, fan speculation links Shane McMahon to a new ownership storyline. Shane is one of the few people in professional wrestling that would make sense to fill that role, and it would echo one of the industry’s most famous angles as a result. Back in 2001, Shane revealed himself to be the new owner of WCW, seizing control of WWE’s rival from under his father’s nose, then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Moxley and Shane worked close together in the mid-2010s on WWE SmackDown, as Moxley (then Dean Ambrose) was Shane’s first draft pick selection to the blue brand.

Even outside of the ownership implications, Shane also aligns with this Moxley and Shafir shoot-style group. Shane is a longtime fan of mixed martial arts and was the one responsible for attempting to bring a worked-shoot style fighting segment to WWE Monday Night Raw in the form of Raw Underground.