Shane McMahon has been largely absent from the professional wrestling spotlight for a couple of years. The son of Vince McMahon was last seen at WWE WrestleMania 39 where he competed against longtime rival The Miz in an impromptu match. Shortly into the bout, Shane tore his quad and has been shelved ever since. In recent months, WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross floated the possibility of Shane joining AEW. JR’s co-host followed that up by revealing that Shane had “for sure reached out to wrestlers on the AEW roster” in an effort to “hypothetically discuss the idea” of him joining the company.
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AEW President Tony Khan responded to these rumors in various interviews over the subsequent weeks, denying their legitimacy but noting that Shane is “always welcome” in All Elite Wrestling.
AEW President Tony Khan Meets With Shane McMahon
That “always welcome” sentiment just became a lot more tangible.
As co-reported by WrestleTalk and Fightful, AEW President Tony Khan held a “private meeting” with Shane McMahon this past Monday, July 29th. The meeting took place at a private Arlington airport’s office that afternoon. It was noted that a topic of Tony and Shane’s meeting was “possibilities moving forward.” Tony had reportedly been “open” to speaking with Shane for some time but they never had the chance to meet or even speak on the phone before the Shane x AEW rumors began earlier this summer.
Tony is said to be “very open [to] using” Shane for a couple of weeks now. It is unclear as to if Shane would be utilized as an on-screen figure or an in-ring competitor.
Shane has been officially involved in professional wrestling for the majority of his adult life. He began working for the World Wrestling Federation as a referee in the 1990s before joining his father, former company chairman Vince McMahon, as an on-screen authority figure and eventually stepping into the ring himself. He exited WWE in 2009 but returned in 2016 in a storyline effort to reclaim company power. This storyline eventually turned into a reality, as Shane became the WWE SmackDown commissioner and held various backstage positions.
The fan sentiment towards Shane was overwhelmingly positive until late 2018. Shane accumulated a string of victories that fans felt he did not deserve, such as winning the WWE World Cup and defeating Roman Reigns. In January 2022, Shane took a lot of criticize for his role in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, as he reportedly booked himself to look stronger than various full-time wrestlers. Less than one week later, reports emerged that Shane had been quietly let go by WWE, with Vince declaring that he would never allow Shane to get another crowd reaction in WWE again. That stance softened in April 2023, as Shane appeared as a surprise opponent for The Miz at WWE WrestleMania 39.
Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Shane McMahon’s AEW status.
