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Shane McMahon made his return to the WWE on February 22, 2016, on an episode of Raw, to a standing ovation. This was his first appearance in nearly seven years, and since his return, he has been involved in interesting feuds and two high profile Wrestlemania matches. The Wrestlemania contests were against The Undertaker and AJ Styles at Wrestlemania 32 and 33, respectively.
Shane-O-Mac is known for his high-risk moves, and it is these moves that keep the fans invested in his matches. He is set to lead Team SmackDown against Team Raw at Survivor Series 2017, in what will be a mouth-watering clash. However, it is at Wrestlemania that everyone gets to see dream match-ups.
Who could Shane McMahon face at next year's Wrestlemania in New Orleans? Here are the five potential opponents the Chairman's son could clash with at Wrestlemania 34:
#5 Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn made his WWE debut in 2013 when he joined NXT. He previously wrestled on the independent circuit under the ring name El Generico for eleven years. Zayn won the NXT championship on December 11, 2014, and held the title for 62 days, and at NXT, he had numerous great matches with the most notable one being his match against Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in April 2015.
Zayn collided with Shane McMahon at the Hell in a Cell when he got involved in Shane's match against Kevin Owens. He helped Owens defeat Shane by dragging him onto Shane and forcing the referee to count the pinfall.
Prior to that, he saved Kevin Owens from an elbow drop by Shane off the Hell in a Cell structure through the announcer's table. He explained that his actions were due to Shane not giving him an opportunity on SmackDown.
Zayn can accuse Shane of not giving him opportunities despite his wrestling prowess, in what would lead to a grudge match at Wrestlemania 34. With Zayn's ability to put on an excellent match and Shane's high-risk manoeuvres, this would be a great match.
#4 Rusev
A two-time WWE United States Champion, Rusev is the only Bulgarian to have wrestled for WWE. He made his WWE main roster debut at the 2014 Royal Rumble match where he was eliminated by four men.
Following his debut, "The Bulgarian Brute" was dominant and destroyed every Superstar that came along his path. His first loss came a year later at Wrestlemania 31, when he dropped the United States title to John Cena.
Most recently, Rusev has been on a losing streak and this could just be the spark for a feud with the SmackDown Commissioner. Furthermore, his omission from Team SmackDown which is set to face Team Raw at Survivor Series should ignite this feud.
Expect him to vent his frustrations to Shane and complain about not getting enough opportunities that he believes he deserves.
A brutal attack on Shane would most likely happen sometime after the Royal Rumble to set up a match at Wrestlemania 34. This might just be the way to get Rusev over once again.
#3 Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal is the first wrestler of Indian descent to win the WWE title. He defeated Randy Orton at Backlash in May 2017 to capture the WWE Championship. Mahal lost the WWE Championship to AJ Styles on the November 7th episode of SmackDown Live, ending his reign which lasted 170 days.
He was initially scheduled to face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, but those plans have changed since he lost the title. His fate for the show now remains unknown.
The 6'5 Maharaja will most likely seek to regain the WWE Championship, but the chances of winning it back are very slim. Wrestling pundits have placed him among the "worst champions ever" and the WWE will certainly not put the title back around his waist anytime soon.
Expect him to complain about not being taken seriously and he may well be granted a rematch for the title, which he may lose.
Who else to pour out his anger and frustrations on than the SmackDown Commissioner? He will complain about defending the title on SmackDown rather than on a big pay-per-view event. A physical confrontation with Shane would follow leading to a match at Wrestlemania.
#2 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for both WWF/WWE and TNA throughout his career, including the flagship event for both promotions. He headlined Wrestlemania 19 with Brock Lesnar in a match in which Lesnar botched a "Shooting Star Press".
It was announced by Stephanie McMahon that Angle would be Captain of Team Raw at Survivor Series, and the following week, Shane announced himself as the captain of Team SmackDown. Every member of each team has been named and the match is shaping up to be a blockbuster.
With Shane and Angle leading their respective teams, a rivalry could very well commence at the event. The two know each other very well since they have faced each other in a Street Fight match at the 2001 King of the Ring. The match ended when Angle hit an Angle Slam on Shane from the top rope to win.
A battle for brand supremacy could instigate a feud between the current Commissioners leading to a high profile match at Wrestlemania 34. Angle would most likely have his hand raised at the end of this contest.
#1 Triple H
There appears to be unknown animosity between SmackDown's Commissioner Shane McMahon and Triple H. With Triple H already making his return at a live event a few days ago, an encounter with Shane McMahon would be an interesting one and would cause a lot of buzzes.
Triple H would most likely challenge Shane's authority as the Commissioner of SmackDown live, while Shane, on the other hand, could accuse Triple H of using his sister to get power.
The power struggle between the two is likely to blow up and lead to a showdown at Wrestlemania. The careers of both men would be on the line with Vince and Stephanie McMahon watching from ringside. Whoever wins the match would most likely end up as the heir apparent to Vince McMahon.
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