From the WWE Rumor Mill: Backstage news on Shane McMahon's WWE status

What’s the story?

The appointment of Paige as SmackDown’s General Manager has seen Shane McMahon take a back seat as of late, with the latter being kept off WWE TV for quite some time now.

Fans have begun to wonder about McMahon’s status with the company and Dave Meltzer, as always, has stepped in to clear the air regarding the situation.

In case you didn’t know…

Shane McMahon’s return to WWE in 2016 was met with a voracious response and ever since his surprise comeback, the McMahon scion has been a regular feature on WWE programming. In addition to being an authority figure on TV as SmackDown’s Commissioner, Shane O’Mac has put on impressive performances in the ring whenever he’s been called upon to do so. In all honesty, McMahon has exceeded expectations with his in-ring exploits more than his promo work.

With Daniel Bryan’s return to in-ring action, McMahon had to fill in the post vacated by the Flying Goat and it turned out to be none other than former Divas Champion. Since taking over from Bryan, Paige has done admirably well as the GM of SmackDown, so much so that McMahon is nowhere to be seen.

So what’s up with crazy Shane O’Mac?

The heart of the matter

Dave Meltzer touched upon the aforementioned topic on the Wrestling Observer Radio and was quick to note that McMahon is still an active performer in WWE’s ranks. For now, the company is just keeping him off TV as there is no concrete reason for him to step into the mix.

McMahon had to undergo a Hernia surgery, which could be one of the reasons why he has been absent but Meltzer said that he has gotten no word from backstage regarding the plans for McMahon after the surgery. He claims that the top brass has no intention to get him back to power just yet and further speculated as to why they plan on saving him for a better occasion.

The veteran journalist claimed that the creative may just be keeping off TV with the sole purpose of getting Paige over as the GM.

“Maybe they just want to get Paige over. They don’t need him on TV. I mean really. Paige is fine in the role. Save Shane for when they’ve got a reason for him to be there and I haven’t seen a reason of late,” Meltzer said.

What’s next?

With SummerSlam approaching, we’re sure to see McMahon intervene in some way as there are some big decisions to be made. WWE loves to get the fan favorites back for its major PPVs and SummerSlam is after all the biggest party of the summer.