SmackDown on FOX: 5 reasons why Shane McMahon was fired from WWE

Remember that time a few months ago when Shane McMahon was rumored to be the one set to dethrone Kofi Kingston as WWE Champion? Thankfully that didn't happen. Remember how Shane McMahon has a win over Roman Reigns? Unfortunate that it did happen.

However, what wasn't unfortunate was the outcome of the huge ladder match on the SmackDown on FOX premiere. It saw Kevin Owens take on Shane McMahon in the conclusion of a long-time feud. The stipulation, as you know, stated that the loser of the match would be terminated from WWE.

Despite coming close to losing and getting fired, Owens managed to overcome the odds and defeat Shane McMahon, thus concluding Shane McMahon's three and a half year run in the company.

In retrospect, the run will undoubtedly be looked upon with quite some fondness, particularly the pop when he returned. However, Shane McMahon is now gone from WWE and here are a few reasons why.

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#5 Shane McMahon outlived his time as an authority figure

Shane McMahon's heel run was brief

Shane McMahon truly outlived his time as an authority figure. While it was great in the first couple of years, things started to slump in 2019 when he turned heel. At first, it was great because he was a well-liked authority figure.

He was the antithesis of the most hated figure at the time - Stephanie McMahon. For many, he was a breath of fresh air because heel authority figures as a whole had been overdone quite a bit.

However, his 2019 run, in particular, was bad, not because of the heel turn, but it felt like he became yet another McMahon authority figure at the end of it. It wasn't heel heat that he was getting, it was what people call "go away heat".

#4 A new direction - A sports-like approach

Renee Young is back to being a presenter

While WWE RAW will continue in its entertainment-oriented direction that WWE has been following for so long, the same doesn't seem to be the case for SmackDown. Since it's now a show that's on a huge TV network like FOX - one that prides itself in extensive sports coverage, it appears that the rumors of WWE taking a new direction are true.

In short, the rumor stated that Shane McMahon would, in fact, be losing since WWE is planning a new direction that's very sports-like. This will see the end of authority figures on screen and it's probably for the best, given that Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff are now in charge.

Moreover, the entire idea of authority figures have been done to death. It was good in 2016-18 when there were a bunch of babyface authority figures and it wasn't overdone. This is the best possible direction for WWE and we're glad to know that this may very well be implemented.

#3 Shane McMahon only wants to make special appearances

Shane McMahon offers a hand to Kevin Owens

Shane McMahon usually wrestles a few times a year. It's at WrestleMania, a Saudi Arabia show and perhaps Survivor Series or another PPV in between. He got a bit more active in 2019, competing in back-to-back PPVs on multiple occasions.

He got paid quite a bit but perhaps WWE may feel that Shane McMahon would be better off as a special attraction. Just because he got fired, it doesn't mean that he can't occasionally return for a match at WrestleMania.

Ideally, WrestleMania would be the perfect spot for him and he could even return as a babyface at some point. While there would need to be a good story to bring him back, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

It's perhaps best that he appears in a role like that rather than being as frequent on television as he is right now. When he returned in 2016, he was a legitimate needle-mover as his match against The Undertaker was responsible for selling tens of thousands of tickets.

#2 It was the right conclusion to the storyline

Shane got served

Simply put, this is one of the best reasons why it happened. While there are better ways to go around it, what would be the point of the entire story if Shane McMahon stopped terrorizing Kevin Owens and just went after someone else?

Let's not forget that the entire point of the storyline is that Kevin Owens is the rebellious Superstar who spoke out against Shane McMahon and put his career at risk on more than one occasion, whether there was a stipulation or not.

The premise was that Shane McMahon was a tyrant on SmackDown Live and took up TV time and all the big spots that Superstars should have been receiving. There was even a point where the locker room was divided between Owens and Shane and while their involvement wasn't that heavy after that, it only makes sense that this story concludes with the tyrant gets exiled from the kingdom.

We commend WWE for perfectly concluding the story, ending it with a really good match. Moreover, it gives Kevin Owens a huge rub, which leads us to our final point...

#1 To push Kevin Owens as a main eventer again

A much-needed win in a mixed year

Ultimately, Kevin Owens reeded the win. And since he is a signed Superstar, he was always going to, anyway. We need to remember that Kevin Owens' year has been a big mixed bag of sorts.

He was originally scheduled to wrestle Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 for the WWE Championship, but he was unfortunately negatively affected by Kofi Kingston's success. Not that it's anybody's fault, but he was simply a victim of the circumstances.

Firstly, his babyface turn was cut short as he had to challenge for the WWE Championship and secondly, he was clearly thrust away from the spotlight. Moreover, he gained serious momentum with this storyline but looked terrible when he started begging Shane McMahon to revoke the $100,000 fine.

All those 'Stone Cold' references instantly went down the drain. The point is, Kevin Owens needed the win and Shane McMahon's firing can now be a catalyst to push him back as a main eventer. Don't be surprised if he's challenging for the WWE title soon.