Was Vince McMahon unhappy with Shane McMahon after WWE Royal Rumble 2022?

Shane McMahon's Royal Rumble 2022 participation has seen some stories arise even after the event was long done, especially since it may have led to his release after a discourse with his father Vince McMahon.

Fans who tuned in on last year's Royal Rumble witnessed Shane McMahon return to the company at number 28 after some notable absences from the brand. He was one of the last four alongside Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, and Matt Riddle. McMahon also eliminated Kevin Owens on the way to the final four, but it was still The Beast who got the victory. As it turned out, his return caused some chaos backstage.

After the event, it was reported that the former General Manager was involved in the production of the Rumble match and wanted to come off as a strong competitor. Shane McMahon's backstage actions caused a lot of unhappiness, even for Vince McMahon. Not long after, it was revealed that he was quietly let go by his father.

Additional details regarding the alleged negative attitude backstage surfaced. Mike Johnson of PWInsider stated that Shane was also frustrated prior to Royal Rumble 2022 as his ideas were being turned down by Vince.

"It was said that Shane was obviously frustrated the day of the show and that some believed that came from his ideas being shot down by Vince McMahon. The talk was he was upset that 'he wasn't being allowed to do what he wanted' and that he was 'greatly preoccupied' by his own role in the Rumble."

Safe to say, although some fans were excited and even elated by Shane's brief return, it must have upset Vince McMahon and other superstars and crew.

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Shane McMahon's Royal Rumble 2022 still saw some positive aftermath

Shane O'Mac's participation in last year's 30-man Rumble match was his first match since the first night of WrestleMania 37, where he lost a Steel Cage match against Braun Strowman. Although the aftermath of his return was surrounded by controversy, he still walked out with a huge pay.

In WWE's SEC filing, it was revealed that the 52-year-old was paid more than $800,000 as an individual contractor for his 5-minutes performance in Royal Rumble 2022.

"In 2022, Shane McMahon was retained as an independent contractor performer by the company and received an aggregate of approximately $828,000 in connection with such services."

From the looks of it, a return of Shane McMahon to WWE might take a while, especially since Vince recently returned to a position in the company. Still, recent events have proven that nothing is certain.