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It seems like only yesterday that The McMahon Family assumed control of RAW. They said that there would be no more intermediaries on the red brand, after the disastrous experiment that was Baron Corbin. The same would extend to SmackDown Live as well. The first family of wrestling would be running things on both brands.
New faces and new opportunities were promised and some of the promises were kept. But soon enough, we began to see the McMahons we know and 'love to hate' emerge into the foreground. With the notable exception of Triple H, who wasn't really born into the family, all of the McMahons would turn heel.
Through this page and the four that follow, I shall try and gauge the reasons for the turn. As always, leave a comment and let us know your thoughts, friends.
Here's my read of the situation...
#5 A tried and tested formula
Many consider Vince McMahon to be the greatest heel of all time. In fact, while Stone Cold Steve Austin may have been the man that turned the fortunes for WWE during the Monday Night Wars, he had a worthy antagonist in Vince McMahon too. Together the two men would redefine sports entertainment after the viewership dip of the 90s.
Stephanie McMahon has assumed this role in the new era, most notably with The Authority. I don't remember a time when she wasn't booed on television, irrespective of the fact that she makes historic and groundbreaking announcements for the WWE Women's Division. Being heels is second nature to the McMahons and this is what they excel at.
I suppose that when you have someone in charge, who's abusing his/her power, the WWE Universe will naturally support the babyfaces. That's why WWE keeps going back to the well, ever so often.
#4 The current Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston situations
Let's draw some parallels from history. Kofi Kingston is in the same situation that Daniel Bryan was when he went into WrestleMania XXX, ironically with Daniel Bryan as the heel in this situation. Similarly, Becky Lynch is the Stone Cold Steve Austin of this era, fighting against the oppressive McMahon regime.
Both of these babyfaces got over organically with the WWE Universe, to their credit. But to have the WWE Universe, truly care about them, against all odds, the McMahon family interjected themselves into the equation and put roadblocks in their way. Some may counter this viewpoint by saying that this was not really necessary, but it is what it is.
One thing is undisputed, that these two WWE Superstars have a lot of momentum as they head into WrestleMania 35. Whether or not you can attribute that to the McMahons' onscreen persona is anyone's guess.
#3 To freshen up Shane McMahon's character
Much like the rest of his family, Shane McMahon is a natural heel and you have to look at WWE Network clips from the Attitude Era to know exactly what I mean. As great as he's been as a babyface since his return to action, I daresay Shane McMahon is a much better heel than a babyface.
And because he's played the same part for so many years now, maybe it does make sense for Shane McMahon to refresh his character. Of course, this also serves a secondary purpose, to have The Miz get over as a babyface, for the clash at WrestleMania.
If you really think about it, Shane McMahon will be a much better opponent for babyfaces like Kofi Kingston and Mustafa Ali going forward, as opposed to taking on the heels as he has been in this run. Moreover, it also ensures synergy with his father and his sister.
Here comes the money!
#2 Lack of other credible heels in the current roster
The fact is that there just aren't enough superstar heels in the roster right now. You have strong babyfaces like The Shield, but they have to contest against the likes of makeshift teams like Corbin, Lashley and McIntyre, who're just bodies put together to be fed to the Hounds of Justice. SmackDown Live has Daniel Bryan, but that's pretty much it.
Many of the heels in the roster do not serve as forces of evil themselves but as footsoldiers for their highly evil overlords- the McMahon family. And this probably stems from both a lack of experience, to make the WWE Universe detest you and a lack of personality, in some cases. Character work has been secondary to in-ring work, in this era.
This is why The McMahons are forced to be on-screen heels. To their credit, they do a good job.
#1 To have Triple H stand out as the only real babyface
Maybe this is a wrong read of the situation, but just hear me out. Triple H has been standing out of the pack as the only babyface in the company of heels. And this could be so that there's a Triple H vs. Shane McMahon match, somewhere down the road. Maybe at WrestleMania 36 to assume control of the company?
Whether or not you are excited about the match, it's impossible to deny that this would be a big-time angle for WWE to pull off. Which is why they've probably made Triple H a babyface for now at least. It's impossible for him to be a heel, as he's a face against Batista.
Moreover, he's made the WWE Universe very happy with the way he's handled NXT and made it WWE's most exciting brand of content. It's impossible for them to boo him because he gives them what they want.
Batista has a problem with that.
